©Photo by Nobuhiro Hosoki
Japanese director Shinya Tsukamoto is adding to his repertoire of war films with the English-language debut of Mr. Nelson, Did You Kill People? His earlier films in this genre included Fires on the Plain and Shadow of Fire.
Starring Rodney Hicks and Geoffrey Rush, the upcoming film, which debuts in September, is based on the real-life experiences of Allen Nelson, an African American veteran of the Vietnam conflict—both in combat and on the mean streets of the urban ghettos to which he returned.
Mr Watson, Did You Kill People? was shot on location in Vietnam, Japan, Thailand, and the United States. It was produced by the Tokyo-based Kinoshita Group and Kino Films, in conjunction with Cross Media Entertainment in the US, J&B Entertainment in Thailand, and Chanh Phuong Films in Vietnam.
Rodney Hicks, who plays the title role of Allen Nelson, is best known for his appearances in Rent, the Broadway musical, and in Forever, the 2025 Netflix series. Allen’s story was documented in Japan in a 2003 book and manga. In real-life, Nelson was a veteran who overcame his post-traumatic stress disorder by lecturing widely throughout Japan and Okinawa until his death in 2009. ,in his endeavor to overcome his trauma, Allen is assisted by Dr. Daniels, a VA physician played by Oscar-winning actor Geoffrey Rush. Other cast members include Tatyana Ali as his wife Linda and Mark Merphy as the younger Allen.
Tsukamoto was quoted as saying: ”When I was adapting Fires of the Plain for the screen, I read a wide range of materials and books, but the most terrifying work of nonfiction I encountered was Mr. Nelson, Did You Kill People?
“Allen Nelson killed many people during the Vietnam War,” the director continued. He was plagued by the aftermath of the war for the rest of his life. This book, in which he poured out his crimes and the life that followed without holding anything back, has stayed with me ever since and is deeply etched in my heart.”
According to Tsukamoto, the filmmaking process has been a seven-year tug of war between wanting to tell the story and being overwhelmed by its darkness. “In today’s world, where conflicts are raging in various places, I’ve come to feel this reality more acutely than ever,” he added.
Mr. Nelson, Did You Kill People? is Shinya Tsukamoto’s second film made outside Japan, following Tetsuo: The Bullet Man, which appeared in the Venice Biennalle in 2009. Other of his films shown in Venice have included Gemini, A Snake Of June, Vital, Kotoko, and Killing.
Check out other articles by Edward.
.