5/5 BRILLIANT WWII BLACK COMEDY FROM CHINA
  by Robin Simmons (Palm Springs area, CA United States)



A masterpiece of recent Chinese cinema, Jiang Wen's DEVILS ON THE DOORSTEP (Home Vision Entertainment) has two big endorsements: it won the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes and was banned in China.

It's 1945. The Japanese army occupies a tiny north Chinese village. Ma Dasan (played by director Wen) is a peasant, who, one night at gunpoint, unexpectedly finds himself responsible for two Japanese soldiers bound in bags. One hostage wants to be killed, while the other, his interpreter, wants to live. Time passes and everyone around Dasan wants him to kill his prisoners, but he has another plan. What starts out as a howling farce, quickly turns fiercely harrowing.

Jiang Wen has not been allowed to make another film. This is a great looking black and white film. Its rich and bold cinematography perfectly matches its subject matter.

This work of by one of China's greatest filmmakers is not to be missed.


5/5 Simply great
  by Aditya Vedula (Princeton, NJ United States)
This is simply one of the greatest movies that I have ever seen. Shot in stark black-and-white with excellent screenplay and direction, it has the most unexpected ending I have ever seen in a movie. Suffice it to say that the movie does a complete u-turn about midway. It is a movie about the brutality of war, occupation and how kindness is often repaid by cruelty.

5/5 Six Stars (my wish)
  by Mastorna (Dominican Republic)
I could not give a better review to this movie. ( no more stars available to give).
after viewing it, I thought it was indeed movies like this one what makes collecting them worthwhile.
The quality of this film rests above the accomplishment of its fundamental subject and inclination, it goes beyond conventions, delivering an extremely creative approach to the delicate and still latent issues regarding the Japanese invation of mainland Asia. This movie has one of the most dramatic and well structured endings I have ever seen.... it wraps everything up in the most masterly way. Every piece falls in place, either with uttermost dignity or brutality.

Europeans have well assimilated the plain facts of WWII. Dutch and Germans often mock eachother, although it is in generally meant as joke. This is not the case of Asia, It is still, sadly, much more "emotion" than pragmatism and honest understanding of history. This movie shows, the inner gohsts of the ruthless Japanese Asian conquest campaign.

Script structure: Flawless, Photography: impeccable, direction: pristine, editing: superb.

5/5 Forgotten Classic
  by Mr. P. Johnson (London)
For any fan of Kurosawa, or more recent Chinese Cinema, this will prove a delightful discovery. Sumptuous scenery around the Great Wall provides the backdrop for this most-forgotten of Wartime theatres. The sense of claustrophobia and at times, sheer terror, is well-portrayed by a cast unknown to Western viewers.
A lesson in betrayal and lost trust. Highly recommended.

5/5 Interview? Filmography?
  by Jisong Yi (San Jose, CA)
Just watched this film. Where's the interview and filmography?

Great film though... to Chinese and Japanese audience who haven't seen this, this film is different than any film ever done about the war between the two counturies, it makes all other film i've seen about the subject matter, to quote Soderbergh "small". it's so much more than those films, so much more than that war, than any war in general really.