The Flowers of War (2011)

41% of critics liked it
(44 reviews)
79% of users liked it
(2,641 ratings)

In 1937, Nanking stands at the forefront of a war between China and Japan. As the invading Japanese Imperial Army overruns China's capital city, desperate civilians seek refuge behind the nominally protective walls of a western cathedral. Here, John Miller (Christian Bale), an American trapped… More In 1937, Nanking stands at the forefront of a war between China and Japan. As the invading Japanese Imperial Army overruns China's capital city, desperate civilians seek refuge behind the nominally protective walls of a western cathedral. Here, John Miller (Christian Bale), an American trapped amidst the chaos of battle and the ensuing occupation takes shelter, joined by a group of innocent schoolgirls and thirteen courtesans, equally determined to escape the horrors taking place outside the church walls. Struggling to survive the violence and persecution wrought by the Japanese army, it is an act of heroism which eventually leads the seemingly disparate group to fight back, risking their lives for the sake of everyone. -- (C) Wrekin Hill

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Rating, Runtime: R, 2 hr. 25 min.
Directed By: Yimou Zhang
Written By: Liu Heng, Yan Geling
Genres: Drama, Art House & International, Special Interest

In Theaters: Dec 21, 2011 Limited
On DVD: Jul 10, 2012
Studio: Wrekin Hill Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Richard Nilsen, Arizona Republic
"The Flowers of War" seems like a pretty good film until you begin to think about it.
Roger Moore, McClatchy-Tribune News Service
Veering from the sensational to the maudlin, this is a compromised epic that panders to the Chinese audience.
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail
An unsettling mixture of spectacular brutality and sentimentality that might make even Steven Spielberg blush.
Greg Quill, Toronto Star
The director's grip on the drama is often weakened by his penchant for creating spectacles.
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe
All Zhang's splendor does is foster cognitive dissonance in an audience.
Gary Thompson, Philadelphia Inquirer
A strange hybrid of "City of Life and Death" and "Father Goose" that nevertheless, in the hands of Zhang Yimou, musters a few striking moments.
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
Um filme que peca ao ouvir a expressão "espetáculo de crueldade" e conferir maior peso à primeira palavra do que à segunda.
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...the movie's less-than-engrossing atmosphere [is] compounded by its stagy and distressingly uneventful midsection...
Liz Braun, Jam! Movies
Not only huge and unwieldy, but seemingly unsure of what it wants to do/say/prove.
Derek Malcolm, This is London
It gives even as fine an actor as Bale little chance to shine among the bullets, bombs and terrified women.
Andrew Pulver, Guardian [UK]
The Nanjing massacre is still a running sore in China's 20th century history, and Zhang is brave to take it on.
Mike Scott, Times-Picayune
There's no need for overstatement here, no need to inject this story with melodrama, no need to try to make it more than it is. Unfortunately - and frustratingly - Zhang Yimou didn't recognize that.
Ron Wilkinson, Monsters and Critics
A pale rehashing of one of the most disgraceful war crimes in modern history.
Susan Granger, SSG Syndicate
Visually stunning, it's an epic saga of survival and redemption.
Brian Orndorf, BrianOrndorf.com
Try as he might to mold this woeful story into something momentous, Zhang turns the picture into punishment, ruining such extraordinary displays of bravery and fortitude with pounding aggression.
Jim Lane, Sacramento News & Review
... too long and slow, ... but it's beautifully photographed and performances are excellent ...
Renee Schonfeld, Common Sense Media
Graphic rape and killing battle heroism and sacrifice.
Jeanne Kaplan, Kaplan vs. Kaplan
A beautiful, truly moving story of love and sacrifice within the brutality of war.
David Kaplan, Kaplan vs. Kaplan
"The Flowers of War", a film that has grown on me, is an epic story whose 141 minute running time is never dull.
James Verniere, Boston Herald
Giving a seriously Marlene-Dietrich-like performance in her first major role, Ni Ni is spellbinding as the hooker with a heart of gold.

Read all 22 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Reid V

Yimou brings his unique and stunning visual style to this tale of small moments of beauty in the midst of immense barbarism. Many people have heard of the infamous Rape of Nanking, a phrase coined by historian Iris Chang, and know that it was one of the most vile atrocities to ever… More
Yimou brings his unique and stunning visual style to this tale of small moments of beauty in the midst of immense barbarism. Many people have heard of the infamous Rape of Nanking, a phrase coined by historian Iris Chang, and know that it was one of the most vile atrocities to ever take place. While I was hoping that veteran director Zhang Yimou would take a sensitive, albeit Chinese centered, look at these macabre events, the Flowers of War was a bit too jingoistic for my taste. There are brave acts of heroism in every war, and as much as the Japanese were responsible for acts of unspeakable brutality, the saintly Chinese soldier theme was driven home a bit too much. I mean, when you take the time to show one soldier crying because of his comrade's bravery, it feels a bit like propaganda. However, I don't blame Yimou entirely for this as I heard that the Chinese censors proved very difficult to work with during the editing process. And I do appreciate him attempting to give nuance to some of the Japanese soldiers, most notably Mr. Hasegawa. While the film feels heavy-handed, it is entertaining. As mentioned before, Yimou's breathtaking visual style made for some very entertaining cinema, especially during the battle sequences. And while far from objective, the story of a group of disparate people banding together in the face of momentous adversity always tugs a bit at the heart strings. However, moving as some moments are, the over-the-top nature of this film is further exacerbated by Christian Bale's performance. Whether you are an ardent supporter of Bale, or have loathed him ever since he first appeared on the silver screen, I think everyone can agree that his performance here is just plain ridiculous. Whether it is him being a hedonistic booze-hound in the first act, or his dramatic turn as an honorable man of God in the second, he does it with no amount of subtlety. I like Bale and I don't know who is to blame for this ham-fisted act, but it just doesn't work here. While I could hardly expect a Chinese film about a massacre of Chinese people to be devoid of emotion, the film bore too close a resemblance to straight up propaganda for me to take it too seriously.
Panta O

I had a pleasure to watch this movie on the opening night in the International cinema in Suzhou after spending last two weeks in Nanjing, where all these events occurred (Nanjing Massacre happened on the 13th December 1937). The Flowers of War… More
I had a pleasure to watch this movie on the opening night in the International cinema in Suzhou after spending last two weeks in Nanjing, where all these events occurred (Nanjing Massacre happened on the 13th December 1937). The Flowers of War (金陵十三钗) is a war drama directed by Zhang Yimou, starring Christian Bale, Tong Dawei and Shigeo Kobayashi. The film, which is based on the novel The 13 Women of Nanjing by Geling Yan, has been selected as the Chinese entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 84th Academy Awards. Personally, I don't think it has much chance to win anything... it is like a good looking machine without the grunt! It is a good movie, but far from being a great movie. The "trademark" of the director Zhang Yimou ("Heroes") - lots of colour - is visible everywhere and stunning visual effects could not be ignored... but the multilingual "Flowers" with the big star Bale as a mortician posing as a priest during the massacre of Nanking did nothing spectacular to bring the terrible events closer to my heart! With an estimated budget of $100 million, "Flowers" is the most expensive movie in China's history and an evident point of pride for the country, which is looking to up its stock in Hollywood... but for me didn't do much! Well executed work of art... without the real power to move! Maybe I expected too much?
Daisy M

Another 2012 GG nominated movie in the category Best Foreign Language,The Flowers of war was a dramatic story of a group of Nanking prostitutes, a group of young Chinese Catholic orphans and an American "priest" played by Christian Bale who took these girls and ladies under… More
Another 2012 GG nominated movie in the category Best Foreign Language,The Flowers of war was a dramatic story of a group of Nanking prostitutes, a group of young Chinese Catholic orphans and an American "priest" played by Christian Bale who took these girls and ladies under refugee and helped them during the Japanese massacre in Nanking in 1937. Chinese director Zhang Yimou brought here a powerful, touching and beautiful story, while delivering stunning visual effects.The script was based on true stories, painfully it was much worse, because there wasn't a hero,only constant desperation. The characters themselves were all well written and Christian Bale delivered a powerful performance as the lead character as he showed his efforts to help these young girls survive, and in his own sacrifice to escape Nanking.The film was really tragic but beautiful, where the evil of human nature was clearly exposed under the beast of war.