The Wasted Times

This is one of the best gangster movies I've ever seen. It's streaming on Amazon and I've watched it twice, and I'll watch it again. I'll buy it. Complex, beautiful, horrific, and unforgettable. Everything about The Wasted Times is great. This film deserves far more interest and a much higher rating.

Directors and titles spoil good stories. Good stories are torn apart. Every story changes when it is clear. On the contrary, many irrelevant details are left behind, such as the first two jokes before the shooting, and what is the relationship between the theme of the story? Poor audiences who go to the cinema to give their heads off

In response to a Japanese user's one star, I think 9 stars is fair.

The spying before WWII from Japan in China was prevalent and nasty. The robbery was under the name "East Asia Coproerisity." The fighting against those invaders had never stopped. (as recorded in history and in the film, the old Shanghai gang people also contributed much in underground acticivities)

I have been consistently shocked by how more and more Japanese people tend to beautify their WWII history since the last decade. If even this film could even hurt their feeling, this film should not be blamed.

This is a film about tolerance and repentance. It is a life story of the hero, it is also a portrait of the culture, or an attitude in the family, friendship and business.

Though I am not a fan of Shanghai culture, I really like the acting. The description of the old Shanghai fashion is really good. Much of the Shanghai culture has been lost since 1949 but some still left. As you can see in the movie, it was very exquisite but life-oriented.

A violent war movie I would not have watched if not for Wallace Chung. He appeared for maybe 10 seconds in the movie, yet by then, I had already gotten intrigued by the unusual story and characters, I could not stop watching.

It's an interesting look at Chinese and Japanese relations in Japanese-occupied Shanghai in WWII.

The scenes were a bit jumbled in the first half of the film which could be confusing. It's almost like too many different plots going on and then doesn't continue until later on. There were some unnecessary introduction of minor characters that were kind of pointless. However you could understand what the director was trying to portray such as the theme of betrayal all throughout the film.