Blood Oath

Blood Oath, known in some countries as Prisoners of the Sun, is a 1990 Australian drama film directed by Stephen Wallace and co-written by Denis Whitburn and Brian A. Williams. The film stars Bryan Brown, George Takei, Terry O'Quinn, John Bach, John Clarke, Deborah Kara Unger, John Polson, Nicholas Eadie, David Argue and Ray Barrett. The film is based on the real-life trial of Japanese soldiers for war crimes committed against Allied prisoners of war on the island of Ambon, in the Netherlands East Indies (Indonesia), such as the Laha massacre of 1942. The film was the first film debut for both Russell Crowe and Jason Donovan, in minor roles. It was nominated for several AFI Awards in 1990, including "Best Film". It won the AFI Awards for "Best Achievement in Sound" and "Best Achievement in Costume Design". Cast Bryan Brown as Captain Cooper George Takei as Vice-Admiral Baron Takahashi Terry O'Quinn as Major Beckett John Bach as Major Roberts Sokyu Fujita as Shinnosuke Matsugae John Clarke as Sheedy Deborah Unger as Sister Littell John Polson as Private Jimmy Fenton Russell Crowe as Lt. Corbett Nicholas Eadie as Sgt. Keenan Jason Donovan as Private Talbot Toshi Shioya as Lt. Tanaka Ray Barrett as President of the Bench Kevin Paul Weeks as the Cook Production The film was the idea of Brian Williams, who was the son of Captain John Williams, who had prosecuted Japanese officers in charge of the POW camp at Ambon during the war. He was impressed with the TV series The Last Bastion and approached Denis Whitburn, who had written it with David Williamson, and they wrote the script and produced together. Bryan Brown and Stephen Wallace then came on board the project (although at one point Geoff Murphy was also considered as director).