Men Behind the Sun

Men Behind the Sun is a 1987 Chinese film directed by Mou Tun Fei.

The film is a graphic depiction of the war atrocities committed by the Japanese at Unit 731, the secret biological weapons experimentation unit of the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. The film details the various cruel medical experiments Unit 731 inflicted upon the Chinese and Soviet prisoners at the tail-end of the war.

Controversy
Though Mou claims he was trying to depict historical accuracy with the film, he has been criticized that the film's appearance as an exploitation film negates any educational value.

Because of its graphic content, the film has suffered mass controversy with censors all over the world. It was originally banned in Australia and caused public outcry in Japan to such an extent that director T.F. Mou even received threats on his life.

The film is extremely controversial for its use of actual autopsy footage of a young boy and also for a scene in which a cat is thrown into a room to be eaten alive by hundreds of frenzied rats (the rats are later set ablaze). There is some question as to the legality of the film, since there are laws against animal cruelty in many countries, including China.

Criticism of the movie

 * Heroic Cinema
 * Camp 731
 * Robert Firsching's review