The first English-language project of Japanese director Nagisa Oshima (In the Realm of the Senses), it follows themes of racism and brutality as a war of wills unfolds between rebellious POW Strafer (David Bowie) and camp commandant Ryuichi Sakomoto. Sakomoto is most impressed by Strafer's enigmatic defiance; while bilingual prisoner Tom Conti (the "Mr. Lawrence" of the title) engages in a more adversarial relationship with sadistic sergeant Takeshi Kitano, who finally offers Lawrence a sinister 'Christmas present'.