Chuan Lu’s epic about the 1937 Japanese conquest of Nanking, China, tries to do for that what Elem Klimov’s Come and See did for the Soviet-Nazi hell in Russia. In cold, ashen black-and-white, the panic, rapes, and atrocities pile up, along with some heroic Chinese resistance. Attempts to personalize this mural of havoc — a Japanese soldier brings presents to an enslaved woman, a German businessman feels bad about leaving behind his servants — are dramatically both poignant and primitive. Surprising is the attempt to fathom the Japanese Army’s proud, cruel code of behavior, which includes a solemn victory parade and one guilty officer. (For better details on the German Nazi factory rep who helped save thousands, see Nanking and John Rabe). (2011) — David Elliott
This movie is not currently in theaters.