City of Life and Death (2009) on Netflix
In 1937 the Imperial Japanese Army seizes Nanjing, the Chinese capital. Lieutenant Lu Jianxiong tries to stop deserting troops, and John Rabe runs a safety zone for civilians.
- Netflix3.7/5
- IMDb7.7/1012,594 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes93%
Trailer
Plot summary
After commanders of the National Revolutionary Army abandon Nanjing and Japanese forces take the city, Lieutenant Lu Jianxiong and his comrade Shunzi try to turn back troops who are deserting, while more Japanese units close in on the streets. Superior Private Kadokawa Masao struggles with the violence around him. Thousands of Chinese civilians and wounded soldiers take shelter in the zone that John Rabe, a German businessman and Nazi Party member, runs with other Westerners; there Tang Tianxiang and the teacher Jiang Shuyun handle the daily work. Japanese soldiers push into the zone again and again, so the women are told to cut their hair short and dress as men, but the prostitute Xiaojiang refuses, saying she earns her living with her hair.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about City of Life and Death (2009)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Chinese censors took six months to approve Lu Chuan's script and another six months to clear the finished film, and required cuts including a Japanese officer beheading a prisoner, a woman tied down before being raped, and an interrogation scene.
- Its sympathetic portrayal of the Japanese soldier Kadokawa caused controversy in mainland China: the film was nearly pulled from theaters, and director Lu Chuan received online death threats against himself and his family.
