24 City (Er shi si cheng ji)

24 City (Er shi si cheng ji) (2008)

  • 91% of critics liked it
    (33 reviews)

  • 69% of users liked it
    (1,040 ratings)

When the state-owned Factory 420 becomes a luxury apartment complex known as "24 City," the stories of three generations and eight characters meld together to offer an intimate glimpse into the history of China. The line between documentary and fiction blurs as the towering factories on… More

Play Trailer

Unrated,
Directed By
Written By
Jia Zhang Ke, Zhai Yongming
Genres
Documentary, Drama, Art House & International
In Theaters
May 17, 2008 Wide
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Critic Reviews

  • Dave Calhoun, Time Out

    The film takes on an operatic feel, moving between euphoria for the new and lament for the lost.

  • Wesley Morris, Boston Globe

    The director has an exquisite eye that keeps getting stronger and subtler. He trusts that beauty is vagueness's alluring upside.

  • G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle

    24 City won't change the minds of detractors -- it is his most painfully slow yet -- but it might change the minds of his supporters, including this critic, for Jia attempts something that is, in the end, unforgivable.

  • V.A. Musetto, New York Post

    The result is surprisingly engrossing -- even lively, due in part to brief musical numbers inserted amid the interviews.

  • Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

    Mr. Jia is an artist, one of the most interesting filmmakers working anywhere in the world, and he made his film to bear witness to a way of life while witnesses could still be found.

Read all 18 critic reviews

See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • Walter M


    Thankfully, "24 City" is not a continuation of the television series "24." All kidding aside, it is easier to describe what "24 City" is not, than what it is. Ostensibly, it is about the tearing down of Factory 420 in Chengdu City in order to make way… More

  • John B


    Compelling story of a decision to destroy a long time munitions factory to make way for a condo development. It is a story that is told worldwide as politics and economics change. Would merit a higher rating but the director chose to use both real former factory workers and actors.… More

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