It's a traditional theme about a desensitized soldier who has to cope between the comfort of his work and his former humanistic desires. As the title implies, it's a man having to choose between his constantly swaying identity of a soldier and a human being.
When it comes to plot, Jin-Roh doesn't really surprise. It's a very competent take on a familiar story that still doesn't rise to the most affecting war dramas. A large part of this is that it can't decide between being character-driven (which it should be) and being politically-driven (which it shouldn't). Too much of Jin-Roh's delicate running time is focused on the meetings and other discussions of various political suits and organizations, and much of this isn't interesting because the setting is largely fictional, and it's clear Fuse's personality and relationship are always at the center of the movie, regardless. This clash comes to a head near the end, as the motivations of indistinguishable factions risk taking precedence over some more interesting personal motivations.
Since Fuse is such a stoic soldier type, we get very little characterization verbally, and we're left determining his personality through his interactions with Kei and his tormenting dream sequences. Unfortunately, there isn't much beyond what meets the eye here since we're given so little to work with with the aforementioned political overtones demanding so much of the script.
But, wait! Jin-Roh lays its cards on the plot table and reveals it has a pretty damn good hand regardless. Not only do we have the legendary Mamoru Oshii of Ghost in the Shell and Patlabor fame, but also Yoko Kanno of... everything fame. Though directed by the far less known Hiroyuki Okiura, this feels completely like an Oshii work - understandable, since he wrote it.
Oshii delivers not only the political conspiracy plots he's known for, but also great attention to the setting's realism and plausibility. 1950s Japan is draped in sepia tones, and the volatile borderline-militia atmosphere is reflected in the eerie greyness emanating from the surprisingly empty city. Accompanied by Kanno's slow, subtle orchestral score this creates a dreary and uneasy air to the whole movie that elevates Jin-Roh beyond a standard soldier story and captivates where the characters, storyline premise, and their developments may not.
Your reaction to Jin-Roh will thus be dependent on how much a strong atmosphere can fill in a lacking script. If you're more easily moved by strong animation, art, and music, then Jin-Roh can deliver a good number of effective scenes that can chill to the bone when it's not too busy being, well, boring. Though there's still the after feeling that some potential went to waste, this is overall a quality effort that's bound to resonate strongly with specific people.
