Die xue gu cheng

Death and Glory in Changde was an entertaining film. The uniforms, weapons, and sets looked great. There were a few cheesy moments related to the romantic subplot but the story overall was solid. The action is rather well done and gets intense at times. The ending felt tacked-on but gets the job done. Chinese films are always fascinating to me when they tackle historical subjects. Even though the Nationalist Chinese are the good guys, we the viewers are meant to identify with the plucky young peasant (who's a crack shot) volunteering to defend China against the Japanese "devils." The Japanese don't come off too horribly clichéd, all things considered, but are definitely represented as the brutal adversary they were. For the connoisseur of foreign war flicks, this is a must-see.