Guizi lai le (Devils on the Doorstep) (2000)

90% of critics liked it
(10 reviews)
90% of users liked it
(1,461 ratings)

Jiang Wen directed and stars as the hapless protagonist in this incendiary, sociopolitical satire set in a Chinese hamlet during World War II's waning days. One wintry night, peasant Ma Dasan (Wen) becomes -- at gunpoint -- the custodian of two Japanese prisoners, one a rabid, jingoistic soldier and… More Jiang Wen directed and stars as the hapless protagonist in this incendiary, sociopolitical satire set in a Chinese hamlet during World War II's waning days. One wintry night, peasant Ma Dasan (Wen) becomes -- at gunpoint -- the custodian of two Japanese prisoners, one a rabid, jingoistic soldier and the other his self-preserving translator. When the gunman doesn't return, Dasan faces a weighty dilemma: Either slay his captives or free them.

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 2 hr. 42 min.
Directed By: Wen Jiang, Jiang Wen
Written By: Wang Shuping, Shi Jianquan, Jiang Wen
Genres: Art House & International, Comedy

In Theaters: Jan 1, 2000 Wide
On DVD: Apr 19, 2005
Studio: Cowboy Pictures

Critic Reviews

Stephen Holden, New York Times
In its dry and forceful way, it delivers the same message as Jiri Menzel's Closely Watched Trains and Danis Tanovic's No Man's Land.
V.A. Musetto, New York Post
A wild ride that effortlessly combines devilish dark humor, slapstick comedy, extreme violence and bitter satire.
Dennis Lim, Village Voice
Shot in rich, shadowy black-and-white, Devils chronicles, with increasingly amused irony, the relationship between reluctant captors and befuddled captives.
, Hollywood Reporter
There's a gem of an idea lurking inside this movie, but the film is burdened with an overwrought and static first hour and wild tonal fluctuation.
Widgett Walls, Needcoffee.com
As the film rolls towards its conclusion, it just becomes more intense until the very end pretty much punches you in the throat.
Phil Villarreal, Arizona Daily Star
The tonal shifts are jolting, and though Wen's messages are profound and thoughtfully delivered, more thorough transitions would have made the film more cohesive.
Par Parekh, Film Journal International
Undeniably impressive.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
The farcical elements seemed too pat and familiar to hold my interest, yet its diverting grim message is a good one.
Joe McGovern, Premiere Magazine
Rich in shadowy metaphor and as sharp as a samurai sword, Jiang Wen's Devils on the Doorstep is a wartime farce in the alternately comic and gut-wrenching style of Joseph Heller or Kurt Vonnegut.
Ken Fox, TV Guide's Movie Guide
This boisterous comedy serves up a cruel reminder of the fate of hundreds of thousands of Chinese, one which can only qualify as a terrible tragedy.

Read all 10 critic reviews

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El Hombre I

An epic war film about the Chinese suffering under the control of their enemies in a Japanese occupation after the war. But guess what? It's also a comedy. While this may sound hard to believe, just remember that Stalag 17 and Hogan's Heroes made POW camps humorous. It… More
An epic war film about the Chinese suffering under the control of their enemies in a Japanese occupation after the war. But guess what? It's also a comedy. While this may sound hard to believe, just remember that Stalag 17 and Hogan's Heroes made POW camps humorous. It amazes me sometimes how films, whether they are big Hollywood releases or independently released foreign pictures, simply slip through the cracks and go unnoticed, even by the most avid of film buffs. Along with others such as Elem Klimov's "Come And See" and Victor Erice's "Spirit of the Beehive", Devils on the Doorstep is a prime example of such an ignored film that demands to be seen. <a href="http://s273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/?action=view¤t=Devils.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/Devils.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>