User reviews

Big budget WWII epic , it happens when China is invaded by Japan at the onset of war and finds Japanese army surrounding city of Nanjing (1937). After that, at the city take place violations, mutilations, and massacres. Some prisoners are interred in a prison camp but later they are led to fire squad, scaffold and alive burying.

Director deglamorizes war showing true horror and terrible events. It's a staggering evocation of the Chinese Holocausto in Nanjing , as the atrocities are depicted matter of factly as by-product of sheer Japanese evil. The opening twenty minutes graphic depiction the facing off is , on its own, magnificent. The film-maker Chuan Lu is nicknamed the Chinese Steven Spielberg for his spectacular and impressive productions. As the moving beginning results to be as stirring as ¨Saving private Ryan¨ , the developing of the movie regarding invasion China is partially similar to ¨Empire of the sun¨ and suffering of Chinese people bear remarkable resemblance to Jews of ¨Schlindler list¨ .The starring, Nakaizumi, and the rest of the cast are excellent , as the movie is powered by splendid performances in charge of Chinese and Japanese actors who during filming suffered some inevitable discussions. Filmed in perfect black and white by cameraman Cao Yu , reflecting appropriately the grim and rotten environment .Lu Chuan makes a breathtaking work which directs spectacularly with groundbreaking scenes in a heartbreaking context.Chuan dedicated about three years joining information and interviewing experts for that scenes would adequate to reality of events. This masterpiece finally garnered the world attention and respect that the story deserves, winning several prizes in various International Festivals.

I'm an overseas Chinese, growing up listening to my grandfather telling the stories about how bad the Japanese Military treating the Chinese people in WWII.

I saw some of the movies made back in the 80's/90's about the rape of Nanking, to me they are exploitation movies and never affected me or leave me with profound experience. I'm actually disgusted with them making such low movies. Also most of the documentaries I watched never really does anything.

I watched Nanjing! Nanjing! - City of Life and Death tonight and it really drained me emotionally, the movie really depicting the real face/real ugly side of war, where the victims are always the people, doesn't matter what wars or which countries.

The movie itself doesn't really do the finger pointing like other movies, but it just showing, in my opinion, the fair view on what was going on back then without taking sides.

And it's show one thing, the most profound thing to me, that The Chinese people can endure a lot of hardship that life throw at them and that's possibly why their cultures and civilization last for a long time.

Highly recommended for people who never really know this part of history, as Chinese I know about it, but for lot of my westerners friends who never been to China, they only heard about it but didn't realize how crazy it was and how significant is this event for the Chinese people. Most people know the atrocities the Nazis did in WWII, but not the Japanese Atrocities.

Watched it and let's pray there won't be WW III or any wars at all actually.

A very fine movie, strong and rather heavy. I was relatively familiar with the events that took place in Nanjing therefore I was not surprised by the atrocities I saw reenacted on the big screen.The device of shooting the film in black and white was effective, in the sense that it created an impression akin to a documentary or a current affairs reportage of the age. Alessandro Ahmenabar may have said that he wanted "Agora" to give the impression that it reported events from 4th century A.D. Alexandria like a CNN live correspondence but I think "The City of Life and Death" was the movie that succeeded on that, giving to the spectator the impression of watching the events in live coverage.

Although it portrayed numerous atrocities, it masterfully avoided the trap of succumbing to "pornography of violence". It also tried to treat the incidences of mass rape and "comfort women", which after all are the reasons that the conquest of Nanking became notorious and was named The Rape of Nanking, in a relatively discreet manner, the only one possible.

The actors were expressive and one must note that this multi-person drama, lacking a protagonist was reminiscent of the technique of the films of Robert Altman also lacking a protagonist.

It was also a good idea to create a positive and repentant Japanese character in order to alleviate the obnoxious impression that the viewer would form about the Japenese people in general.

I do not know whether there is a propaganda value in this movie but judging it a work of art, being not involved in Sino-Japanese affairs, I find it outstanding.

I finished watching this film two hours ago and the punch in the stomach I received watching it still hurts. I don't recall having received such a punch in my 60 or so years of film watching. Unlike films such as "Schindler's List" or "Empire of the Sun", this film does not take sides. It's like a candid camera operated by an invisible grand master hidden in the crowd or the rubble. It's just there recording events. As a result, despite the fact that it focuses on the big picture, the individual is not lost: Both the Chinese and the Japanese, each and every one of them, in huge crowds are real believable characters. This gives the viewer a grand and horrible sense of presence which is what makes it so painful. It would take courage to watch it again.

Viewed at the Festival de Cannes 2009 (Market screening)

Since I am not Chinese, or of Chinese extraction, City of Life and Death has a different resonance for me. I know of the Nanking massacre (for which, it has to be said, the Japanese have yet to apologise or even properly acknowledge) from my own interest in history, as well as the John Rabe story (the Nazi who helped save thousands of Chinese civilians, until recalled to Germany since Hitler did not wish to upset his Japanese allies).

Therefore, for me, City of Life and Death retells a fearful part of history, but not one with which I have any direct connection. So while this film may resonate a certain way for Chinese viewers, be they from the mainland, Hong Kong or overseas Chinese, I can tell you that I, as a European, have seldom seen a film so powerful, gripping, dramatic and moving.

City of Life and Death is not nationalistic propaganda or a reversioning for the screen: no punches are pulled. The woman next to me was in tears. So be warned, this is not easy viewing. But by featuring on a few characters, allowing them to become fully three-dimensional human beings (not Chinese, not Asian, but human beings who live, love and feel) director Lu Chuan makes his audience feel and share their fear and terror as the Japanese invaders commit atrocity after atrocity on the fallen city's inhabitants. Never forget, this actually happened.

If anything, Lu Chuan soft pedals on the horrors. They are depicted, but are not front and centre. This is not a horror film so gore hounds and ghouls should seek their thrills elsewhere. Rather, it is the arbitrariness with which the Japanese went about their murderous work that scares. Wrong place, wrong time: rape, torture, murder. This wasn't the efficient, methodical murder the Nazis introduced, but rather cold brutality, as a cat toys with a helpless mouse. Unthinking, unreasoning, just because.

Filmed in black and white, City has so many images and scenes that remain fixed in you mind long after the final credits have rolled. Lu Chuan even selects the grain and grading according to the action. The use of colour would, in this case, have weakened the film.

But if City of Life and Death were just two hours of suffering it would be unworthy of an audience. So Lu Chuan gives us the central characters of Mr. Tang (John Rabe's secretary), Miss Jiang (a schoolteacher) and Kadokawa (a sensitive Japanese soldier who witness but cannot delay the unspeakable). All of them are helplessly swept up in the maelstrom, which Lu Chuan leavens with scenes of (attempts at) normal life, normal human interaction and naked attempts at survival. These are people with whom one can identify and empathise.

Yet, at heart, City of Life and Death is extremely uplifting. The message, at the end, is positive and optimistic. In writing this review, the film is coming back to me again. What I once read, black and white on a page, has been made real for me and, yes, I'm emotionally moved by it.

If you believe in the power of film, want a break from popcorn entertainment, are looking for a film that can make you feel (as opposed to having your emotions manipulated) then please go see this one. It's rare when I think a film should be seen, deserves to be seen, but City of Life and Death belong in that very rare category.

The last Rape of Nanking event film I had watched, was the docu-drama Nanking back in 2006 during the Hong Kong International Film Festival. With interviews conducted with real survivors, I was riveted to listen to their account of the atrocities conducted by the Japanese soldiers, and you empathize with them as they relive their memory and make them known. The dramatic elements were nicely presented as well, with notable names reading off memoirs and letters pertaining to individual episodes, which collectively make up the brutal horror, a living hell if you would, of the conditions of occupation.

Lu Chuan of Kekexili fame has crafted this fine film that looks into 2 broad episodes – the first few hours of occupation which will satisfy action junkies, and the later half which looked into the atrocities that were committed some 1 week into occupation, from within an international safety zone set up by Westerners, led by German John Rabe, who gets some concession by virtue of Nazi Germany being Japan's ally.

There's the controversial aspect of the film though, where it doesn't demonize the invading force right away. Instead, I lauded its realistic portrayal of the human condition of Fear when we go into the unknown, and this emotion gets vividly captured in the first few minutes of the movie, setting the tone of the entire film, where fear drives us to do inhumane, barbaric acts. That being said, it doesn't shy away from reenacting the atrocities committed against the Chinese, from bayonet stabbings, mass burials of breathing souls, burning and the machine gunning of surviving soldiers, and rape.

Filled with plenty of characters each given a specific purpose in the film, either representative of an historical legend, or collectively as a group, it makes you feel for the individual with documentary-like precision, and I am somewhat intrigued at how one can feel so much through the simple camera work of going real close to the actor's face, and lingering onwards to capture moments of despair and bewilderment.

If there's one film you should see this year, then don't miss this one. I only hope that it gets played in a decent cinema hall with a great sound system, otherwise it'll do this film no justice. Certainly a contender for one of my films of the year, and comes highly recommended!

I've been really impressed by this film. The way it makes a contrast between the fragility of the Chinese position and the vast and enormous military resources at the hands of the Japanese to simply dispose of the Chinese population just the way they want, remorseless and unlimited in their decisions, creates in the spectator a sense of utter despair and impotence, as the starting violence and euphoria transforms into raw and premeditated brutality. But this same perspective makes you appreciate more intensely the triumph of the defeated's mentality over the conquerors' one, the silent resistance that becomes an unified wall against the oppression and ruthless rule of the Japanese military, whom at the end began to fall apart morally. The action is awesomely captured, photography is great, and direction is remarkable, some scenes hit you really hard, but not to the extent to consider it a sadist or heavy-to-watch film. Henceforth, one of my favorites war movies of all time.

The city is Nanjing, then capital of China. The time is 1937-38 when Japanese forces occupied the place. The story is the horrific consequence of that occupation for Chinese soldiers and civilians alike. The film is dedicated to the 300,000 victims of the atrocity, a figure that is still debated. The executions, the hangings, the beheadings, the burning, the bayoneting, the burying alive, the rapes - all of which happened - are all shown, but not overly dwelt upon. Instead young Lu Chuan, who both wrote and directed, tells a human story, focusing on a limited number of individuals, not all Chinese. This 2009 work was originally shot on colour film and then desaturated into black and white and the cinematography by Yu Cau is very impressive.

We are offered politically correct depictions of the bravery of the Chinese soldiers and the nobility of Chinese civilians, especially the women, but the focus on the international safety zone brings to the fore the role of John Rabe, often called the German Schindler, and other nationals. Surprisingly, however, Lu gives an important role to a (fictional) young Japanese officer called Kadokawa who is shown as compassionate and horrified by what his fellow soldiers are doing - a characterisation that understandably proved controversial in China.

When I was in Japan, where they talk of the 'Nanjing Incident', at the Memorial Museum in Hiroshima of all places I found that the Japanese are still downplaying the scale of this slaughter. When I was in China, where they call it the 'Nanjing Massacre', not least during my time in Nanjing itself the history was still live and feelings remain raw. I wish that this film could have been seen as much in Japan - which has still not faced up to its wartime crimes in the way that Germany has done - as in China and indeed Europeans and Americans should know more, as they would by viewing the film, about the rape of Nanjing.

CITY OF LIFE AND DEATH is a masterpiece - of film making, of finding the midline of response to war from both sides, of cautiously but successfully blending intimate stories with the gory atrocities of war, and of recreating a period of history we too soon forget unless prodded by works such as this. Lu Chuan both wrote and directed this vision of the 1937 decimation of Nanking, the capital of China, by the Japanese that lasted in action for only six weeks but that has been a permanent festering wound on the history of mankind that will always be a reminder to what War is about.

Subtitled NANKING! NANKING! the audience is led to expect a film honoring the Chinese who bravely fought to resist of the Japanese invasion and ultimate destruction of the then capital of China. Instead the writer/director elects to put us in the midst of the war, showing all aspects of how war changes and affects and destroys people. The black and white film is able to create the illusion that we are actually in 1937 Nanking. We meet several important personalities from that time: the Chinese Resistance leader Lu Jianxiong (the inordinately gifted and handsome actor Ye Liu), the Chinese schoolteacher Miss Jiang (Yuanyuan Gao) who fights constantly to save her people, the Nazi German John Rabe (John Paisley) who maintains a Safety Zone to protect the Chinese until the Nazis recall him to avoid insulting their Japanese allies, Rabe's Chinese assistant and translator Mr Tang (Wei Fan) and his wife (Lan Qin) who despite the suffering they endure from the Japanese still are selfless in the choices they make to help their people, and Kadokawa (and impressive Hideo Nakaizumi) who as a Japanese soldier is a symbol for those warriors who are conflicted about the cruelty inflicted on the Chinese. These individuals provide stories with the story that allow the viewer to connect to the human aspect of the victims and the perpetrators of the annihilation we are witnessing. There are devastating scenes of the forced 'comfort houses' created to keep the Japanese soldiers happy, the demanded selection of 100 Chinese women to provide physical gratification to the enemy, the massacre of thousands of citizens - men, women, children - and the destruction of the very city itself. But Lu Chuan balances these with some very tender moments, such as the first sexual encounter of a virgin soldier with a prostitute and how he interprets this experience as love to the point of providing as much gratitude and safety to the prostitute as he can, and the incredibly tender scenes between Lu Jianxiong and a little boy who brings him bullets.

The cast is stunning and while many of us do not recognize the faces, they are obviously some of the cream of the crop of Chinese and Japanese actors. Yu Cao is in charge of the very realistic and photographically perfect cinematography and the musical score by Tony Liu is not only appropriate for the theme of the film but also provides some very simple Western piano music for the intimate scenes. There are multiple choices of subtitles including English. CITY OF LIFE AND DEATH not only documents a piece of martial history that is important to remember, but it is also another way of viewing how WAR can alter the minds and lives of those on both side of the battle. Highly Recommended.

Grady Harp

Unlike Shindler's List or John Rabe, this film focuses not on one particular hero in this kind of atrocities, but the countless ordinary people suffering from the horrors of war. Director Lu did an excellently balanced view, some may say too balanced, from the civilians and the soldiers - Chinese and Japanese alike during the rape of Nanking. The subject matter is profound, the acting is top-notch, the cinematography is excellent, however, the pacing is deliberately slow to match the mood of the film, making me wonder some time how long I had to suffer through. The ending is also a disappointment, when the director tries way too hard to make life the symbol. Still, overall, the movie is good, important and relevant. Watch it.

It is said that evil can only manifest itself when we do nothing to stop it. When we simply allow for it to happen whether in our lives or in the lives of others. The Japanese soldiers who invaded Nanking justified their horrific acts by claiming pride and duty towards their beloved country. Barbaric and without mercy, these troops of doom descended upon the city like the worst nightmare ever conjured by humans. Imagine an army of serial killers and rapists wreaking havoc without being reined in and you'll get an idea. Kudos and hats off to the director for having the courage to bring this shameful blemish in world history to life. Unflinching, painful and without apologies.

This grim and depressing black-and-white drama explores the Rape of Nanking and is told from the point of view of the oppressed Chinese trapped within the city (oh, and from the point of view of one of the occupying Japanese soldiers too, purely for balance). As a film, it occupies the same kind of gut-wrenching worthy territory as SCHINDLER'S LIST, depicting a series of increasingly harrowing events in which violence is meted out as a matter of normality.

I always find such films hard to enjoy, and I hardly want to watch them again after sitting through them. Nevertheless, they exist purely to tell their story and to ensure that such pivotal moments in history are never forgotten.

CITY OF LIFE AND DEATH gets everything right: the direction, which emulates a cinema verite style on occasion, is highly effective and the narrative consists of just the right scope. The acting, too, is of a high calibre and the ensuing drama is as gritty and disturbing as you'd expect given the subject matter; there's certainly no sugar coating here.

As a Historian and big Fan of War motion pictures, and seen quite many of them, I was really surprised of authenticity of this film.

It is really based on historical facts (Please read: Iris Chang: The Rape of Nanking).

The greatness of this film is also on its cast: using both Japanese and Chinese actors. Choice, which was not easy, even as is has been almost 75 years since Massacre of Nanjing happened.

Surprising in this film was also lack of "political message". Film was done in China, but there was no hail of communist party, actually not even mentioned at all. Bravo China!

All those things to put together, this movie is as powerful anti-war as anything can be. Something Mr. Spielberg should watch and compare to his Schindler's List.

As a piece of film art, this Movie belongs to the Top 10 movies made this century.

Highly Recommended! (+18 only!)

First, I'm a Chinese. But I think this film is only average in what 2 hrs can deliver. Maybe, I know too much before hand, and expecting more from it.

For people who knows nothing about Nanjing massacre, I still recommend you to see this film. It is an introductory course, and leaves you some unanswered questions after watching it.

To make a good film out of the Nanjing massacre is not difficult. There are lots of stories the director can use. But it just missed. I'd think another documentary "Nan King" is a bit better in terms of content. However, I must say a good thing about this movie is less violent than it can be. If you check out the videos in youtube, you will know.

I'm not a overwhelming patriot, and never have been.I don't need the film to be portrayed from China perspective, so long as it stays with facts and balance view. The were goods & bads in Japanese soldiers, and so were Chinese. Spending too much time to show a Japanese soldier's remorse is a bit boring and out of proportion. He was only a minority. What's in the mind of the majority Japanese soldiers? This is not revealed. (Harmony is the current theme in China. Is this related?)

Some of the plots are unnecessary, too much battle & gunfire...no need. Just like car chase in each standard action movies. Have seen enough of such which did much better. I'd rather to see each main character's individual story.

For example, some of the Japanese women didn't know what job they were going to do in China when recruited from Japan homeland. They thought they could contribute something to their country , but their job were assigned as prostitutes. This could be a good plot, but just missed.

Story of the film is a bit weak. The only touching moment is when recruiting 100 women for Japanese soldiers.

If you are interested in this movie, I'd also recommend you to see "Tokyo Trial".

The atrocities committed in Nanking, the capital of China, by the Japanese in 1937 and 1938 during the Second Sino-Japanese War is a source of anger and resentment today.

All kinds of torture were visited upon the residents, including live burials, mutilation, "death by fire", "death by ice", and "death by dogs". A survivor testifies to a killing contest amongst a group of Japanese soldiers to determine who could kill the fastest. The rape that occurred during the massacre was one of the greatest mass rapes in world history. It is estimated that the number of women raped ranged from 20,000 to as many as 80,000, and women from all classes were raped, including Buddhist nuns. Furthermore, rape occurred in all locations and at all hours, and both very young and very old women were raped. Not even pregnant women were spared. It wasn't limited to women as some men were forced to commit incest—fathers to rape their own daughters, brothers their sisters, sons their mothers.

Writer-director Chuan Lu and cinematographer Yu Cao joined to present a film that was stunning and mesmerizing. They say that war is hell, and they were certainly describing what went on here. One does not have to understand a word of Japanese or Chinese to follow what is going on.

The pain was more than evident and the horror is indescribable.

Although I am always angry on the historical crimes done by Japanese soldiers on Nanjing citizens, I felt not so impressive but calm by this film unlike many others who were totally shocked by the it. What can help me understand the purpose of this film is the title in English - City of Life and Death, which Chuan want to emphasize in his film. The end of the film also highlighted this key point by the suicide of Kadokawa with a question of life or death. Another choice on this question is demonstrated in the film is from Mr. Tang. He left his pregnant wife alone and choose to stay in Nanjing. He choose death because he gave another people the life. And his life will be prolonged by his second child to be born. So every scenario in the film is a choice. Actually many of them are not real choice. At that situation, you have no choice under the weapon of inhuman troops.

Everything about how this was filmed, shot, paced and the tone it hits was just perfect. Devastating at times and hard to watch but truly catches the trauma of the real life events as well as the lack of morality by most involved!

Just finished watching this with my husband--he likes war films but has no interest in Chinese culture--I am just the opposite, and will rarely watch a war film but am obsessed with China. We watched "John Rabe" a couple of days ago, and wanted to see the comparison viewpoints.

OK, this is my personal opinion only, but I feel that, in spite of the good intentions and honesty of the film, it wandered...there was not really a clear plot and sections were so slow I had to keep my husband from falling asleep--and this is a guy who LOVES war films. The initial scene of the Japanese taking out the guerrilla soldiers in the church is played out excruciatingly, guns popping, little background music, some confusion as to who is who. I kept wondering when the STORY was going to begin. When, about 40 minutes in, we get to meet a few other characters it is a vast relief! We saw this on Netflix and you should know that the subtitles are about 4-5 seconds behind the actual speeches--I speak some Mandarin, but no Japanese, and was constantly irritated at the uncoordinated subtitling. Also, I wanted to see the connections between the characters made more clear; perhaps a title showing where some of the action was taking place would also have been helpful: "Jinling Women's College","Red-Cross hospital",whatever. I also must say that the John Rabe character seemed sort of wussy and did not at all show the kind of strength he actually exhibited (I have read several books on the Nanjing Massacre, Rabe's diary and how others saw him); Minnie Vautrin, who protected so many women and children at Jinling Women's College and personally stood up to Fukuda over the taking of their husbands/sons, etc. was merely a loud-mouthed white woman who seemed in the way at times--in real life,the Chinese women under her care called her the Goddess of Mercy! The role she should have had in the movie was taken by a fictive character called Miss Jiang, probably based on her assistant Mrs. Tsen.

Anyone knowing anything at all about the Rape of Nanjing will wonder about the violence in the movie--this is not a gore-fest or a movie where the violence is displayed as a fetish, like in so many modern movies, but yes, it IS realistic, so be prepared. The director does not spare you in showing the atrocities, but the view of them is not drawn out unbearably and the detail is somewhat muted: no brains flying out, no close-ups of splattered heads, but you do see the lengths the Japanese went to, really, similar to an 'ethnic cleansing', and there is one rape scene that is pretty disturbing, but you don't really see much- -it's the emotional impact that gets you. There are also plenty of scenes dealing with the 'comfort women' that the officers insisted on, and, though a few of them were prostitutes already, most were simply women that were chosen for their looks and grabbed unwillingly. There is also a lot of callous violence against the Chinese citizenry that is simply excessive, even for a war.

Another mention for those who are, like myself, for whatever reason, China-lovers: one of the main characters is a young Japanese soldier who is seen in an almost sympathetic light, as opposed to the majority of them, who do what they do with pleasure and seem to have no human connection at all, not even to the dazed 'comfort women' they literally rape to death. Mr. Tang, who is a fictive figure representing the Chinese assistant to John Rabe, is another character who does what he can to protect his family, but you may not like how he works, and certainly his karma catches up with him pretty quickly. I understand that the director was trying to see things fairly: not all Japanese soldiers were monsters, not all Chinese were saintly martyrs, but I do think too much time was spent on the 'nice' Japanese soldier. The Westerners in the film needed more development, especially considering they role they played in setting up the Safety Zone and protecting so many Chinese--they seemed superfluous and rather powerless in this movie, and that was unfortunate. Yes, it's a Chinese film, but in purporting to give a truthful presentation of facts, fair is fair and Rabe, Minnie Vautrin, Dr. Robert Wilson and Lewis Smythe were minimized to almost nothing here.

The film is slow at times, meandering, has confusing moments and, I think, assumes the viewer is familiar with the history of the era. I believe it needed more dramatic flow, a tighter script, and perhaps more detailed characterizations of the main people; a lot of film footage could have been used better than those first tedious 40-minutes of "battle" time. It is a disturbing film that does show some of the atrocities, but does not go overboard--it is a movie that can be used for enlightenment as well as entertainment of a sort. I still believe a serious viewer needs to do some reading on this subject before they watch, in order to have a sense of what is really going on. Sometimes Chinese movies can be a little maudlin and over-dramatic (though I generally enjoy this!), but there is a good balance in the emotional scenes, and only one towards the end that may be a little much for some people. I did love the Chinese soldiers, just before death, shouting Long Live China!, and there is, even in this intense war film, moments of hope that linger in the heart. I recommend this film to anyone who loves China, who is interested in war, who wants to know some of the real story, who loves intense and honest film-making.

The film looks fine - it has decent cinematography and period detail - but it completely lacks any interesting characterisations or subtlety of plot. All we get is relenting grimness. Of course, that is to be expected in a film on this subject, but the grimness should be seen through the eyes of some characters we can identify with. Part of the film is from the point of view of a reluctant Japanese soldier which could've been interesting, but the idea is not developed and we just see more of the horror that the Chinese endured. The film seems to me to be a good illustration of the Hollywoodisation of world cinema. Instead of any interesting stories, ideas, or characters, we get pseudo-artsy photography, slow-motion sequences, sombre syrupy music, and over-emoting actors.