The first time I heard about the premise of the film, one thought popped into my head: "The Sound of Music". The real thing was much worse.
Many questions haunted me throughout the film, all starting with: Why? Why did the initial description already show an erroneous grasp of history? (The Japanese took control of Shanghai, and then went on to Nanjing, all as part of a single campaign. Not many reporters tried to rush into Nanjing. In fact, many could not get out, which was why they could report what happened.) Why was Meyers' acting in the initial scenes so bad? Why would someone (Fisher, I think his name was) go boxing, and let others punch him in the face repeatedly, a few days before his own wedding? Why was the one scene of the massacre done so badly that it failed to evoke any emotion? Why was the beheading contest by the Japanese, reported as "The Hundred Beheadings" in the Japanese newspapers, in Nanjing not mentioned at all? Why were the Communists in Nanjing? (The city was a Nationalist stronghold, and the Communist had no military presence in town before, during and after the massacre. Communist attacks on the Japanese army during WW2, few and far between as they were, took place largely in the countryside. The Communists were busy expanding their bases of support with the farmers and peasants. They were conserving their strengths and letting the Nationalists (i.e. someone else, who happens to be their mortal enemies) do most of the fighting.) Why were they growing sunflowers, when everyone was short of food? Why did they have fuel to run the generator? Why do the uniforms of the Nationalist army look exactly like those of the Japanese Imperial Army? (The Nationalist army uniforms were gray.) Why would the caravan encounter Japanese army personnel going "the other way" near Lanzhou? (The Japanese only wished they got that far inland.) Why would Chen (Chow Yun Fat) waste three bullets to salute Shi Kai, and risk attracting attention? (These are Chinese people, not westerners.) Why did the film title really mean "Escape from Huangshi (and from the Nationalist for fear of conscription)"? Why did the uniforms of the police in Lanzhou look just like those of the police in Shanghai? (Shanghai police's uniforms were unique. The writers probably assumed police uniforms in China in the 1930's were like those in USA/Oz today, the same across the country.) Why would the officials in a poor town like Lanzhou just give away (not lend, but give away) four trucks which must be valuable assets of the local government? Why did none of the livestock get eaten throughout the whole journey? (As some guy near me commented out loud) Why was Chow Yun Fat just walking around and dropping in on the children once in a while? Why was Chow Yun Fat free to roam all the way over in Lanzhou, when all the fighting was in central and eastern China? Why did none of the kids have any personality? (They might as well have been cut out of cardboards. But maybe the writers got it right by accidence, since Chinese kids are mostly compliant like this.) Why was this in the end just another film about two westerners, with China largely the backdrop? Why was this film directed so badly that I felt nothing for any of the main characters at all? Why would anyone allow scriptwriters who don't really know Chinese history or the Chinese frame of mind to write a script and waste money like this?
Many questions haunted me throughout the film, all starting with: Why? Why did the initial description already show an erroneous grasp of history? (The Japanese took control of Shanghai, and then went on to Nanjing, all as part of a single campaign. Not many reporters tried to rush into Nanjing. In fact, many could not get out, which was why they could report what happened.) Why was Meyers' acting in the initial scenes so bad? Why would someone (Fisher, I think his name was) go boxing, and let others punch him in the face repeatedly, a few days before his own wedding? Why was the one scene of the massacre done so badly that it failed to evoke any emotion? Why was the beheading contest by the Japanese, reported as "The Hundred Beheadings" in the Japanese newspapers, in Nanjing not mentioned at all? Why were the Communists in Nanjing? (The city was a Nationalist stronghold, and the Communist had no military presence in town before, during and after the massacre. Communist attacks on the Japanese army during WW2, few and far between as they were, took place largely in the countryside. The Communists were busy expanding their bases of support with the farmers and peasants. They were conserving their strengths and letting the Nationalists (i.e. someone else, who happens to be their mortal enemies) do most of the fighting.) Why were they growing sunflowers, when everyone was short of food? Why did they have fuel to run the generator? Why do the uniforms of the Nationalist army look exactly like those of the Japanese Imperial Army? (The Nationalist army uniforms were gray.) Why would the caravan encounter Japanese army personnel going "the other way" near Lanzhou? (The Japanese only wished they got that far inland.) Why would Chen (Chow Yun Fat) waste three bullets to salute Shi Kai, and risk attracting attention? (These are Chinese people, not westerners.) Why did the film title really mean "Escape from Huangshi (and from the Nationalist for fear of conscription)"? Why did the uniforms of the police in Lanzhou look just like those of the police in Shanghai? (Shanghai police's uniforms were unique. The writers probably assumed police uniforms in China in the 1930's were like those in USA/Oz today, the same across the country.) Why would the officials in a poor town like Lanzhou just give away (not lend, but give away) four trucks which must be valuable assets of the local government? Why did none of the livestock get eaten throughout the whole journey? (As some guy near me commented out loud) Why was Chow Yun Fat just walking around and dropping in on the children once in a while? Why was Chow Yun Fat free to roam all the way over in Lanzhou, when all the fighting was in central and eastern China? Why did none of the kids have any personality? (They might as well have been cut out of cardboards. But maybe the writers got it right by accidence, since Chinese kids are mostly compliant like this.) Why was this in the end just another film about two westerners, with China largely the backdrop? Why was this film directed so badly that I felt nothing for any of the main characters at all? Why would anyone allow scriptwriters who don't really know Chinese history or the Chinese frame of mind to write a script and waste money like this?