The Flowers of War

Set during Japan's invasion of China in 1937, this epic drama is told from the point of view of a young girl named Shu (Zhang Xinyi), who lives at a Catholic convent where dissolute, opportunistic American John Miller (Christian Bale) takes shelter during the vicious, violent siege of Nanking. A mortician by trade, Miller has been sent to prepare a recently deceased priest's body for burial but he's trapped behind the church's high walls, along with a dozen desperate prostitutes from a local brothel who have sought refuge, causing indignation among the innocent girls. Imbibing from the communion wine supply, Miller takes an interest in gorgeous Yu Mo (Ni Ni), a sophisticated courtesan who speaks English, but she withholds favors until he promises to help them. Donning the late priest's robes, Miller tries to guard students from assault by a band of marauding Japanese soldiers who invade the cavernous sanctuary. Soon after, a Japanese colonel (Atsuro Watabe) offers his apology and promises protection. But then he demands that the prepubescent girls sing at a celebratory party for Japanese officers—which everyone knows will result in rape and death—leading the prostitutes to engage in an uncharacteristically heroic act of self-sacrifice. Based on Yan Geling's historical novel 13 Flowers of Nanjing and directed with a heavy hand by Zhang Yimou, this is a visually stunning but dramatically weak epic saga of survival and redemption. A strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include the behind-the-scenes featurettes “The Newborn Stars” (22 min.), “The Birth of The Flowers of War” (21 min.), “Hard Time During War” (20 min.), “Meeting Christian Bale” (16 min.), and “Perfection of Light and Color” (14 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for an uneven drama.] (S. Granger)