Review of The Flowers of War (2011) by Daniel E — 01 Mar 2013
An astonishing, brutal beauty that looks at a situation where pure humanity and bravery stood against the evil that men do. Terrific, subtle performance from Bale in a role hugely and unfairly overshadowed by his others around the time of its release; THIS is the performance that should have won him the Oscar.
At the risk of sounding smutty, the prostitutes are good, but the schoolgirls are incredible! The photography is fantastic, but this is no surprise from the director of 'House of Flying Daggers' and 'Curse of the Golden Flower'.
Tough when it needs to be tough, and tender when it needs to be tender, this film does not fail to move you. Only things holding it back are a few misjudged moments, whose intentions are clear, but which do not play as well as they could have done.
Nevertheless, simply by virtue of the fact nobody saw it and it's the dramatization of an important, overlooked part of history, this is a film you must watch. Or, in short, the critics were so wrong, and the audience are so right!
This review of The Flowers of War (2011) was written by Daniel E on 01 Mar 2013.
The Flowers of War has generally received positive reviews.
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