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CITY OF LIFE AND DEATH (NANJING! NANJING!)Movie Reviews
Mandarin language drama about the Rape of Nanking, which took place in 1937, and its effects on a group of characters, both Chinese and Japanese. Cast:Liu Ye, Gao Yuanyuan, Hideo Nakaizumi, John Paisley, Fan WeiDirector:Lu ChuanRelease Date:May 11, 2011DVD Release:October 25, 2011From:Cinema VenturesRating:RLength:2 hr 11 min
OCTOBER 25, 2011
City of Life and Death (Nanjing! Nanjing!), Sensational Reviews Key Cities
City of Life and Death (Nanjing! Nanjing!) played in key cities to sensational reviews. • Michael O'Sullivan wrote in the Washington Post, "...a muscular, physical movie, pieced together from arresting imagery and revelatory gestures, large and small." • And Tom Meek wrote in the Boston Phoenix, "...harrowing... The recreation of the military campaign stuns in its scope and choreography..." More Reviews Below...
City of Life and Death (Nanjing! Nanjing!) Positive Reviews (22 Reviews, reviews below)
City of Life and Death (Nanjing! Nanjing!) has not been reviewed by Broad National Press
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (6 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: OUTSTANDING "...isn't cathartic... The horrors it represents can be almost too difficult to watch, yet you keep watching because Mr. Lu makes the case that you must."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 962 words, 05/11/11
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "Harrowing and unflinching... a cinematic experience unlike any you've had before. It's a film strong enough to change your life, if you can bear to watch it at all."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 836 words, 06/17/11
J. Hoberman, Village Voice: VERY GOOD "Director Lu Chuan's distinction lies in the cinematic virtuosity he brings to orchestrating carnage, the calculated attention he pays to human interest..."(See all of J. Hoberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 667 words, 05/11/11
Karina Longworth, LA Weekly: EXCELLENT "An historical epic in the form of a gut punch... Lu cuts back and forth between individualizing close-ups and wide shots emphasizing the enormity of the massacre..."(See all of Karina Longworth's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 522 words, 06/16/11
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...unsettlingly beautiful... Lu's elaborately staged production is very much an antiwar war movie... Lu wants us to bear it, and bear witness."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 361 words, 06/03/11
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...powerful, remarkable... balances the drama of individual conscience, the spectacle of mass destruction and the responsibility of re-creating history."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 282 words, 06/24/11
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...the sort of film that sustains the dual illusion of having made itself while inspiring astonishment at exactly how it was made."(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 842 words, 06/04/11
Stephen Whitty, New Jersey Star-Ledger: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...fascinating... an unusual entry in the current Chinese cinema.... can be difficult to watch, sometimes because it's simply painful to view... Still, it's an important film..."(See all of Stephen Whitty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 549 words, 05/11/11
David Lewis, San Francisco Chronicle: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...stunning... it will make you flinch, even as you admire its brilliant black-and-white cinematography, breathtaking art design and unerring direction."(See all of David Lewis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 101 words, 09/23/11
John Hartl, Seattle Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Lu Chuan's version may be the most compassionate and emotionally satisfying treatment to date.... The wrenching final episodes are reminiscent of 'Sophie's Choice.' "(See all of John Hartl's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 303 words, 07/08/11
Tom Long, Detroit News: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...looks deep into the darkness of the human soul and finds a seemingly endless pit.... a great reminder of how bloody, mad and awful this world can be."(See all of Tom Long's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 448 words, 10/07/11
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (6 Reviews)
J. Hoberman, Village Voice: VERY GOOD "Director Lu Chuan's distinction lies in the cinematic virtuosity he brings to orchestrating carnage, the calculated attention he pays to human interest..."(See all of J. Hoberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 667 words, 05/11/11
Tom Meek, Boston Phoenix: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...harrowing... The recreation of the military campaign stuns in its scope and choreography, making this the most visceral war film since 'Saving Private Ryan'..."(See all of Tom Meek's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 145 words, 06/02/11
Karina Longworth, LA Weekly: EXCELLENT "An historical epic in the form of a gut punch... Lu cuts back and forth between individualizing close-ups and wide shots emphasizing the enormity of the massacre..."(See all of Karina Longworth's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 522 words, 06/16/11
Scott Tobias, AV Club: EXCELLENT(cg) "...the enormity of Lu's achievement is striking, both in the grandness of the film's staging and in its engagement with the chaos of war."(See all of Scott Tobias's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 437 words, 05/12/11
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: OUTSTANDING "...harrowing in the extreme.... This is hardly a film to recommend as entertainment. As an act of remembrance, though, it is singular and, in its way, soaring."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 232 words, 06/17/11
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: OUTSTANDING "...isn't cathartic... The horrors it represents can be almost too difficult to watch, yet you keep watching because Mr. Lu makes the case that you must."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 962 words, 05/11/11
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "Harrowing and unflinching... a cinematic experience unlike any you've had before. It's a film strong enough to change your life, if you can bear to watch it at all."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 836 words, 06/17/11
MOVIE INDUSTRY (6 Reviews)
Derek Elley, Daily Variety: EXCELLENT "At times semi-impressionistic, at others gut-wrenchingly up close and personal... recalls Central Euro war dramas of the '50s and '60s..."(See all of Derek Elley's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 870 words, 05/14/09
Maggie Lee, Hollywood Reporter: VERY GOOD "Potently cinematic and full of personal stylistic bravura... Where Lu falls short is character development with such A-list actors as Gao Yuanyuan and Liu Ye..."(See all of Maggie Lee's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 908 words, 06/02/09
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "Harrowing and unflinching... a cinematic experience unlike any you've had before. It's a film strong enough to change your life, if you can bear to watch it at all."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 836 words, 06/17/11
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...ambitious and powerful film... joins the small league of cinematic war masterpieces about the human price and devastating effects of battle and occupation."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,256 words, 04/10/11
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: OUTSTANDING "...isn't cathartic... The horrors it represents can be almost too difficult to watch, yet you keep watching because Mr. Lu makes the case that you must."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 962 words, 05/11/11
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: OUTSTANDING "...harrowing in the extreme.... This is hardly a film to recommend as entertainment. As an act of remembrance, though, it is singular and, in its way, soaring."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 232 words, 06/17/11
9.7 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
City of Life and Death (Nanjing! Nanjing!)'s reviews are separated by an average 9.7 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
City of Life and Death (Nanjing! Nanjing!) (22 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:City of Life and Death (Nanjing! Nanjing!)'s reviews cover 21.5% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 11,612 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 528 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
City of Life and Death (Nanjing! Nanjing!) Coverage, Volume & Length (22 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 5 Days Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
City of Life and Death (Nanjing! Nanjing!)'s reviews on average broke 5 days before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is City of Life and Death (Nanjing! Nanjing!)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
City of Life and Death (Nanjing! Nanjing!) (22 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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