This Second World War drama is a meticulous account of the preparations for and execution of the Japanese attack on the US naval base at Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. With Richard Fleischer staging the American segments and Toshio Masuda and Kinji Fukasaku directing events from the Japanese perspective, the film bends over backwards to show that patriotism, courage and commitment to the cause were present on both sides, and therein lies its weakness. The battle sequences are magnificent, but the production's even-handedness makes it impossible to judge the true impact of the happenings on either nation.

In the summer of 1941, the United States and Japan seem on the brink of war after constant embargos and failed diplomacy come to no end. "Tora! Tora! Tora!", named after the code words used by the lead Japanese pilot to indicate they had surprised the Americans, covers the days leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor, which plunged America into the Second World War.