The Message (2009)
"Feng sheng" (original title)

1942, Nanjing (Nanking). Following a series of assassination attempts on officials of the Japanese-controlled puppet government, the Japanese spy chief gathers a group of suspects in a ... See full summary »

Directors:

Kuo-fu Chen, Qunshu Gao

Writers:

Chia-lu Chang (screenplay), Kuo-fu Chen (screenplay),

Stars:

Xun Zhou, Hanyu Zhang, Bingbing Li

4 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview:
Xun Zhou	...	Gu Xiaomeng
Hanyu Zhang	...	Wu Zhiguo
Bingbing Li	...	Li Ning Yu
Xiaoming Huang	...	Takeda / Wu Tian
Alec Su	...	Bai Xiaonian
Zhiwen Wang	...	Wang Daoxiang
Da Ying	...	Jin Shenghuo
Yihong Duan	...	Ye Jianbo
Xu Zhu	...	Senior
Weiwei Liu	...	Assassin
Zhaoqi Shi	...	Captain Zhang
Dahong Ni	...	Lao Bie
Gang Wu	...	Liuye
Jiajia Deng	...	Japanese waitress
Yibai Zhang

Storyline

1942, Nanjing (Nanking). Following a series of assassination attempts on officials of the Japanese-controlled puppet government, the Japanese spy chief gathers a group of suspects in a mansion house for questioning. A tense game of "cat and mouse" ensues as the Chinese code-breaker attempts to send out a crucial message while protecting his/her own identity.

---

Plot Keywords:

spy | world war two | japanese occupation | espionage | nanjing china | 

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller | War

---

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

China

Language:

Mandarin

Release Date:

22 September 2009 (China)

Also Known As:

The Message

Filming Locations:

Dalian, China

Box Office

Budget:

$7,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Huayi Brothers Media, Shanghai Film Group, Tianjin Television Station

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

User Reviews

Oscar Worthy!! Should have been their Best Foreign Film entry!!!

I swear, DO NOT listen to negative comments, which is why I took so, so long to watch this mind boggling, fast paced, amazing film! In the past few wks, I started running more & more into fantastic reviews on The Message, so I finally decided "reluctantly" to watch it! I went ahead and chilled, kicked back with low expectations, and prayed not to fall asleep.

I kid you not! Soon as it started to roll, the suspense and action kicked in! I love the way it started too and it's fast paced. No long drawn out scenes and I didn't take my eyes off the movie once. The acting was fantastic, powerful and intense. And the story was a high level THRILLER with many corners to keep us guessing! Seven to 10 main actors, so don't expect to lose your way in all those Chinese names. That's a good thing! The story-line & plot was so good, they had every loose end covered. It's rare to find a good flick with no holes. There's a lil twist at the end too. I'm not into spy films but this was kick a-- and the Chinese have been throwing out top notch films better than the U.S, Japan and everywhere else in the past 5 yrs. They are truly getting better and better at their game, heheh...I'm so serious. The 2 beautiful female stars were amazing & had our eyes glued to the screen. I loved the way their drama & expressions sucked us into the film and I heard they were nominated against one another for best actress award in this film in the Golden Horse Awards! This is like the 3rd film in 4 wks I ran into with few and bad reviews here, but great reviews elsewhere, which turned out to be EXCELLENT films. If you've become addicted to GOOD films such as I have, YOU WILL LOVE THIS!