emuir-1 Before watching, this film appeared to have everything going for it. A great cast, an eve of WW2 setting, an exotic location and an old fashioned thriller. After the first hour I dropped off to sleep, but at least I had put the DVD on pause, so two hours later I woke up to finish it. By the end I was baffled as to what it was all about, so I watched it a second time being more refreshed by my nap. The plot still escaped me. John Cusack in a white tuxedo in a casino where he spots a beautiful mysterious woman in distress who has a husband and who manages to keep out hero guessing with various cryptic hints of what? Cigarettes proffered from gold cases, sundry Asians popping in and out, lots of shootings and bombings, lots of blood, pouring rain, dark wet streets, more killings - in other words a by the numbers confusing parody of film noir which could have been much better.All I gleaned from the story was that John Cusak had been assigned to Shanghai and as soon as he got there, his friend was murdered while he was with a woman, who was somehow involved with a Japanese officer and addicted to opium. A couple of characters needed to be smuggled out of Shanghai, I know not why, and no one could catch a train or boat without struggling through hordes of extras. I only barely figured out why John Cusack, Ken Wantanabe, Gong Li and Chow Yun-Fat were in the story, but the rest went over my head. I never did work out who was working for whom or which side they were on.

dromasca Maybe too many pictures were already made about that city and that period and they look too much one like the other. Or maybe after Ang Lee made one of them (Lust, Caution) there is not too much to say about this subject, even of that was not even Lee's best. In any case Shanghai made by Swede director Mikael Hafstrom does not succeed to be more than routine and confusing, and looks much less authentic than other attempts which were part of the same stream.The story is set in the few months before the entry of the US in the war against Japan, and actually the heroes (some of them American agents) seem to discover preparations about Pearl Harbor and the breaking of the war in the Pacific, but they do not seem to care very much, as they are busy with their personal intrigues and revenge, as well as romantic stories, none convincing, all confusing, and certainly lacking the burning eroticism in the film by Lee. Actually never had John Cusack looked to me so uninvolved emotionally as in this film! I personally have a lot of sympathy for this actor, but he really seemed by himself unconvinced about what his character is supposed to do, so he failed to convince us as well.Besides Cusack we have in this movie Li Gong, one of the greatest stars of the Chinese-speaking screens who makes all efforts to create something credible and worth remembering but eventually fails as well because of the lack of clarity of directing intentions. Ken Watanabe on the other hand is such huge an actor and has so much charisma that he looks convincing and deadly dangerous all over the film, with a human twist by the end. He may be actually the only reason for which the sentimental turn taken by the story towards its end does not look so bad despite the (bad) cartoonish Shanghai in flames.

Thomas Aitken Not sure why people haven't been more generous in their reviews of this film.It was a great piece of film making with a great premise, good characters, excellent acting, and scripting, and it is beautifully shot.This isn't an Oscar contender, but then it doesn't have to be to actually be a good and entertaining film worthy of a viewing.I really enjoyed the way it placed a murder mystery into such a tense and dramatic period of history - World War II effectively becomes another central character in this film, and to great effect actually, because we all think we've got the big secret figured out right up until the very end when we discover it's not actually what we thought we 'knew' it to be.I also really enjoyed the fact that it presented us with a strong notion of the fact that even during moments of huge historical importance, at the centre of these events are still real human beings, just like you and I, with real human concerns and affairs that consume their attentions (as well as the big things like world war).A solid little flick, definitely worth the watch!

John Raymond Peterson They don't make 'em like this anymore. When was the last time you saw a thriller, edge of your seat mystery, action pact, period piece, and relentless pace with a bunch of accomplished and well know actors who ply their skills for the art and not for a big budget by today's terms? This is one. In the tradition of movies like 'The Quiet American' (2002), 'L.A. Confidential' (1997), 'Chinatown' (1974) , "Mulholland Falls' (1996), 'Double identity' (1944 & 1973), 'Touch of Evil' (1958) and even the classic 'The Maltese Falcon' (1941), the movie 'Shangai' seems to stand out today in a sea of glitzy flicks and romantic comedies galore. I was very pleased by its storyline, to see the cast of names I knew and liked, so I jumped at the chance to watch it. It was like re-experiencing movie going fun like I had not in a long time.Considering the cinematography, special effects and staging challenges that brings us back in time to the days preceding Pearl Harbor and in Shangai of all places (what a backdrop), and considering also the cast, if you have cinematic knowledge, it is almost incredible that this film was made at all and more so for a mere $50M budget. I trust the ratings will only keep going up as more viewers record their own ratings, because it deserves better than just 6.5 as of the time of my review. Most of the movies in which company I included 'Shangai' are admittedly better to equal.I was looking for something recent featuring Li Gong because she is one of those actors (actress) who has a knack for picking movies that are excellent and in which she plays roles that are demanding; I came across this movie. I read the names of the cast; I'm a fan of most of John Cusack's work, and the same goes for Yun-Fat Chow, David Morse, Ken Watanabe, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Franka Potente. My movie collection includes several movies from each of them. It goes without saying that I liked it and recommend it.