Review of John Rabe (2009) by Alex F — 18 Oct 2014

It may look like "Schindler's list" set in China, but the context of the story is very different. John Rabe (very well played by Ulrich Tukur) tries to help and save the vulnerable Chinese workers at the Siemens premises that he is running, in the city of Nanking, during the Japanese invasion of China in 1937.

In general, the movie is a very well directed and produced (the art direction is very good) period War drama. Steve Buscemi, as the desperate American doctor trying to do his job under so stressful circumstances is great, and Daniel Bruehl, as a young diplomat, offers a very decent performance.

The portrayal of this cruel episode in Chinese History, known as the "Nanking Massacre", is harrowing and grim, but my only problem is having wanted to see something more than cruel and ruthless Japanese soldiers.

There's one young Japanese officer wanting to show some humanity inside him, but unfortunately the screenplay is so dense of characters and subplots, that there's not a chance to develop himself as a character.