Dead to Rights

Nanjing Zhao Xiang Guan is a heartbreaking film that exposes the horrors of the Nanjing Massacre. The brutal crimes committed by the Japanese army are depicted with realism, forcing the world to confront this dark chapter. It's a disgrace that such atrocities were ever allowed to happen. This film is a solemn tribute to the victims. A must watch for history and justice. Shameful past , unforgettable part of history.

This is not a movie to be enjoyed. Throughout my watch, I feel my intestines knotted from the blatant display of innumerable brutalities during the Rape of Nanking that were unfathomable strategically and ethically. Not a single body of water in the film isn't red, all bloodied by the 300,000 "swines" that were humans. Laudably, unlike some Sino-Japanese War movies that are purely slogan-calling and hostility-instigating, Dead to Rights has a rather impartial and documentary narrative stance, moving the audience by painstakingly replicating the massacre and letting the plot do the talking. While it's typical in this genre of films to vilify the invaders and traitors, Dead to Rights portrays two brilliant counterexamples: Ito's performative kindness and intrinsic cowardice and Guanghai's suppressed sentiments and deepest despair. With that said, performance of all seven protagonists are spot-on, making the choices, sacrifices and sufferings, though mostly fictional truly believable and resounding. Bravo specifically to Gao Ye, who perfectly captures Yuxiu's change from resiliently hopeful to defenselessly abused to reclaiming justice and avengement, as her powerless tears reflect the most inhumane violations done to countless comfort women. In all, Dead to Rights is a soul-stirring piece of work, but please be prepared for the historical pain it conveys. To intrusion and trampling, I shall retaliate with survival and remembering.

A must see film, Chinese Schindler's list based on the true story happened in Nanjing city during WW II Japanese invasion.

A picture paints a thousand words. So much sorrow, anger & love shown in those little figures struggling when they are facing a hell of barbarians together.

It's astonishing to see how brutal Japanese army slaughter the innocent civilians, even the baby... They are savages armed with gun, fight jets, what they did is nothing to do with civilization. This was happened just 80 years ago, and similar scenarios are still happening in the world today. Horrible!!!

People are weeping in the cinema. No one stands up after the final scene, people keep sitting in the dark and digest their emotions, until the lights turn on.

Indeed a masterpiece with powerful shot and great actor performance to reveal a short moment of the history.

Sadly, even to this day, those who committed the massacre are still enshrined in the "Shrine", and there are countless people who are forgetting or even denying this history that truly took place.

This is the significance of this film, to remind the world not to forget this heartrending history. Some people say that such films have been made too many times. But I would say, as long as war criminals are still enshrined in Japanese shrines, there will never be many such films.

First of all, never heard of these events before. The movie blasted that ignorance with incredible cinematography, powerful imagery and realism, and natural acting by the cast. Yes, its in Mandarin language and have to read subtitles, yet the movie draws you in, and is extremely immersive. Its also brutal to reflect the harsh realities, so be prepared. Its definitely a must watch in theatre - the color grading, lighting and sets are just beautiful. This movie exposes human harshness like Schindler's list did. The English title of this film is odd.