United Red Army

United Red Army

2007 · 190 min · JA · 6.4 (32 votes)
Dir. Kōji Wakamatsu · Starring Maki Sakai, Arata Iura, Akie Namiki, Go Jibiki, Shima Onishi, Keigo Kasuya · Music Jim O'Rourke
DramaThrillerHistory

Two of the most radical student groups form the United Red Army (URA) and head into the mountains to conduct a training camp. Ideology devolves into despotism, and the URA's leaders begin to arbitrarily persecute their followers, a harrowing ordeal that culminates in violence and murder.

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A chillingly detached examination of radical ideology's destructive path. It feels like watching a historical document unfold, exposing the brutal internal logic and paranoia that consumed a movement from within.

intensebleakunsettlingclaustrophobicslow-burnhistorical dramadocumentary elementspolitical thrillergritty realismideologyradicalismgroup dynamicsviolencepolitical extremism
resolutionmaoismcontestationpolitical purgestudent revolt