Watch Nanking
- R
- 2007
- 1 hr 28 min
-
7.7 (3,605)
Nanking is a movie that tells the harrowing story of the atrocious acts of violence committed by Japanese soldiers in the Chinese city of Nanking during the Second Sino-Japanese War. The movie is set in the year 1937 and starts with the Japanese army entering Nanking, which was then the capital of China. The movie's narrative is woven around the experiences of three individuals caught in the chaos and brutality of a city under siege by the Japanese invasion. The first is John Rabe (Hugo Armstrong), a German businessman who had lived in Nanking for over thirty years, and who now finds himself caught in the middle of a war that he never wanted.
The second individual is Minnie Vautrin (Rosalind Chao), an American missionary who chooses to stay behind in Nanking and dedicate herself to helping the Chinese women and children who have been displaced and traumatized by the violence.
The third individual is George Fitch (Stephen Dorff), an American reporter who comes to Nanking with the hope of getting the story of the war and the atrocities committed by the Japanese soldiers out to the world.
The movie's main storyline is centered around the events that unfold during the six weeks when Nanking was under siege by the Japanese army. During this period, the Japanese soldiers commit countless acts of violence and rape, killing several tens of thousands of Chinese civilians, and reducing the once-beautiful city to a wasteland.
Throughout the movie, we see the three central characters trying to cope with the violence and trauma around them, and struggling to find ways to help the people who desperately needed their aid. John Rabe, for instance, decides to set up a safety zone for the Chinese people in his factory compound, which ends up saving the lives of many.
Minnie Vautrin, on the other hand, runs a refugee camp for Chinese women and children, and she even takes in thirty girls from the Ginling Girls' College and protects them from getting raped by the Japanese soldiers. Her courage and determination in the face of adversity are nothing short of inspirational.
George Fitch, the reporter, goes around capturing eyewitness accounts of the atrocities committed by the Japanese and tries to make sure that the world is aware of what is happening in Nanking. He plays a key role in getting international aid to the city, which helps to alleviate some of the suffering of the Chinese people.
Overall, Nanking is a powerful and affecting movie that chronicles one of the darkest moments in human history. The movie is a deeply moving tribute to the courage and resilience of the Chinese people, as well as the foreigners who put their own lives at risk to try and help them.
Although the movie is a work of fiction, it is based on real events and real people, and the brutality it depicts is all too real. The movie is relentless in its portrayal of the horrors of war and the cruelty of which human beings are capable, but it is also a testament to the human spirit's capacity for compassion, kindness and heroism.
If you're looking for a movie that will leave you emotionally moved and inspired, then Nanking is definitely worth a watch. It's a powerful reminder of the importance of standing up for what is right, even in the face of overwhelming odds.
Nanking is a 2007 documentary with a runtime of 1 hour and 28 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.7 and a MetaScore of 76.