sundar_p

Director Yimou Zhang scores a perfect 10! For someone who is known for the action- choreography in his movies (such as "Hero" and "House of Flying Daggers"), Zhang keeps the viewer riveted to the seat through the first 30 minutes or so when Japanese forces run through Chinese the city of Nanking, unleashing mayhem and violence.

The framing and editing work in tandem to create stunning visuals that convey both the widespread destruction due to the heavy artillery, as well as the intense pain and angst of those hit. I could not help but get reminded of movies like Full Metal Jacket (1987), Saving Private Ryan and Thin Red Line (1998).

The scene where young Chinese soldiers run in an "in-line" formation towards an advancing Japanese tank, with the hope that the last man in the formation, who is a human-bomb, will get close enough to the tank and immobilize it, is outstanding. This perhaps captures the essence of the story - which is displayed through out the movie by many of its characters - the enduring nature of the human spirit. The lone surviving Chinese soldier forsaking the safety offered by a convent of nuns and going back to take on the well-armed invaders; the decision of the prostitutes to stand-in for the young and adolescent nuns who are called into the Japanese garrison for a "performance" at a celebration party and the young errand-boy at the nunnery making the choice to step in as a substitute to make up for the count for the choir are some great moments.

Zhang gets Christian Bale to show his slow but complete transformation from being a drunken mortician with hedonistic leanings to a determined man who sees the protection of the innocent victims (nuns, prostitutes and the young boy) as his calling.

The violence and gore notwithstanding, this movie is one emotional roller-coaster that is sure to make you take a pause and think about the casualties of war and the power of keeping up hope when in despair.

The Whistleblower (2010) is a movie based on the sad but true story of human trafficking by the employees of a firm contracted by the UN to provide security in Bosnia after the Dayton peace accord that put an end to the bloody conflict in the Balkans. Rachel Weisz plays Kathryn Bolkovac, a cop from Nebraska, who arrives in Bosnia to work for this firm and is seconded to the gender-affairs department. Weisz sees the stint as a much needed change of scene leaving behind a broken marriage, plus as an opportunity to improve her financial position given the compensation that comes with such a hardship-posting.

The times are tough and the residues of communal hatred still linger - one situation shows the apathy of the local policemen towards a victim of domestic-abuse given that she is from the "other side". Weisz stumbles upon a racket of human trafficking that lures young girls into slavery who are abused by ruthless sadists -- all with the active connivance and involvement of some employees of the firm. Wiesz lone voice is silenced by the firm -- despite the support she receives from a plucky UN officer for gender-affairs, played by Vanessa Redgrave.

Eventually, Rachel takes the sordid story, of protectors who have turned predators, to the media in the UK, where the firm is registered.

Fighting workplace conspiracy that is fueled by apathy and greed can be lonesome and Wiesz portrayal of a gritty professional is engrossing. One is reminded of the roles of Julia Roberts in Erin Brokovich (2000) and Laura Dern in Damaged Care (TV 2002), standing up for what is right despite being stymied by the perpetrators whose acts have the undertones of gender-bias, and suffering the indignation while staying the course with deep conviction.

The movie is spartan in production-value, driving home the truth that a good script and great performances are more than enough to tell a story.

The story makes one wonder of the risks that arise out of the involvement of private enterprises in security and policing, notwithstanding the mandates under which they operate.