Review of City of Life and Death (2009) by Benjamin J — 24 Oct 2010
Well received Chinese film about the massacre of Nanking although I found it to be formulaic. Filmed in black and white it was all a bit too much like Schindler's List mixed with The Pianist. As with most pictures that tread on such crossovers it doesn't really come close to touching the former for its horror or the latter for its take on the human experience.
It is a well-meaning piece of work which is at its strongest when it pushes you towards the atrocities but it wasn't original enough to make it feel like anything other than something I'd seen before but in a different setting.
This review of City of Life and Death (2009) was written by Benjamin J on 24 Oct 2010.
City of Life and Death has generally received very positive reviews.
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