"The Flowers of War," a melodramatic tale of unlikely heroism set during the Japanese invasion of Nanking, is affecting at times but finally feels overblown and heavy-handed.
It's a disappointment from director Zhang Yimou ("Ju Dou," "Raise the Red Lantern").
Much of the film – an epic project that's reportedly the most expensive Chinese movie ever made – takes place inside a large Catholic church in the weeks after Nanking's fall on Dec. 13, 1937, a period of wide- scale killing and rape that killed 200,000 Chinese. (That's the number cited in the film; the death toll is disputed.)
A dozen convent girls are hiding in the church, watched over by a young male ward (Huang Tianyuan). A reprobate American mortician (Christian Bale) arrives, and sticks around to drink up the church's wine supply and pocket whatever cash he can put his hands on. Also seeking refuge are a dozen or so rambunctious and colorfully clad hookers, including one (Ni Ni) who speaks fairly good English.
The Bale character and the prostitutes are mostly played for robust humor – a somewhat risky strategy – until the sanctuary is invaded by Japanese troops aiming to violate the young virgins (the hookers avoid notice, a little too easily, by hiding in the basement). Bale's mortician has dressed up as a priest, mainly as a lark, but shows unexpected mettle in trying to protect the girls.
Despite assurances of protection from a top Japanese officer, it's soon clear that students are to be sacrificed to the animal lusts of the occupiers. But there's a remote chance that an escape for the girls might be engineered.
There are moments of genuine emotion here, and Zhang powerfully underlines the horrors of this dreadful moment in history, but much of what happens feels cooked up, some of it plain silly. The characters' rising to the moral occasion should be deeply moving but isn't really justified dramatically. It seems more like the triumph of sentimental movie conventions.
The transformation of Bale's character is entirely predictable, and the monumental act of self-sacrifice at the climax strains credibility.
And there are dialogue clunkers. The film's grand emotions and a handful of sequences – Zhang is an undeniable talent – can't overcome these flaws.
THE FLOWERS OF WAR
2 stars
Cast: Christian Bale, Ni Ni, Huang Tianyuan. (In English, Mandarin and Japanese, with English subtitles.)
Director: Zhang Yimou
145 minutes
Not rated
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