Flowers of War [Blu-ray] [US Import]

The rape of Nanking in 1937 is not one of Japan's proudest moments and this film shows in stark realism the reasons why. Christian Bale takes refuge in a small western church in the midst of the carnage, populated by a young group of convent girls. His conscience is pricked when he is forced to protect and assist this vulnerable group against the vicious onslaught of the Japanese military machine.
Stunning battle scenes are interspersed with some truly shocking moments of cruelty. When a band of prostitutes seek refuge in the church, the mood is lightened a little, until a quite appalling choice has to be made towards the end.
Based upon a true episode in the siege, Christian Bale's "journey" of conscience from drunkard to saviour is acting of the highest order.
My wife and I were rivetted from start to finish. Excellent stuff, but could have been shortened by about 10 mins without any loss of quality.

Flowers of War isn't exactly an easy watch. It tells the story of a group of convent girls trapped in a Catholic Church and held hostage by the Japanese during the Nanking massacre of 1937. Although it makes for uncomfortable viewing at times, ultimately it is a very rewarding watch.

Based on a true story it's a story of human resilience, sacrifice, ingenuity and ultimately triumph. The horrors of war and impact on the civilian population as Japan seize the Chinese capital are frankly addressed and brutally depicted; as are the strengths and weaknesses of the human spirit, along with extreme examples of it at its best and it's most horrific.

Although I've given this 4 stars it is, in a lot of ways, a 5 star film. Although the war ravaged scenery isn't exactly beautiful in the conventional sense, it is stunning to see on screen. And with Bale cast in the central role there is of course plenty of superb acting throughout.

The rest of the cast don't quite live up to the same standard as Christian, but you can't help but become emotionally involved in their story and the predicament they find themselves in all the same - this is one of those stories, so intense is its nature, it crosses cultural boundaries and resonates on some deeper level of humanity.

Overall it's a very good film. I don't want to use the world enjoyable, as somehow that doesn't seem right given its contents and subject matter, but as the mixed cast play out the tale of events, it's easy to see why they're events that have gone down in Chinese folklore.

The Bluray, as a whole is very good - the picture and sound are perfect (although apparently in the wrong picture ratio, but I didn't notice this and only found out reading some reviews here) and there are a few interesting extras, such as a very revealing interview with Christian Bale which give you a small insight into some of the ways this man works to pull of off his incredible performances.

Loved this film! It's absolutely epic in scale and features some of the most incredible actions and war sequences I've ever seen. Christian Bale is so cool in this film, i couldn't recommend it highly enough. If you love huge war films like Saving Private Ryan and Black Hawk Down - this is totally for you!