Designers of the Yamato intended for this monster battleship to defeat any counterpart from the United States Navy. But the advent of aircraft carriers ensured that no such battle would ever occur.

This was a massive five-hour flight to the target chronicled in Russell Spurr’s book, “A Glorious Way to Die,” describing the sinking of “the world’s largest battleship,” IJN Yamato.

For me, telling the story of the Yamato was a private catharsis of sorts. As we made our way through production, I felt like I, too, was sinking into the whirlpool of history swirling around the ...