Review of City of Life and Death (2009) by Jim B — 24 Jan 2012

An excellent graphic sketch of what happened in Nanking at the hands of the Japanese in 1937. For those with no knowledge of "The Rape of Nanking" and with little experience watching this kind of movie, it is shocking and unsettling. For those of us who know what happened there, and have seen many other war movies such Saving Private Ryan, The Grey Zone, etc. it will not be near as upsetting as what really happened there.

300,000 thousand people were raped, murdered, and otherwise brutalized during the Japanese occupation of Nanking. The movie can only contain some of the most central aspects of what happened. No movie can ever contain the whole story. This one does however give one an essential taste of how bad it was. And, by showing it through the eyes of a Japanese soldier, as well as through Chinese eyes, we get a more multi-faceted picture of what it was like. It must be noted however that the Japanese, to this day, do not, unlike the Germans, fully acknowledge that things like this took place. The truth is, however, Japanese soldiers did commit the atrocities portrayed, and then some. And very few seem to have felt, or later expressed, regret for their actions. The Japanese soldier of those times was inculcated with the Samurai code of Bushido. This code, plus the brutal treatment of Japanese soldiers during their training, made for a soldier who was generally brave, determined, and cruel. My own father survived the Bataan Death March and three years in a Japanese POW camp. His stories confirm everything shown in this film. It is an important document and testament to what happened in Nanking, and will go down in the history of film making as one of the best anti-war filmes ever made.