Genres

Visitors Review

2012-05-19 22:43:06

Ken Watanabe AND Chow Yun Fat

This review is from: Shanghai (2010) DVD [Official Dual Language Edition] (DVD) It doesn't get better than that! The ending is a tad lame, but probably crafted to attempt to appeal to American audiences.

djhreg 2012-05-19 02:24:12

Too Bad it Wasn't a Better Movie

Reading the other reviews, I can hardly believe I watched the samemovie. While there were a few good scenes, on the whole this was acrummy movie.So, we start with a reasonably believable premise for a thriller:Shanghai in 1941 definitely did have Japanese who were not nice. Theredefinitely were Chinese collaborators who were not nice. There werelarge gambling establishments and a certain amount of glamour (alongwith a lot of horrible misery) in Shanghai at the time. Stuff was goingon in the run-up to Pearl Harbor and the U.S. was not the entirelyinnocent, naive, passive bystander that U.S. elementary schooltextbooks portray. So... a U.S. Naval Intelligence guy undercover inShanghai in late 1941? Great premise for a fiction movie! Add a first class Japanese and Chinese cast and a good to excellentAmerican cast. Gong Li and Chow Yun Fat are among the best China (HongKong) has to offer and they have done stellar work in other movies. KenWatanabe is arguably the best living Japanese actor at the moment andwas outstanding in "Inception", the "Last Samurai" and dozens ofothers. John Cusak was excellent in "Midnight in the Garden of Good andEvil" Mix in a large amount of effort, opulent sets, tons of money....AND....somehow end up with a wooden turkey! I ordered the DVD and we set it up with our projector at home.Primarily, it was my son studying history at the Naval Academy andspeaks Japanese - very interested in the subject) and I watching whilemy Japanese wife dozed off happily on the couch.The first clue was the subtitles. As a multilingual household we alwayscheck the options. We were surprised to find that this was an Englishlanguage movie...OK...there was a certain logic to that. Should we turnon the English subtitles? Naw... that would be silly. We started themovie. One minute into the action we were stopping the movie to turn onthe English subtitles. Why? Ken Watanabe was mumbling andunintelligible.This wasn't the fault of Ken Watanabe. He did fine job deliveringperfectly intelligible and compelling dialog in "Inception". Poorspeech intelligibility is the symptom of sloppy production.Next problem was the wooden script. The constant stopping for theChinese or Japanese characters to apologize for speaking their ownlanguage might be believable for someone who has never actually been inthe Far East. Real life is rarely like that. When you are the loneAmerican in a room full of Japanese or Chinese, they are pleasant andpolite, but by no means do they stop every 30 seconds to apologize forspeaking their own language.At first I thought that the stiff performances might be the result offorcing otherwise outstanding Japanese and Chinese performers to speakin English. However, as I continued to watch the rest of the movie, Irealized that the native English speakers weren't doing much better.By the end of the movie, the problem was clear: the script writer wasdesperately trying to scrape together every cliché in the history filmnoire and somehow stuff it into the movie. Less would have been more.Ang Lee's "Lust Caution" (based on the semi-autobiographical shortstory by Eileen Chang) is a much better movie on roughly the samesubject. By the way, I has the same reaction as the only other reviewerwho wasn't enthusiastic: I thought this movie was "borrowed" from "LustCaution". However, in poking around at the background, it looks likethis one took almost 10 years to get produced...meaning the initialstory predated "Lust Caution".I love the subject material and all the performers...Too bad "Shanghai"wasn't a better movie.

shinobiung 2012-05-17 16:03:54

An entertaining film for the one who is tired of the same old same old

A good selection of actors cant save the fact that being an Americanmade film about the orient is going to obscure the facts and bias thepoint of view.Trying to make out that the most blood thirsty, violent war mongeringcountry in the world was a mere pass-a-by in WW2 is non-sense.Still, its a detective, romance, rebel uprising set in decadentshanghai makes for the lack of facts. Don't expect a documentary, butit beats watching another of those 999,999 type of American moviesabout American teenagers in American high school showing how superiorAmerica is.

JRlock 2012-05-17 02:17:10

A movie genre that should never be let to die

They don't make 'em like this anymore. When was the last time you saw athriller, edge of your seat mystery, action pact, period piece, andrelentless pace with a bunch of accomplished and well know actors whoply their skills for the art and not for a big budget by today's terms?This is one. In the tradition of movies like 'The Quiet American'(2002), 'L.A. Confidential' (1997), 'Chinatown' (1974) , "MulhollandFalls' (1996), 'Double identity' (1944 & 1973), 'Touch of Evil' (1958)and even the classic 'The Maltese Falcon' (1941), the movie 'Shangai'seems to stand out today in a sea of glitzy flicks and romanticcomedies galore. I was very pleased by its storyline, to see the castof names I knew and liked, so I jumped at the chance to watch it. Itwas like re-experiencing movie going fun like I had not in a long time.Considering the cinematography, special effects and staging challengesthat brings us back in time to the days preceding Pearl Harbor and inShangai of all places (what a backdrop), and considering also the cast,if you have cinematic knowledge, it is almost incredible that this filmwas made at all and more so for a mere $50M budget. I trust the ratingswill only keep going up as more viewers record their own ratings,because it deserves better than just 6.5 as of the time of my review.Most of the movies in which company I included 'Shangai' are admittedlybetter to equal.I was looking for something recent featuring Li Gong because she is oneof those actors (actress) who has a knack for picking movies that areexcellent and in which she plays roles that are demanding; I cameacross this movie. I read the names of the cast; I'm a fan of most ofJohn Cusack's work, and the same goes for Yun-Fat Chow, David Morse,Ken Watanabe, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Franka Potente. My moviecollection includes several movies from each of them. It goes withoutsaying that I liked it and recommend it.

denis888 2012-05-14 17:05:45

Very Thrilling War Detective

I have really enjoyed this excellent movie, since i love war films.This one is about a pre-Pearl Harbor Shanghai, where Japanese, Chinese,Nazi, American intelligence services clash, and it's common people whomake history. John Cusack is a great choice for the main role, and hedelivers his part impeccably. Being a secret agent, he is deeplysensitive and sensible man, who wants to reveal some mysteries and heis right in the whirlwind of a war craze. Other actors include Chow YunFat, Gong Li, among others, and they all do great jobs. Japanesesoldiers fight the Chinese partisans, Americans try to find out whatthey think will help... and all this is a dizzying background to a deeptouching story of love, hate, cowardice, friendship, bravery and valor.This movie is highly recommended

ajfdomingo 2012-05-14 00:34:14

Intrigue and Betrayal in a Great City

Shanghai impressed me as a very well-made film. This tale of espionageand double dealing kept me hooked throughout. Shanghai compels theviewer to pay attention in order to piece together a jumble of unclearrelationships and alliances. There are many acts of betrayal in thestory and they unfold from start to finish. The film also gets highmarks for its depiction of pre-World War II Shanghai. The audience geta good visual sense of the cosmopolitan characteristics of the city andin fact, even its delights, like its bars and casinos, comparefavorably with those in other modern cities. The acting in this filmdeserves commendation. Though I am not much of a John Cusack fan, Ifound his performance believable and not overdone. Li Gong and YunFat-Chow are also well cast. Their demeanor came across as natural. Iwould recommend this film to anyone without reservation.

James 2012-05-10 10:19:36

Shanghai Delivers an A+

Excellent period piece with lots of intrigue, romance, action and history. When the first bullet was fired it was a shock to the system, the reality of the scene was very powerful.A mix of good storytelling with historical implications made for a perfect movie.John Cusack fit well as the American agent looking for the killer of his best friend. Yun-fat Choy was excellent as the Shanghai boss.Ken Watanabe shined as the Japanese leader of the occupation. I couldn't decide whether to hate him or feel something else for him. That is the sign of good writing and acting workiing together.The ending was excellent, you have to see it for yourself but it will not disappoint.

2012-05-09 22:45:41

Awesome movie - great DVD

This review is from: Shanghai (2010) DVD [Official Dual Language Edition] (DVD) I've never been a fan of John Cusack. But he's in top form here with the rest of the cast including Gong Li (who is finally crossing over in a big way to Hollywood after a couple hits including Miami Vice), Chow Yun Fat, and Ken Watanabe. This is a very well made film -- a WWII thriller that bridges East and West. What made this film special was the Hollywood budget with some of the best Asian actors, and Asian production sensibilities. The depiction of pre-WWII Shanghai is magnificent. Absolutely fabulous movie. A must see. This DVD is also great. It is a dual-layer disc with very high picture quality. It has the original English language track, along with the Mandarin dub viewers in China got to see. If you view it in Chinese, you can see English subtitles.

jfmscouse 2012-05-09 01:18:10

a throw back to how films used to be

This is a mesmerising film. The camera shots and directing are trulybeautiful. From its opening shots on the Shangai waterfront the filmsets will captivate you and make you yearn for the days of Bogart andRaft. It is more like watching a colour version of a forties film noirethan a modern movie, all the better for it. I think I noticed one swearword in the whole movie, otherwise I could have stepped back in time tothe days of the studio system and old more stars than in heaven. John Cusack has always been a favourite of mine,Yun-Fat Chow, KenWatanabe are excellent and Li Gong steals your heart and never gives itback. Her performance is a true femme fatale of the old school.If you are a fan of old Hollywood movies then I strongly recommend thisfilm.

del91 2012-05-08 22:49:11

An almost great film, but more importantly an excellent homage/throwback to film-noir.

They sure don't make films like these anymore. Back in the 1930's -1950's the cinemas were filled with reels of gangster/detective filmsshot in black and white. The days of classic films such as "DoubleIndemnity", "Notorious", "The Maltese Falcon" and "Touch Of Evil" werelong gone. In it's place we have, today, overbudgeted, overblown filmsthat causes today's youthful audiences to have Attention DeficitDisorder and be bored at any film that is not filled with explosionsevery two milliseconds. In between then and now we had many homages tofilm-noir that stand out on their own. Roman Polanski's "Chinatown" forinstance is the best "neo-noir" film ever made and many films directedby Michael Mann also have strong noirish influences. "Shanghai", whilenot excellent, manages to become a good, neat little thriller on itsown right, but properly includes the classic noirish themes of the 40's- 50's that gave the classic films the reputation they have now.Granted, the script by Hossein Amini has mostly nothing new apart fromthe noirish elements from those other classic noir films. It's an old-fashioned American murder mystery, but set in the Far East. Familiarplot revelations take place as our hero weaves his way through a web oflies, deceit/deception, betrayal, romance, murder, corruption, and inthis film's case, war. What stood out in the film's screenplay is thenumber of languages used in the film: English, Japanese and Chinese,although I wished the latter two were featured more prominently thanthey were in the final film. And I have to admit, although unoriginal,the twists in the movie are intriguing and kept my attention.The international actors are great and fit into their roles liketailor- made suits. John Cusack as the protagonist gives off hisBogie-like character a subtle and calm performance that is alsocharming. Gong Li, beautiful as ever, is the main dame of the film andshe has that sultry, mysterious look in her eyes that you can't takeyour eyes off of her. Chow Yun-Fat, finally in a role worth watchinghim in, is the mob boss who may or may not be on Cusack's character'sside, as he adapts an extremely charming yet secretive personalityunder that face of his. And Ken Watanabe has that sinister vibe in himas the film's primary antagonist, though he exudes a certain class tohis villainous character. Fine supporting characters played byinteresting actors such as David Morse, Rinko Kikuchi, Jeffrey DeanMorgan and Franka Potente round up the very distinguished anddiversified cast.Production value and cinematography are top-notch as they transport youback in time to the glamor and grit of pre-occupied Shanghai, with itswell-designed and furbished sets/locations filled with plenty of realextras instead of CG ones for a nice change, and crisp, properlylighted scenes with big and wide camera angles so to appreciate thesettings even more. Klaus Badelt scores the film with a propersuspenseful element to it making it feel more at home with the noirishcrowd without feeling to overdone, thus also making it easier to evokeemotions in the audience, especially to those who are new to the noirgenre. Thanks to Mikael Håfström for his focused direction in bringingthe best out of the actors.This is, more importantly, a throwback to the noirish days of old. Thisfilm would be a great starting point for those new to noir, and peoplewho like thrillers should give this nostalgic time capsule a chance.Entertainment value: 9/10Overall: 7/10

thomvic 2012-05-07 17:44:09

Captures a period well, great performances too

This movie captures that period of 30's Shanghai quite well. Well Iwouldn't be the best person to judge considering I know little aboutthat time, but from what I had seen in this film, it was veryintriguing.This espionage/war film gets your attention. The plot is not toocomplicated, has a nice pace, good performances and an internationalcast. John Cusack is decent in this role, Gong Li is gorgeous as everand her English seems to have improved. She captures the screen withher grace and beauty, but also a believable performance. Chow Yun Fatis equally as good. Ken Watanabe - a good performance though he reallyneeds to work more on making his accent understandable as I still havea little trouble with him, but nevertheless makes a good icy character.The last act creates the suspense very well, though I'll have to admit,though I found the ending dramatic and decent, it might have been moreinteresting if they actually filmed what happened instead of doing thevoice-over, but hey I guess budget constraints and time can get in theway, so I'm alright with it I suppose.This is a visual feast. It is good to see many actors of differentnationalities blend in for what is a cross country story.Japan/China/Germany. Franka Potente has a role here too, which Ienjoyed as well.The only problem with the film, though it wasn't it's fault, was thatthe version I watched did not have English subtitles when they weretalking in Chinese. At first, I thought that this was part of themovie, as you weren't meant to understand it, but there are importantscenes near the end where I had no clue what they were saying. Itdidn't mean I didn't get the rest of the plot or what was happening,but that could have given me a bit more to work with and more juice aswell. Oh well, it's not their fault.This is an enjoyable movie, and it captures that sense of mystery,mistrust, betrayal and fear that you experience during an espionage/warfilm. Though this isn't essentially a war film in that it's main focusis about blowing up people etc, it is about the struggle of invasionand the effects of it. Recommended.I hope it gets a wider release in the US and here in Australia becauseit is a good film.

shanthosh12 2012-05-07 05:26:07

Great and Fast Moving If ur up to it!

Shanghai is a tale of romance and drama before the time of the pearlharbor attack,and is an excellent Noir Film If you're new to thegenre.It includes a great ensemble of John Cusack,Li Gong and KenWatanabe,whose potential steal the show!...The story revolves around Paul Soames(Cusack) who investigates themurder of his friend Conner,who was a fellow spy like himself and whowas working inside enemy lines in Shanghai,investigating the troublingrelationship between Japan and China.Anna Lan-Ting(Li Gong) meetsSoames during a gambling match and John Cusack tries to gets attractedto her(and meets her husband!).Her Husband Anthony Lan-Ting(ChowYun-Fat) is a major man in Shanghai with political and mafiaconnections.And it turns out that Anna works with the resistance andthe Japanese Captain Tanaka starts to pursue her......The Highlight of the movie is its great atmosphere!(u call it editing,ucall it sound design.....both wer gr8!).The cinematography and Lightingwer also equally good from the first shot till the last.....This movie is definitely a must watch either if u like Film Noir ornot,All the characters are given equally important roles,even thoughthe story revolves around Soames(A lot Of Cusack Fans in India!) andone can safely say it is the best that Mikael Håfström has created.

2012-05-03 22:59:54

Excellent treatment of a complex subject

This film takes on a pretty difficult topic. Shanghai was/is a polyglot of cast-offs and people who have something to hide. If the screenplay had attempted to really explain how all these people got there and what the forces that control their lives are, it would be a three hour movie with two hours of exposition. This, of course, doesn't happen, but you must pay attention or it's very confusing. Well worth the effort. I consider John Cusack as an actor who delivers according to the material he has to work with. This screenplay was pretty solid and the cinematography was very good....with a few seams of the CGI showing now and again. I cannot understand why there is such a delay on getting a U.S. version out.

edenonline 2012-05-03 14:29:19

cliché ridden tripe

It isn't difficult to understand why this hackneyed piece of rubbishhas gone std. It must contain every cliché ever used by every otherfilm-maker of a ww2 period drama set somewhere 'exotic'. Everywhitefella and even some of the unwhites, gets about in a white linensuit and panama. Cigarette holders (ivory & jade carved of course), acasino, unrequited love, spies, bad eggs plus the occasional good egghiding among the bad 'uns Claude Rains style, every cliché is there andyet as a movie this thing doesn't amount to a hill of beans in thiscrazy plagiarism. Un-engaging is how I would best describe it. The plotis predictable, the costumes are uninspired and the actors frequentlyappear to be doing little more than any decent clothes horse would. Somuch could have been done in this movie. Surely the US is mature enoughnow for a complete re-examination of what really happened in the yearsleading up to Pearl Harbour, and take ownership of their role ininciting the Japanese American conflict. You won't find any of thathere. The Japanese and Germans are all evil. There is no attemptwhatsoever to consider the reasons Japan decided that an attack onPearl Harbour was its last best option. People are portrayed as worrying about the fate of Jews whencontemporary accounts actually reveal that was the last thing on theminds of the soon to be allies before and during WW2. Race was a factorin the war in the Pacific, although not quite the way it was portrayedhere. The Japanese were accepted by a big chunk of the middle classindigenous populations of the English and French colonies they invaded,as freeing those societies from white anti-Asian racism. After all theJapanese were Asian as well. It wasn't until after WW2 that persecution of the Jews by the EuropeanNazis was reported as a major issue.None of these distortions are exclusive to this movie, there have beena zillion others just like it. But why bother to spend all this moneyon yet another ho-hum cliché full of cartoon characters, that doesn'teven come close to any sort of historical accuracy? WW2 is sufficientlydistant now that objective assessment should be a hallmark of any movieabout that period which is aiming for A grade status.

KineticSeoul 2012-05-03 02:10:15

Noir that takes place in Shanghai

The plot takes place in Shanghai a part of China the Japanese didn'tcompletely take over yet during the Japanese invasion and occupation ofChina in 1940's. Jeffrey Dean Morgan has a scene in the beginning avery short scene and you wonder why he would want to be cast for thismovie. But he gets some flashback scenes which makes his decision sortof makes sense. Anyways the plot mainly revolves around PaulSoames(John Cusack) investigating a friends death while the Chinese andthe Japanese are basically having something similar to a gang warbetween each other in Shanghai. Mainly between the Chinese resistanceand the Japanese servants to their emperor. The movie also has spyelements to it and doing espionage on the Japanese and Nazis, mostly onthe Japanese. The flaw of this film is that it just doesn't have goodcharacter interactions sometimes and not very clever and sometimes notall that believable. I could tell this movie is a homage to noir andeven if the topic at hand is interesting, the movie as a whole justwasn't that great. The movie moves slowly and doesn't cover as much asit should with it's run time. both actors play a role they probablywasn't proud of. Not much is accomplished during the run time of thismovie. This is a decent film and a good homage to noir, but I can seewhy this movie didn't do so well. It just isn't for mainstreamaudiences and and besides the performances it just seemed like astraight to DVD film despite the large budget. Even if the film to somedegree accomplished what it tries to do to some degree. I wasdisappointed in a way since the movie didn't go the direction I wantedit to go, which isn't anything against this film but my own wants.Mainly because almost all the screen-time is on John Cusack despite ithaving well known Asian actors. The second most screen-time goes toGong Li. The biggest reason I wanted to see this movie is because ithas Chow Yun-Fat and Ken Watanabe and was expecting a face off betweenthe two different characters these actors will play in a clever manner.Which would have been cool, but that wasn't the case. And anotherdisappointment is how these two Asian actors hardly has anyscreen-time, their roles are small. The main element that drives thisfilm is the characters impulses and intentions, which will keep youguessing and until everything is put together and everything comestogether is a above average manner.7.8/10

Enchorde 2012-05-02 14:02:25

Great spy thriller

Shanghai is unfortunately the kind of movie that I rarely watch, thelow key spy thriller. Luckily, once in a while a movie just likeShanghai turns up and reminds me how good the genre really is. BecauseShanghai is a really good, entertaining and above all an intriguingmovie. It shows once again that you don't need the tempo and effects ofthe big blockbusters to make a really good movie. It is really allabout the story.And Shanghai got a good one. Cusack plays the American agent Soamesthat is sent to Shanghai to investigate the murder of his best friendand fellow agent Conner. Conner seems to have fallen for the wronggirl, but Soames are convinced he was on to something big. Set in thebesieged city of Shanghai during second world war (1941) the city issplit between the Americans, British, Japanese and Germans. Notcounting all the Chinese that are actually living there. The Japaneseand Germans are allied, and has an agreement with the local branch ofthe triad. The Americans are supposed to be neutral, but the trailSoames is following leads to a dangerous and alluring woman, the leaderof the Chinese resistance and the wife of the triad leader. So,everyone is scheming behind the others backs.Important to these low key thrillers are the cast, and for a movie setas Shanghai is, I couldn't think of a better cast. John Cusack isjoined by Yun-Fat Chow, Ken Watanabe, Li Gong, David Morse, FrankaPotente and Rinko Kikuchi. Most of them is severely underrated and onceagain gives very good performances in Shanghai.Shanghai is a modern film noire, and for me a refreshing addition tothe genre. Highly recommended for anyone who doesn't need high octaneexplosions all the time to like a movie.8/10

Edward J. Hahn 2012-05-01 12:30:05

Coulda been a contender.

Somebody saw Ang Lee's "Lust/Caution" and sold the idea of making asimilar film in English with an all-star cast.As my movie-making friends say, "Nobody starts out to make a bad film,but it happens a lot" This isn't a horrible film, it's just bad.Historically inaccurate with holes in the plot you could drive aJapanese tank through and a cast that just seems to be going throughthe motions.The first hour is bearable and then things go all to pot as oneunbelievable thing after another fills the screen. Gong Li is the onlycast member who does a credible job. This may be the first John Cusackvehicle I haven't liked, to say nothing of Ken Watanabe and Chow YunFat.It's no wonder, it spent 2 years in editing. It boggles the mind toimagine what the editors left out. Definitely not worth leaving thehouse to see. If you hanker to see one director's idea of what Shanghailooked like in 1941, rent the DVD. Otherwise "fuggedaboutit"!

Gordon-11 2012-05-01 01:18:37

A captivating drama about spies in the turbulent Shanghai in the 1940's

This film is about the lives of several spies from America and China inthe turbulent Shanghai in the 1940's."Shanghai" is a mesmerising film that successfully recreates the 1940'sfeel of Shanghai. The film is engaging throughout, with no unnecessaryscenes. It is also straightforward and easily understandable, which isa rarity for spy dramas. It is also captivating, as it beautifullycaptures the stress of people living deceitful lives, not knowing whoto trust, without any back up. Even your best friend can be someoneentirely different, befriending you only for intelligence.Gong Li is great in "Shanghai", she radiates beauty and charm, and yetat the same time her extraordinary elegance seems to be begging forpity and mercy. She is rightly cast for her role.

2012-04-30 09:05:11

What a Great Cast ... And What a Waste

"Shanghai" (2010) is an American / Chinese thriller starring John Cusack as an American agent "Paul Soames," who travels to Shanghai in order to uncover the truths about his murdered friend Conner (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). Set in 1941, a few months before the Pearl Harbor attack, the film also stars Gong Li, Chow Yun-fat, David Morse, Franka Potente, Rinko Kikuchi and Ken Watanabe. Probably "Shanghai," directed by Mikael Håfström ("Evil" "The Rite"), is best described as a film noir, or a story of men and women caught up in the chaos of the pre-war and wartime China. Like many classic noir films, the screenplay (penned by Hossein Amini, "The Wings of the Dove") centers around the intricate and conflicted relationships between the characters including the protagonist, who, while investigating the case with his identity concealed, becomes romantically attracted to Mrs. Lan-Ting (Gong Li), wife of the local crime lord Anthony (Chow Yun-fat). Of course, things are not what they seem, and one Japanese military officer Tanaka (Ken Watanabe) seems interested in what is going on between Paul and Mrs. Lan-Ting. It is a tale of love and intrigue, told against the background of the increasing confusion of the city. The concept is not new - you may remember Ang Lee's "Lust, Caution" - but for all its impressive international cast and beautifully created production and costumes designs, the film is a major disappointment.For the film's web of love and betrayal (or whatever you name) lacks emotional power that would make you care. Some characters (Rinko Kikuchi's opium-addicted woman in particular) are little better than ciphers. Also, with some obligatory (and dull) "action" scenes thrown in, the film suffers from the slack pace and lack of the narrative skills on the part of the director, who seems interested only in filming beautiful shots. Cusack's too frequent voiceovers do not help.The actors are doing their best, and Gong Li is a real stand-out, but the lifeless film needs something more than noir clichés and connect-the-dot storytelling.

DICK STEEL 2012-04-29 21:32:38

A Nutshell Review: Shanghai

If I were to trace my lineage, then the city of Shanghai would featureonly two generations away, and having been there for the very firsttime only last month, I marvel at the magnificence of the city, andjust about how modern development have taken place in the last 10 to 15years with shiny new skyscrapers sprouting up on the opposite bank ofthe river where Old Shanghai still stands, where it's quite theexperience to just stroll along the Bund to marvel at architecture ofold amongst thronging crowds; if you think Singapore is bad well, youain't seen nothing yet!Shanghai the film happened to be a somewhat troubled project, with theshoot being blocked just weeks before production was scheduled tobegin, then faced with the abandoning of sets and the relocation toThailand and London, followed by question marks on its release date.Well, it's finally here, and I'd think it was well worth the wait,given no scrimping on its production values, and director MikaelHafstrom splashing plenty of noir in his approach to tell a tale of spyversus spy set against Shanghai in 1941, where the city has yet to fallto the Japanese, and thus becoming a hotbed for resistance movements,with plenty of foreigners still in country setting up protectiveenclaves for their own citizens.While it may be a Hollywood production, the cast was predominantlyAsian, assembling some of the largest names in the region for thisproject. John Cusack plays the lead character Paul Soames, a navalintelligence agent sent to Shanghai to investigate the death of hisgood friend Connor (Jeffrey Dean Morgan of Watchmen and The Losersfame), whose eyes from which we witness a series of intriguing eventsunfold, dealing with crossed loyalties and flimsy alliances. Goingunder the cover of a journalist with pro-Nazi sentiments, he works hischarisma and know-how to get to the upper echelons of German society inthe city, and from there, linking himself up with the German's newally, Japan. For Paul, there's more than meets the eye each step of the way in hisinvestigations, and soon he finds himself on the teeters of discoveringsomething large, with a hint on the sinister plans that might be hiddenunder the cloak of misinformation. History buffs may know what thiswill allude to, but for those not in the know, then it's time to readup, and to find out from the plot as it unfolds. But the story happens to strike a parallel with a heavy examinationinto human relationships, and how the ties that bind can sometimeshurt, especially during a time where the environment is extremelytensed, and nobody is truly clear of one another's motivation, and deepdark secrets. For local triad leader Anthony Lan-Ting (Chow Yun-Fat),his wife Anna (Gong Li) seems to be there when needed, yet candisappear either to entertain his guests, or do so without qualms whenhe's in the company of his mistresses. There's always suspicion thatshe's hiding something and is more than the dainty seductress thatshe's made out to be, especially when Paul gets enamoured by hercharms, and Ken Watanabe's Japanese intelligence officer Tanaka everkeen to break her cover.Yes, this film looks more like an Asian film, which reunites HongKong's Chow Yun-Fat with China's Gong Li again after theircollaboration in Zhang Yimou's The Curse of the Golden Flower, andJapanese stars Ken Watanabe and Rinko Kikuchi even given a small role.All of them recognizable names, all of them leading their star power tothe film and delivering stellar performances mostly, dealing with thedouble crossing of one another through an intricate web of love andbetrayal, and how emotions get the better of Man eventually.There's no one dimensional character here, with supposed villainssurprisingly having a heart when protecting their loved ones againstharm, and how everybody will use everything within their power toensure that family, friends and even strangers stay safe in a time ofdanger, although not always leading to their desired results. Forromantics, Watanabe's Tanaka even opens up in a rare demonstration thathe's not always that stoic, but can also be the unwitting victim of thecomplicated affairs of the heart, which the finale finally assemblesall the broken pieces together, and we'd come to appreciate more onwhat motivates these characters.The only let down will be Chow's turn as Anthony Lan-Ting the mob boss,as his role, together with Rinko Kikuchi's, is really playing secondfiddle to Watanabe in terms of charisma, and screen time compared towhat Gong Li occupied here. But this is still one recommended ensemblethriller that has a strong underlying romantic thread, beautifullycrafted to highlight the frustrations of love, and that of survival ina black, white and grey world.