The Hidden Soldier

This is not a film with lots of action, but instead one of quiet heroism that touches the heart. I believe it is based on true historical events, which makes it even more compelling. The actors, particularly the one who plays Ying, a simple woman with enormous courage, do a very good job. Thumbs up for this one.

Jack Turner (Emile Hirsch) is one of surviving Jimmy Doolittle raiders. He is being debriefed by his superiors. He recounts crash landing in China and rescued by local widower mother Ying (Liu Yifei). Her soldier husband was killed in Nanjing.

This is a Chinese film with an American star. There was a rash of them with Chinese money trying to make a Hollywood movie. It's surprisingly fine. The CGI green screen is a little outdated. The writing could be better. The romance is unnecessary and feels especially forced. There is better romantic potential with the teacher but I wouldn't want that either. There is some good tension but I would have liked to get moving sooner. This needs to be more of an escape road movie. This is a good first draft but it needs some refining.

This Film is based on True Story of how Chinese Nationalist aided American Service men during WWII from the Japanese. Jack (Emile Hirsch) stars as an American pilot shot down after a bombing mission over Tokyo. The control tower at airport in China where they were to land makes Timing mistake and turns off runway lights . He and his crew parachute from the disabled plane and then Jack is rescued by a Young widowed Chinese woman and her daughter. His crew are captured by the Japs after a frantic search of the island led by their ruthless Captain. The story is simple but very heartfelt and dramatic. Good vs Evil. Wish had saw at Theatre, but found on Showtime Family. Nice production values. I would watch again and elaborate further but don't want to spoil it , so give it a look yourself.

Monday is movie night at our house. My wife comes home with a new one from Red Box after work every Monday without fail and we have run the genre Gambit. Everything from meaningless junk to Best picture winners. We've laughed, we've cryed, we've cursed, we've applauded, we've been left wondering why and/or how we sat through many of them. I've often wanted to turn some off and forget I ever allowed myself to suffer through some of these flicks. Then "In harm's way" found it's way to our DVD player ... This movie will probably never be heralded with the greatest films ever made. But I can honestly say: I absolutely loved it. I never want to know what I'm about to watch. I don't want to know the genre, or any plot points. I want to be completely open minded and never have any premonition of the story. I hate the idea of "movie trailers" I think they are the absolute worst thing that can be done as far as movies go. I mean why watch a ballgame if you know who's going to win???... I will not ruin this experience for anyone else with spoilers. All I will say is: If a heart beats inside of you...watch this movie. Have a wonderful life too. God bless all and thanks for reading my review.

While the box office is overrun by superhero films, it's refreshing to see a film that grounds itself more directly in humanity. "The Chinese Widow" is a beautifully shot, often endearing film that features particularly strong performances by Yifei Liu and Fangcong Li. It is a moving story that deals with incredible sacrifice and one that may bring the viewer to question their definition of heroism. If you want to see something more profound than a run-of-the-mill blockbuster, "The Chinese Widow" is definitely worth a watch.