also known as Nanjing! Nanjing!
City of Life and Death2011
Sorry. This film is not currently available.
Recognition
What makes this film worth watching?
"The horrors it represents can be almost too difficult to watch, yet you keep watching because [the writer/director] makes the case that you must." - Manohla Dargis, New York Times
2 members like this review
Not a typical war film though it's battle scenes rival the opening of Saving Private Ryan. The brutality of the massacre is well known. Here it coexists with ambiguity, a point of view that is a total surprise from a Chinese director. The characters looked and felt real. I was caught up in their emotions and came away thinking this was a good and unusual film.
Starring
- Yiyan Jiang - Xiao Jiang
- Junichi Kajioka
- Ryu Kohata - Ida
- Qin Lan - Mrs. Tang
- Bin Liu - Xiaodouzi
- Yuko Miyamoto
- Hideo Nakaizumi - Kadokawa
- John Paisley - John Rabe
- Beverly Peckous - Minnie Vautrin
- Sam Voutas - Durdin
- Fan Wei - Mr. Tang
- Di Yao - Tang Xiaomei
- Liu Ye - Lu Jianxiong
- Gao Yuanyuan - Miss Jiang
- Yisui Zhao - Shunzi
Directed By
Produced By
Cinematography
Member Reviews (9)
Not a typical war film though it's battle scenes rival the opening of Saving Private Ryan. The brutality of the massacre is well known. Here it coexists with ambiguity, a point of view that is a total surprise from a Chinese director. The characters looked and felt real. I was caught up in their emotions and came away thinking this was a good and unusual film.
I'm giving 5 stars to a film I couldn't watch. After 20-30 minutes, I became too stressed and overwhelmed by this brilliant depiction of the horror of war to continue. "Saving Private Ryan" is a cake walk compared to this.
Very sad and dark. Usually not my cup of tea, but wanted to educate myself on Asia before the US entered WW2. Not an inspiring movie in any regard, but I do think it is an intense reminder of man's inhumanity to man. Gives insight into the Chinese struggles in the 20th century. Wonderful acting.
Very interesting
Just might be the greatest movie ever made. If you can watch this and not end up emotionally drained, then I guess you just don't understand it. Beautiful yet disturbing insight to the inhumanity toward man and of the courage of the brave.
Very sad and tragic story. Well told.
excellent film,a story that needs re-telling over and over again-because its happening today,-our taxes are paying for abuses like this all over the world
Horrifying imagery I will not forget. An unblinking view of valuable history we cannot afford to forget. Gives one insight into the tension and hostility between China and Japan. Also, you know it's bad when the hero is a Nazi.
Great movie, parts hard to watch. Sympathetic to all sides without sugar coating what actually happened, at least as far as I understand it.