This film is an extraordinary recreation of Hell on Earth.
In December 1937 Japanese troops laid siege to the Chinese capital of Nanjing.Their approach was merciless and shocking in its barbarity. Soldiers and civilians were beheaded, torched, shot or buried alive in mass graves.
Director Chuan Lu's impressive, carefully balanced film places the viewer in the front line of events. The rubble-strewn streets, guerrilla tactics and sniper assaults are as intense as Saving Private Ryan.
The black and white cinematography has all the impact of a Robert Capa photo as we witness a field of bodies stretching as far as the eye can see.
Characters such as Japanese soldier Kadokawa (Hideo Nakaizumi) and Chinese boy Xiaodouzi (Bin Liu) provide a thread of continuity through the chaotic tapestry of the massacre.
There are touching pin pricks of humanity as a soldier covers a child's eyes and translator Mr Tang (Wei Fan) gives his wedding ring to his wife before reporting to the Japanese commanders.
A harrowing, unflinching epic.
VERDICT 4/5
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