Five Scouts (1938) Review: The Good, The Bad & How to Watch

 

Five Scouts (1938) Review: The Good, The Bad & How to Watch 

Japanese Film, War
Japanese title: Gonin no sekkōhei

Venice Film Festival, 1938- Winner: Popular Culture Ministry Cup
Berlin Film Festival, 2014- Official Selection

Long before war cinema became defined by massive explosions, sweeping heroic scores, and bombastic spectacle, Tomotaka Tasaka captured something far more intimate on the dusty battlefields of the Second Sino-Japanese War. Released in 1938, Five Scouts stands as a fascinating, quiet artifact of Japanese cinema history—a movie that managed to navigate the rigid demands of wartime propaganda while focusing almost entirely on the fragile humanity of its characters. More on Wikipedia or Mubi

The Quiet Ground of Five Scouts 

The film follows a small military unit stationed on the northern front in China. Rather than showcasing glorious victories or grand ideological speeches, Tasaka narrows the scope to a single, modest assignment. A commander sends five soldiers out into the surrounding countryside on a reconnaissance mission. When skirmishes break out and one of the men goes missing, the narrative shifts from tactical maneuvers to the deep emotional bond between the soldiers as they wait, hope, and search for their comrade.

What makes Five Scouts so striking today is its understated realism. Tasaka avoided the sensationalism common in wartime entertainment, choosing instead a docudrama style that felt remarkably ahead of its time. The camera lingers on ordinary moments: soldiers sharing simple meals, chatting about their families back home, and enduring the endless, nerve-wracking quiet that sits between brief flashes of violence. By treating the men as vulnerable individuals rather than invincible icons, the director crafted a story grounded in genuine camaraderie and lived experience.

Interestingly, this human-centered approach won the film praise both at home and abroad. It became the first Japanese film to earn international recognition at the Venice International Film Festival, receiving a special recommendation for its technical artistry and narrative restraint. Critics noted how the picture managed to transcend standard military posturing by focusing on universal themes of friendship, anxiety, and duty.

Decades later, Five Scouts remains a vital viewing experience for cinephiles and history enthusiasts alike. It offers a rare window into the nuanced art of pre-war Japanese filmmaking, proving that even within strict political constraints, compelling visual storytelling and deeply human drama can still find a way to shine.

The Good

On an artistic level, the film excels through its groundbreaking approach to realism. Long before Italian Neorealism popularized naturalistic cinema in the West, Tasaka adopted a docudrama style that favored authentic field conditions and believable human behavior over theatrical melodrama. The story avoids grand tactical victories, choosing instead to focus on the intimate bond between five ordinary men on a routine reconnaissance mission. By zeroing in on their quiet conversations, shared anxieties, and mutual devotion, the narrative generates deep emotional tension without relying on Hollywood-style spectacle. Furthermore, Tasaka's brilliant use of silence captures the exhausting, nerve-wracking reality of waiting in a combat zone. This subtle, humanistic approach earned the picture international acclaim at the Venice Film Festival, cementing its place as a technical and narrative milestone in early Japanese cinema. 

The Bad

However, the film’s quiet, humanizing tone is also where its main ideological flaws reside. While it lacks loud political posturing, the romanticized portrayal of self-sacrifice and noble duty served as effective soft propaganda for the Japanese war effort in China. By presenting military life as an idealized family bound by unconditional loyalty, the film made the harsh reality of war deeply palatable to audiences at home. This focus comes at a steep historical cost, as Chinese forces are reduced to faceless, nameless shadows in the trees, entirely stripped of their humanity and context. Modern viewers might also struggle with the deliberate, slow pacing, as long stretches of daily camp routine replace conventional plot progression. Ultimately, the movie presents a heavily sanitized view of combat, obscuring the grim terror of war behind a portrait of quiet dignity and brotherhood. 
English subtitles