Review of Shanghai (2010) by Stuart M — 23 Feb 2013

Boring and not very well done noir thriller with a gorgeous production design. A film like this really relies heavily on its characters, most particularly its lead, and this film forgot to include them. Everyone's motives are murky but it never feels like much of a mystery. A big part of this is the miscasting of John Cusack as the lead. I mean I like the guy, but he just isn't right for the role. A role like this requires a certain amount of gleeful duplicity, and Cusack just seems too much a straight shooter to be believable as such a crooked character. He does have a suitable air of detachment about him but it tends to make him seem unconnected to the plot rather than secretive. He also never feels in danger due to ridiculously lethal combat skills for a spy. He kills three separate Japanese soldiers on two separate occasions while they're carefully watching him with guns aimed. Both times with no consequences. The first time doesn't even make sense since it added nothing to the plot. In the end I didn't care about him or his story.

Most of the other cast was good. Ken Watanabe was good as ever as the dangerous Japanese agent and Chow Yun-Fat as a triad gangster gives a decent performance that features perhaps too much charm and not enough threat. Aside from that there's very little to recommend about this film. The script is weak and the big reveal relies too much on an event that might shock the characters but is known by everyone watching the film. A better lead might have pulled it off, but as it is it's just a disappointment.