It takes a moment to change history. It takes love to change lives.
The lifelong friendship between Rafe McCawley and Danny Walker is put to the ultimate test when the two ace fighter pilots become entangled in a love triangle with beautiful Naval nurse Evelyn Johnson. But the rivalry between the friends-turned-foes is immediately put on hold when they find themselves at the center of Japan's devastating attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.
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Character
Resolved, earnest, epic and classical in form.
- resolvedopen-ended
- earnestironic
- intimateepic
- classical in formformally daring
- gravecomic
Who loves it, who doesn't
43 profiled raters. Loved most by The Thrill Chasers; disliked most by The Prestige Hunters.
Where do you stand?
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“Does Josh Hartnett steal Pearl Harbor from Ben Affleck?”
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“Is it too big for its own story?”
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“Should they have ended up together?”
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A yes-or-no question, answered from what people wrote here, on TMDB and on Wikipedia. Never made up.
Reviews
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Reviews on TMDB
Written by TMDB members; each links to the original. Not part of Tastebuds's numbers.
- RalphRahalon TMDB · Feb 20256/10
Pearl Harbor is one of those movies that gets a lot of hate, but honestly, I don’t think it deserves all of it. People go in expecting a war film and get a romance drama instead, which seems to be where most of the criticism comes from. The plot focuses more on a love triangle than the historical attack itself, and while that might not be what everyone wanted, it was clearly the film’s intention. If you can accept that it's a romantic drama set against a war backdrop, rather than a war film with romance sprinkled in, then you might appreciate it for what it is. Michael Bay’s direction is exactly what you’d expect—big, explosive, and visually intense. The action sequences, especially the Pearl Harbor attack, are filmed in his signature style, and they still hold up today. The cinematography is clean, with dramatic wide shots of aerial combat, fiery destruction, and emotional close-ups. Where the film struggles is its pacing. It stretches certain sequences for too long, making it feel uneven at times. The final act, while exciting, feels a bit disconnected from the rest of the movie, almost like it belongs to a different story. Acting-wise, Ben Affleck, Josh Hartnett, and Kate Beckin
Read the whole review on TMDB - Wuchakon TMDB · Jan 20239/10
**_A fine drama/romance combined with great war action_** "Pearl Harbor" (2001) is a Titanic-ized version of the tragic events of Pearl Harbor—a fabricated drama/romance hooking the viewer into the deceitful attack of December 7, 1941. It's 85 minutes before the attack occurs so the drama/romance and build-up to the infamous day BETTER be good, and it is. It's believable too (except maybe for the premature sex scene, which inaccurately transfers modern morals to the early '40s). This first act successfully brings us back to the era of the early '40s and sets the stage for the attack. I didn't think there would be any action until the big attack but I was wrong, as we get some quality action when Rafe (Ben Affleck) goes over to Europe to fly for the British. There are also a couple of fight sequences. While dancing & drinking, Evelyn (Kate Beckinsale) comments to Rafe how shy Danny (Josh Hartnett) seems to be while he’s shown just sitting at a table too shy to talk to a girl or ask someone to dance. Rafe responds that Danny is like a brother to him, that Danny's father abused him, and he therefore lacks confidence. While these characters are fictional, this is REAL. Much later, Dann
Read the whole review on TMDB - CinemaSerfon TMDB · Jul 20226/10
After about half an hour, I started to wonder if this film was going to take as long to get going as a pearl takes to form in an oyster! It's a close run thing, as it must be around eighty minutes in before the Japanese come to the rescue of the audience and introduce some action into this over-long and dreary romance. Certainly it is all handsomely presented with Ben Affleck ("Rafe") at his most swarthy as he gets it to together with "Evelyn" (Kate Beckinsale). Having put us through the usual "how to get the girl" shenanigans, though, he heads off to the UK to help in the Battle of Britain. It's from here that reports reach her that he has been killed. Enter his best friend "Danny" (Josh Hartnett) who tries to console her before, well you can guess the rest. You can also easily guess that Affleck was being paid way too much money to be out before the fighting began in earnest, so back he duly arrives and a yawn-making love triangle takes over the plot. When we finally do start to focus on the events of December 7th, 1941, the action partially redeems this film. Twenty minutes of a quickly paced depiction of the meticulously planned destruction of the US Pacific fleet that caused m
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Cast
- Ben AffleckRafe McCawley
- Josh HartnettDanny Walker
- Kate BeckinsaleEvelyn Johnson
- William Lee ScottBilly
- Greg ZolaAnthony Fusco
- Ewen BremnerRed
- Alec BaldwinDoolittle
- Jaime KingBetty
- Catherine KellnerBarbara
- Jennifer GarnerSandra
Crew
- Michael BayDirector
- Randall WallaceWriter
- John SchwartzmanDirector of Photography
- Hans ZimmerOriginal Music Composer
- Roger BartonEditor
- Mark GoldblattEditor
- Steven RosenblumEditor
- Pat SandstonProducer
- Kenny BatesProducer
- Jennifer KleinProducer
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Pairings
Companions we picked from the closest works, and how to take them.
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Battle of Britain 196975% alikeBoth earnest, resolved, epic.
Dallas 197877% alikeTelevision · Both classical in form, earnest, grave.
Masters of the Air 202474% alikeTelevision · Both earnest, classical in form, resolved.
Often watched with
Recommendations from TMDB. Opening one adds it to Tastebuds
