Starring: Christian Bale, Ni Ni, Zhang Xinyi,
Tong Dawei, Atsuro Watabe,
Shigeo Kobayashi and Cao Kefan
Director: Zhang Yimou



Before watching The Flowers of War there should be no misconceptions about the movie; it’s a Chinese film with one of Hollywood’s greatest actors, Christian Bale, working with one of China’s best directors, Zhang Yimou. When an actor steps out of his comfort zone to create an artistic project focusing on an issue of historical importance it must be an organic union. The mutual understanding and respect of the delicate subject matter between Bale and Yimou was handled with the utmost care and has told a beautiful story within the cruel history of events.

The film is based on a novella The Rape of Nanking by Geling Yang about the Second Sino-Japanese War. The history of the invasion of the then capital of the Republic of China in 1937 is a gruesome tale of mass murder and rape of the citizens of Nanking by the Japanese Royal Army. Patriotism is a recurring theme in most of Yimou’s films and is also not uncommon in China’s film industry. The other masterpiece by Yimou was 2002’s Hero with Jet Li; the film is in the director’s trademark style of beautiful cinematography and compelling storytelling. The director highlights the struggles and resilience of the Chinese people in all his films with a deft touch.

The Flowers of War is the story of an American mortician, John Miller (Christian Bale) who is trekking his way through the war-zone that are the streets of Nanking to perform the last rites of a deceased priest. On his way to the cathedral Miller finds two convent girls hiding from the army on their way to the same church. As an American neither the Chinese nor the Japanese armies can touch him and he safely reaches the church with the girls. Miller is far from a hero when he asks for payment even though the body has disintegrated from a recent bomb attack. As the adoptive son of the Priest, George is the sole guardian of the convent girls and their safety is his prime concern. He forces entry into the church in hopes of finding money and alcohol before setting out again. George begs Miller to fix an old truck so that he may take the girls of out Nanking but Miller demands money for the service which the boy doesn’t have. Following Miller’s arrival, a group of prostitutes also make their way to the churches gate.

Miller’s selfishness and cowardice slowly evaporate when a group of Japanese soldiers break into the cathedral and attack the young convent girls. The prostitutes are safely hidden in the cellar away from harm, while the girls’ screams tear Miller away from his hiding place. He dons the deceased Father’s robes in hopes to drive away the soldiers but to no avail until a Chinese sniper lures the soldiers away. The true hero of the film and story, as is in life, is hidden and an unsung martyr. Thus the American mortician becomes the unwitting saviour of the sinners and the saints within the church.

The historical epic is another cinematic triumph from both Yimou and Bale. The film is mostly in the Nanking dialect of Mandarin Chinese for authenticity but also since it’s mainly a Chinese film for Chinese speaking audiences. Christian Bale’s performance is one of the film’s many plus points and why The Flowers of War has been winning over critics and the general public worldwide. The other cast members are relatively new and unknown yet deliver powerful performances. The progression of Bale’s character from a greedy loner to reluctant caretaker to the last ray of hope is a delicate development. All the characters regardless of their origin find it in themselves to bridge the divide through sacrifice.

The Chinese government allows only one Hollywood film per year to be released. The making of The Flowers of War bridges the gap between the possibilities of both countries film industries. Just as a Hollywood actor has participated in a Chinese film, the doors for further creative collaborations are now wide open especially because of the films success. The Flowers of War has already been nominated for Best Foreign Language Film by both the Oscars and Globes. The film is a success in China grossing $83m at the box office with 17 days of its release and is in the top ten of highest-grossing films in the country.

– Kiran Haroon

*CINEMATIC SUICIDE
**FORGETTABLE
***WATCHABLE
****COLLECTIBLE
*****AWARD-WORTHY

Players*


*ing: Abhishek Bachchan, Bipasha Basu, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Sonam Kapoor, Sikandar Kher, Omi Vaidya and Bobby Deol
Directed by Abbas-Mustan

Abbas-Mustan have made a career out of remaking Hollywood films. Some of their recycled, Bollywood-ised gems include Ajnabee, Aitraaz and Race. And you have to admit, even though Abbas-Mustan are not original storytellers, they do have a knack for making entertaining copies. At least, that’s what they were known for, in the past.

Not anymore. Not after the monstrosity that is Players. Yes, the film’s been publicized as the desi remake of The Italian Job which featured Mark Wahlberg and Charlize Theron in lead roles. But Players is not even half the film that Italian Job was. The reason is painfully simple: for every Italian Job-esque sequence, there is an equally bad Indian cliché added, perhaps to make the film palatable for Indian audiences!? Abbas-Mustan have not stayed true to The Italian Job screenplay, they’ve been liberal in making some seriously bad additions to the screenplay. You discover this as the film goes on.

Our introduction to the story begins with a lame jewelry heist featuring Charlie (Abhishek Bachchan) and Rhea (Bipasha Basu). This jewelry heist serves as an alarming sign for what’s about to come next: a gold heist, one that requires a team. Charlie doesn’t come up with a plan himself. He is aided by Viktor Dada (Vinod Khanna), a great thief currently behind bars. What’s surprising to note is that despite being in jail for some untold crimes, Viktor Dada is treated by cops and even the police commissioner as if he’s the smartest man who ever walked planet earth. What is he doing in jail if he is oh-so-slick? Viktor Dada is painful to watch because he’s just not convincing as a legendary thief. You can’t ever imagine him being the brains behind any smart robbery because he comes across as a sad, sad old man. It’s more amusing than anything else although I suspect that’s not what Abbas-Mustan were going for.

Once the plan is set, usual suspects come in as players – an illusionist (Bobby Deol), a hacker (Neil Nitin Mukesh), an explosives expert (Sikandar Kher), prosthetics expert (Omi Vaidya), locomotive expert (Bipasha Basu) and Charlie, who doubles as ringleader and is presumably skilled. And so begins the game.

The first half of the film centers around the gold heist and it has to be said that the pace is awfully slow. The heist is set to take place in Russia, a location that isn’t seen too much in Indian films unlike the US or UK locations. This location could’ve serves as beautiful backdrop for the film, the same way Imtiaz Ali used Prague to add to the film Rockstar. But where Imtiaz Ali was successful in making Prague look picturesque, Russia looks just boring. It’s not visually breathtaking.

The real story takes off after intermission when the players start to play each other for the sake of more gold.

Italian Job was about gold and revenge. Players is also about the greater good as the wise sage of thievery, Viktor Dada (Vinod Khanna) dreams of making a school, wait for it… for orphans with his cut of the gold. How touching…. Obviously, this Indian touch is what separates Players from Italian Job. Another Indian touch: Johnny Lever’s character, a car expert, is married to a New Zealander who behaves like a traditional Hindu wife, serving chai and all. This particular sequence, which was perhaps added to give the film some humour only makes things worse.

Come to the characters and acting and it’s a pathetic tale of cinema.

Bobby Deol’s Ronnie was a character that wasn’t even required. His only role was to create one illusion during the heist. The rest of the time, he’s just lurking in the shadows. Throughout the film, he broods and sulks. Imagine if Edward Cullen from Twilight was actually older, Indian and Bella had died from a rare disease. That’s how Ronnie behaves for someone who is about to score some serious gold. As a subtext, Ronnie also has a sad tale to tell. Best discover it on your own.

Abhishek Bachchan’s Charlie is clearly not a one-woman man. Throughout the film, it remains unclear if Rhea is his love interest or Naina (Sonam Kapoor). The confusion persists even more when a love song comes about, out of nowhere. Having said that, one should add that as Charlie, Abhishek Bachchan is convincing. He is the saving grace of this otherwise awful film. No actor is watchable besides Abhishek.

Bipasha Basu is her usual, glamourous self. But there is no real scope for her to act. She sheds a few tears, plays seductress at times but it isn’t something she hasn’t done before. A very typical role for Bipasha Basu.

Sikander Kher and Omi Vaidya are strictly adequate. Neil Nitin Mukesh is not persuasive at all but he doesn’t put up the worst performance in the film. That honour must go to Sonam Kapoor who carries on her bad acting show from Mausam right into Players. Sonam’s real focus in this film was her eye-make up that changes from scene to scene and serves as a nice distraction from the terrible screenplay.

Abbas-Mustan have delivered some exceptional films in the past, ranging from Shah Rukh Khan’s breakthrough Baazigaar right up to 2008’s blockbuster Race. But with Players, it seems the duo have lost their Midas touch of even copying. Only watch this film if you’re a huge, huge fan of Abhishek Bachchan. Otherwise skip it. Watch The Italian Job instead. It’s a much better film.

— Maheen Sabeeh