Review of The Flowers of War (2011) by David M — 24 Aug 2012

A big budget Spielbergian war movie from china, starting Christian bale about the rape of Nanking during WWII. A drunk, bale, ends up posing as a priest to save a group of girls and prostitutes in a convent.

The film wasn't received well and that's a shame. It was criticized for visual showmanship that didn't suit the material and over dramatic melodrama. These are staples of Chinese cinema. These same critics also praised war horse, which was unabashed in it's sentimentality, and slammed the new batman for lack of visual panache.

This is what Chinese cinema is, I don't see why broadening the range of appeal causes this to be weaknesses. The visuals are beautiful, and the story of a white savior, a prostitute with a heart of gold, and survival in war are all cliche, it worked for me.

Bale gives a measured performance, misdirected occasionally, and his arc is very angular due to writing, causing his turn to seem abrupt. It serves as an interesting companion piece to Empire of the sun, with Spielberg actually turning bale onto this role.

It's a moving piece of cinema, and inspiring in the international film movement.