Bjorn TeoAn American spy attempts to find out what the Japanese military is doing in Shanghai. The cast list has big, talented names – Gong Li, Chow Yun Fat, Ken Watanabe…
Shanghai sounds like it has all the makings of an intelligent movie about espionage during the World War II, doesn’t it?
Ironically, the main actor, John Cusack, lets it down.
Cusack plays Paul Soames, the unlucky American spy who is sent to Shanghai to figure out what the Japanese are planning there. His friend, Connor (Jeffery Dean Morgan), gets assassinated and Soames sets his mind on figuring out the puzzle behind his friend’s sudden death.
Another glitch is throw into the plans when Soames meets Anna Lan-Ting (Gong Li) and starts to develop feelings for her. Her husband, Anthony Lan-Ting (Chow Yun-Fat), is a Chinese intermediary for the Japanese as Soames later finds out, and he’s working for General Tanaka (Ken Watanabe), the Japanese military commander.
As the mystery unravels, Soames finds out that he is a disposable pawn, as people always are in times of war. Things get messier as news of the Pearl Harbour bombing spreads through Shanghai. Soames has to find a way to solve the mystery of his friend’s death and escape Shanghai with Anna before her husband finds out that she has betrayed him.
The movie is complex, in which many things are implied and not said out loud, so if you’re not paying attention, you might miss out on important points in the movie.
Director Mikael Hafstrom is subtle yet effective in setting the tone for the movie early on. You get a sense of tension, betrayal and distrust amongst everyone. It’s in the way people look at each other, in the fake niceties exchanged at parties, and the flashy smiles that hide a sinister and greater truth behind it.
The quality of Shanghai is enhanced by the impeccable acting skills of veterans Gong Li and Chow Yun-Fat. Their facial expressions and verbal intensity added life to the show that Cusack himself failed to, with his lacklustre delivery of lines and poorly executed facial cues.
The movie is a good one overall, with a well though out plot with few loopholes. John Cusack’s performance leaves more to be desired, but Gong Li and Chow Yun-Fat more than made up for it with their unmatched versatility and experience in acting. It’s a difficult show to understand and follow, but it shows us a unique side of World War II not many people know much about: Shanghai.
Title: Shanghai
Opening Date: 01 July 2010
Duration: 106 Minutes
Language: English
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Romance
Directed by: Mikael Håfström
Starring: John Cusack, Gong Li, Chow Yun Fat
Rating: ★★★★✩