"Tora! Tora! Tora!"" is a 1970 war film directed by Richard Fleischer that narrates the historic Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The movie revolves around the decisions made by the key officials in different departments of both Japan and the United States (US) government. It tackles significant events that concern the varied opinions and judgments of each character in the film, which led to the tragic 1941 bombing in Hawaii that killed over 3,500 civilians, sunk or damaged 21 battle ships, and destroyed 188 aircrafts. .
The United States was greatly threatened by Japan's imperialist ambitions, most especially after its occupation in southern Indo-China; however, the American military force was not yet ready to go to war during that time. Japan, on the other hand, was already devising a plan on the U.S. Pacific Fleet that was based on Pearl Harbor. They decided to focus on Hawaii because the Japanese believed that this would be their greatest conflict. Despite receiving a warning of an attack, the United States let their guard down for they were confident that the Japanese Fleet would not launch a direct attack on Pearl Harbor. Instead, they (Americans) focused on securing their other colonial territories (i.e. Philippines). .
The attack on Pearl Harbor infuriated the Americans that they abandoned their policy of isolationism, and officially declared war to Japan " bringing the United States into the World War II. The Japanese assault on Pearl Harbor brought the United States into war in which they are determined to finish. .
Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, the commander of the Combined Japanese fleet, devised the audacious strike on the United States using naval aviation. Admiral Yamamoto's plan called for meticulous trainings for the pilots and the use of aircraft that the United States never knew they had. He was one of the key actors in the decision-making process that eventually led to the bombing on Pearl Harbor.
