An all-around well executed film that highlights the tensions, moral ambiguity, and horror of the Japanese occupation of China during WWII. But unlike most war films, Jiang Wen manages to mix elements of satire and black comedy into an otherwise serious and dramatic story.

Set in a small Chinese village during the last years of the occupation, the film revolves around two captives – a Japanese soldier and a Chinese translator – and the villagers who are meant to interrogate them. There’s a lot of play between language and politics in the film, and much of the hilarity comes from the misunderstandings and mistranslations in the dialogue.

The acting is superb, with director Jiang Wen casting himself in the lead role. The film also has the benefit of terrific cinematography, a great soundtrack, and an intriguing plot. It’s hard to find any fault with this film – though the mainland Chinese government did, given that the film was banned in China and Jiang Wen was barred from directing for seven years (2000-2007).

What’s great is that this film is available here in the US as a Region 1 DVD release (thank you, Steven Soderbergh!), which is supposedly the only version of it that exists for worldwide release (though I think I saw a Japanese version on Yes-Asia). I’d definitely recommend picking up a copy of this spectacular film.