Release CalendarDVD & Blu-ray ReleasesTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsIn TheatersComing SoonMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysLGBTQ+ Pride MonthSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Shanghai

  • 20102010
  • RR
  • 1h 45m
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
9.7K
YOUR RATING
Gong Li, John Cusack, Chow Yun-Fat, and Ken Watanabe in Shanghai (2010)
Official Trailer for Shanghai.
Play trailer2:32
1 Video
99+ Photos
  • Crime
  • Drama
  • Mystery
A '40s period piece which revolves around an American expat who returns to Shanghai in the months before Pearl Harbor due to the death of his friend.A '40s period piece which revolves around an American expat who returns to Shanghai in the months before Pearl Harbor due to the death of his friend.A '40s period piece which revolves around an American expat who returns to Shanghai in the months before Pearl Harbor due to the death of his friend.
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
9.7K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Mikael Håfström
  • Writer
    • Hossein Amini
  • Stars
    • John Cusack
    • Gong Li
    • Chow Yun-Fat
Top credits
  • Director
    • Mikael Håfström
  • Writer
    • Hossein Amini
  • Stars
    • John Cusack
    • Gong Li
    • Chow Yun-Fat
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 41User reviews
    • 60Critic reviews
    • 36Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:32
    Official Trailer

    Photos135

    Chow Yun-Fat in Shanghai (2010)
    Gong Li in Shanghai (2010)
    Gong Li and John Cusack in Shanghai (2010)
    Gauahar Khan at an event for Shanghai (2010)
    Kalki Koechlin at an event for Shanghai (2010)
    Shriya Saran at an event for Shanghai (2010)
    Shanghai (2010)
    Gong Li, John Cusack, Chow Yun-Fat, and Ken Watanabe in Shanghai (2010)
    Shanghai (2010)
    Shanghai (2010)
    Shanghai (2010)
    Shanghai (2010)

    Top cast

    Edit
    John Cusack
    John Cusack
    • Paul Soames
    Gong Li
    Gong Li
    • Anna Lan-Ting
    Chow Yun-Fat
    Chow Yun-Fat
    • Anthony Lan-Ting
    David Morse
    David Morse
    • Richard Astor
    Ken Watanabe
    Ken Watanabe
    • Tanaka
    Franka Potente
    Franka Potente
    • Leni Müller
    Jeffrey Dean Morgan
    Jeffrey Dean Morgan
    • Conner
    Hugh Bonneville
    Hugh Bonneville
    • Ben Sanger
    Yuan On
    • Yuan
    Hon Ping Tang
    Hon Ping Tang
    • Chen
    Benedict Wong
    Benedict Wong
    • Juso Kita
    Christopher Buchholz
    Christopher Buchholz
    • Karl Müller
    Ronan Vibert
    Ronan Vibert
    • Mikey
    Nicholas Rowe
    Nicholas Rowe
    • Ralph
    Michael Culkin
    Michael Culkin
    • Billy
    Wolf Kahler
    Wolf Kahler
    • German Consul
    Valentine Fillol-Cordier
    • French Taxi Dancer
    Kowit Wattanakul
    • Junk Captain
    • (as Kovit Wattanakul)
    • Director
      • Mikael Håfström
    • Writer
      • Hossein Amini
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Curse of the Golden Flower
    7.0
    Curse of the Golden Flower
    Reign of Assassins
    6.8
    Reign of Assassins
    Grey Owl
    6.0
    Grey Owl
    Memoirs of a Geisha
    7.3
    Memoirs of a Geisha
    The Numbers Station
    5.6
    The Numbers Station
    River Runs Red
    4.4
    River Runs Red
    The Raven
    6.4
    The Raven
    The Cry of the Owl
    5.9
    The Cry of the Owl
    Shanghai
    7.2
    Shanghai
    War, Inc.
    5.5
    War, Inc.
    Coming Home
    7.2
    Coming Home
    Delirious
    6.4
    Delirious

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The project was set to roll in early 2008 in China, but the authorities blocked the shoot just a few weeks before production was set to begin. China's exit meant walking away from sets that had been built, at a cost of three million dollars. The Weinstein Company shifted the shoot to London and Thailand, where sets have been built re-creating Shanghai's old colonial architecture.
    • Goofs
      Part of the plot of the film revolves around the Type 91 torpedo, and the fact that it was given to the Imperial Japanese Navy by the Germans. Although the Type 91 was a real and highly effective aerial torpedo in use by the IJN during World War II - it was used with devastating effect at Pearl Harbour - it was not a German design. It was developed by the Japanese themselves back in 1931, and went through various modifications and improvements until its use in World War II, including the addition of wooden stabilising fins for use in the shallow waters of Pearl Harbour. It also doesn't make much sense for the Japanese to only get the weapon two months before launching their attack, because that would have given no time for further development and modification for Japanese torpedo bombers, or for training pilots in its use. Historically, there actually was a real exchange of aerial torpedo technology between Germany and Japan, but it was in the opposite direction and only in 1942. The Germans had no good aerial torpedoes of their own, having previously bought ones from Italy. The Japanese sent some examples of the Type 91 to Germany via submarine, where the German version entered service designated as 'Lufttorpedo LT 850'.
    • Quotes

      Paul Soames: Conner and I had joined the Navy like our fathers and grandfathers before us. Our lives were set. Birth, school, Yale, war. The great American tradition.

    • Soundtracks
      Lindy Matic
      Composed and Arranged by Stephen Edwards

      Courtesy Source in Sync Music - provided by 5 Alarm Music

    User reviews41

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Captures a period well, great performances too
    This movie captures that period of 30's Shanghai quite well. Well I wouldn't be the best person to judge considering I know little about that time, but from what I had seen in this film, it was very intriguing.

    This espionage/war film gets your attention. The plot is not too complicated, has a nice pace, good performances and an international cast. John Cusack is decent in this role, Gong Li is gorgeous as ever and her English seems to have improved. She captures the screen with her grace and beauty, but also a believable performance. Chow Yun Fat is equally as good. Ken Watanabe - a good performance though he really needs to work more on making his accent understandable as I still have a little trouble with him, but nevertheless makes a good icy character.

    The last act creates the suspense very well, though I'll have to admit, though I found the ending dramatic and decent, it might have been more interesting if they actually filmed what happened instead of doing the voice-over, but hey I guess budget constraints and time can get in the way, so I'm alright with it I suppose.

    This is a visual feast. It is good to see many actors of different nationalities blend in for what is a cross country story. Japan/China/Germany. Franka Potente has a role here too, which I enjoyed as well.

    The only problem with the film, though it wasn't it's fault, was that the version I watched did not have English subtitles when they were talking in Chinese. At first, I thought that this was part of the movie, as you weren't meant to understand it, but there are important scenes near the end where I had no clue what they were saying. It didn't mean I didn't get the rest of the plot or what was happening, but that could have given me a bit more to work with and more juice as well. Oh well, it's not their fault.

    This is an enjoyable movie, and it captures that sense of mystery, mistrust, betrayal and fear that you experience during an espionage/war film. Though this isn't essentially a war film in that it's main focus is about blowing up people etc, it is about the struggle of invasion and the effects of it. Recommended.

    I hope it gets a wider release in the US and here in Australia because it is a good film.
    helpful•20
    3
    • thomvic
    • Jan 29, 2011

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 2, 2015 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • China
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official site (Japan)
      • Vidio (Indonesia)
    • Languages
      • English
      • Mandarin
      • Japanese
      • German
    • Also known as
      • Şangay
    • Filming locations
      • National Liberal Club, 1 Whitehall Place, Westminster, Greater London, England, UK
    • Production companies
      • Phoenix Pictures
      • TWC Asian Film Fund
      • The Weinstein Company
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $50,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $46,425
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $26,604
      • Oct 4, 2015
    • Gross worldwide
      • $15,302,850
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 45 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Gong Li, John Cusack, Chow Yun-Fat, and Ken Watanabe in Shanghai (2010)
    Top Gap
    By what name was Shanghai (2010) officially released in Canada in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    Editors' Picks: What to Watch Now on Netflix
    See the full list
    View list
    List
    The Best Movies Coming This Summer
    See the full list

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.