Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

Men Behind the Sun 2: Laboratory of the Devil Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Justin Dekker August 5, 2024

The first sequel to the notorious 'Men Behind the Sun', 'Men Behind the Sun 2: Laboratory of the Devil' makes its Blu-ray debut courtesy of Massacre Video. It has received a 2K restoration from the original 35mm camera negative. Special features are light; just a collection of stills and trailers for other Massacre Video titles. A slipcase is also included, and once again there is interior art of one of the film's memorable torture scenes that is "hidden" by the black case. The Limited Edition Slipcased Blu-ray has a run of 5000 units.

After the conclusion of World War II, a mysterious group gathers at a remote house for dinner. When the last man arrives, as they raise a toast to Unit 731, he insists they also toast to the thousands that died in the experiments the unit conducted. He then relays a story to a woman who refers to herself as "Susan" (as names don't really matter) and the rest of the group. It's the tale of Dr. Taro Handa, a man assigned to Unit 731 during the war. The bulk of what follows is his story as told by this omniscient narrator.

Handa is deeply in love with a young woman named Eko. The woman's father approves of the match and the pair seem to be on the way to wedded bliss once the war concludes and he finishes his assignment with the secretive unit. Unfortunately for him, he will be unbale to contact his beloved as the commanding officer has forbade any and all contact with the outside world. No one enters, no one leaves, and no letters or telephone calls are allowed. Nevertheless, Handa diligently writes frequent letters to Eko despite the fact that he knows they can never be delivered. When they are discovered by his roommate, Baruku Hinda, he offers to smuggle the letters out for Handa so that Eko will know he still lives and remains devoted to her. Naturally, his actions are discovered and the pair face discipline, while Eko is forced to deal with some unpleasant consequences of rejecting the advances of another suitor.

Directed by prolific moviemaker Godfrey Ho, Men Behind the Sun 2: Laboratory of the Devil is an odd mix of the tale of of a pair of young lovers coupled with with a gruesome assortment of medical horrors and tortures. If Men Behind the Sun was difficult for viewers to endure with footage from a real autopsy and medical experiments, the second installation in the series will not be an easier outing. Upping the ante, two autopsies are included here and are complete with organ removal and dismemberment. During these moments, due to a drop in image quality as the film resorts to SD inserts, it's easy to tell which footage was originally removed by censors but reinserted here to create this uncut release. As one would expect, it's typically the most graphic of these shots that were excised, but even at a lower quality, the images do not lose any of their impact and will likely cause all but the heartiest viewers to close their eyes, avert their gaze, or leave the room. The use of this authentic footage also serves the purpose of increasing the impact of various tortures that are no doubt achieved through special effects. They trick the brain into thinking that if that footage was real, then why couldn't this be real as well?

The gruesomeness, for those tuning in for that content, begins with the opening credits. The camera moves slowly past a collection of jar after jar of preserved medical specimens in various stages of dissection and development, though I won't spoil exactly what those specimens are here. Off- putting and disturbing, this scene should immediately help viewers decide whether or not this is the kind of film they wish to see. Those sticking around beyond those opening minutes will see a similar series of tortures and experiments witnessed in the first film, all supposedly in the name of weaponizing the bubonic plague to achieve victory in World War II. As with the first film, few if any of the experiments seem to actually relate to that end and instead deal with things like exposing people to extreme cold and finding out how many people could be killed by a single bullet.

If a love story that consumes a sizeable portion of the runtime seems an odd element to find in Men Behind the Sun 2: Laboratory of the Devil, the film repeatedly takes time to try and inject humor into the proceedings as well. But such jokes, such as Handa and his roommate comparing Eko to sweet and sour fish, are jarring tonal shifts for a film filled with so many horrors and gore and largely do not function to illicit laughter or humanize the characters in the story. If anything, both of these elements seem to speak to Godfrey Ho wishing to cash in on the Men Behind the Sun name without spending the money and time necessary to create a product more in keeping with the first film and the requisite effects budget and know-how to do so.

Men Behind the Sun 2: Laboratory of the Devil Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Men Behind the Sun 2: The Devil's Laboratory was remastered in 2K from the original camera negatives and largely looks good on Blu- ray. Detail levels can be high allowing for the appreciation of costume elements and environmental particulars in the numerous laboratories, mustering halls, and dungeon-like rooms where the the notorious Unit 731 conducts its inhuman experiments. Crumbling concrete, chipped and peeling paint, and rusted metal all appear quite lifelike and have a tactile presence. Skin tones are generally healthy-looking much of the time, but in certain scenes can have a ruddier appearance. Colors are often nicely saturated, but due to the setting, there are few instances for colors to pop amidst the rather drab khaki and olive drab uniforms won by the soldiers and doctors. Reds are occasionally allowed to pop when large Japanese flags are used as the focal point in the assemblies but such instances are rare. The image is not perfect, and white specks, vertical lines, damage, and debris all invade from time to time, as does softness, but few of these issues ever rise to the point of being distracting. There are also some moments, during the autopsy of a woman around the 20-minute mark and during the assault on a geisha a short while later, to name a few, where the image quality dramatically dips due to the use of lower-quality SD video inserts for the missing material. "Safe" examples of this footage are seen in screenshots 12 and 13. Stock footage used in the film looks unsurprisingly haggard and rough as seen in screenshot number 6. Fans should, however, generally be pleased with the results here.

Men Behind the Sun 2: Laboratory of the Devil Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

As I wasn't overly fond of the the brevity of the English subtitles, I watched the English dub, and did so for a time with the English subtitles on as well. It was interesting to note how much more verbose the English dub was versus the subs. Dialogue is crisp and cleanly rendered and is consistently properly prioritized and located front and center. Sound effects are appropriate for a film of the era, but explosions, punches and kicks, and gunshots lack the heft to be thoroughly convincing. Music also sounds fair enough, though again, the lack of bass leaves drums sounding thin.

Men Behind the Sun 2: Laboratory of the Devil Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Supplemental features are found under two menu options; "Gallery" and "Trailers".

• Gallery (3.35) - Selecting this option causes a series of stills from the film to automatically start playing.

• trailers - Selecting this menu option will give viewers the opportunity to watch the trailers for Men Behind the Sun 2 (2.48), Men Behind the Sun 3 (2.52), Tumbling Doll of Flesh (1.37), and Ostermontag (1.40).

Men Behind the Sun 2: Laboratory of the Devil Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Godfrey Ho's Men Behind the Sun 2: Laboratory of the Devil is a bizarre mix of a gory torture film (some real, some practical effects) and a love story attempting to masquerade as a historical drama. But on the whole it seems less interested in providing a factual retelling of the actual events and activities of Unit 731 and more interested in generating shock and disgust. Fans of the franchise will no doubt be pleased with Massacre Video's efforts to create a very solid presentation of the film, but all others should proceed with extreme caution. Men Behind the Sun 2: Laboratory of the Devil is recommended only to those who enjoyed the first installment of Men Behind the Sun.