Roland Emmerich’s Midway centers on the Battle of Midway, a clash between the American fleet and the Imperial Japanese Navy which marked a pivotal turning point in the Pacific Theater during WWII. The film, based on the real-life events of this heroic feat, tells the story of the leaders and soldiers who used their instincts, fortitude and bravery to overcome the odds.
Midway is a 2019 American epic war film directed by Roland Emmerich, who produced the film with Harald Kloser, and written by Wes Tooke. The film features an ensemble cast, including Ed Skrein, Patrick Wilson, Luke Evans, Aaron Eckhart, Nick Jonas, Mandy Moore, Dennis Quaid, Tadanobu Asano, and Woody Harrelson.
A passion project of Emmerich’s, he had trouble getting financial support for the film before finally fundraising most of the budget and officially announcing it in 2017. Much of the cast joined in summer 2018, and filming began in Hawaii that September, also taking place in Montreal. With a production budget of $100 million, it is one of the most expensive independent films of all time. Midway was theatrically released by Lionsgate in the United States on November 8, 2019. It received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $125 million worldwide.
About the Story
The film follows the story of US Navy sailors and aviators who persevere through the Battle of Midway, a turning point in the Pacific Theater of World War II. It follows two threads: one centered on naval aviator Ensign Dick Best and the Air Group (CAG) of the carrier Enterprise, and the other on intelligence officer Edwin T. Layton.
The film starts with the US Naval attaché in Tokyo and his counterpart discussing the US and Japanese positions in the Pacific Ocean during a state function in December 1937. Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto warns Layton that if the Japanese oil supply is threatened by the US, the Japanese will take immediate action. The story then goes on briefly to show the Attack on Pearl Harbor (December 1941), the Marshalls-Gilberts raids (February 1942), Doolittle Raid (April 1942), and the Battle of the Coral Sea (May 1942).
It finally describes the planning for the Battle of Midway (June 1942), depicting the creation of a complicated battle plan. Joseph Rochefort and his cryptology team begin intercepting messages concerning a location the Japanese identify as “AF”. Layton speaks with Admiral Chester Nimitz, who informs him that Washington believes “AF” to be a target in the South Pacific. Layton disagrees, believing the intended target to be Midway Atoll.
After meeting with Rochefort, Nimitz instructs the team to find a way to definitively prove that “AF” is Midway. After Layton instructs Midway to telegraph in the clear (unencrypted) that they are suffering a water shortage, cryptologists working for Rochefort intercept Japanese communications concerning water shortages on “AF”, confirming that “AF” is indeed Midway. In preparation for an ambush of the Japanese fleet, Nimitz orders carriers Hornet and Enterprise recalled from the Coral Sea and demands that the damaged Yorktown be made ready for combat operations.
During the first stages of the battle, the submarine USS Nautilus manages to slip through the defensive row of Japanese destroyers and fire a torpedo at a carrier. The torpedo misses, and Admiral Tamon Yamaguchi orders the IJN Arashi to sink the Nautilus while the Japanese carriers make a quick getaway. While Arashi is headed back to the fleet, the US carrier dive bombers led by C. Wade McClusky follow the destroyer’s wake. The gamble pays off and three of the Japanese carriers are destroyed in the first attack during the Battle of Midway.
Midway (2019)
Directed by: Roland Emmerich
Starring: Woody Harrelson, Luke Evans, Patrick Wilson, Mandy Moore, Dennis Quaid, Ed Skrein, Alexander Ludwig, Aaron Eckhart, Jake Weber, Luke Kleintank, Brennan Brown, Darren Criss
Screenplay by: Wes Tooke
Production Design by: Kirk M. Petruccelli
Cinematography by: Robby Baumgartner
Film Editing by: Adam Wolfe
Costume Design by: Mario Davignon
Set Decoration by: Carolyn ‘Cal’ Loucks
Art Direction by: Page Buckner, Carolyne de Bellefeuille, Isabelle Guay, Jean-Pierre Paquet
Music by: Harald Kloser, Thomas Wanker
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sequences of war violence and related images, language and smoking.
Distributed by: Lionsgate Films
Release Date: November 8, 2019
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