7.6/10
48,256
161 user 138 critic

Sacrifices of War (2011)

Jin ling shi san chai (original title)
Trailer
2:32 | Trailer
An American finds refuge during the 1937 Japanese invasion of Nanking in a church with a group of women. Posing as a priest, he attempts to lead the women to safety.

Director:

Yimou Zhang

Writers:

Heng Liu (screenplay), Geling Yan (novel)
Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 14 wins & 15 nominations. See more awards »

Videos

Photos

Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Christian Bale ... John Miller
Ni Ni ... Yu Mo
Xinyi Zhang ... Shu (as Zhang Xinyi)
Tianyuan Huang Tianyuan Huang ... George Chen (as Huang Tianyuan)
Xiting Han Xiting Han ... Yi (as Han Xiting)
Doudou Zhang ... Ling (as Zhang Doudou)
Dawei Tong ... Major Li
Atsuro Watabe ... Colonel Hasegawa
Kefan Cao Kefan Cao ... Mr. Meng (as Cao Kefan)
Yangchunzi Yuan Yangchunzi Yuan ... Mosquito (as Yuan Yangchunzi)
Jia Sun Jia Sun ... Hua (as Sun Jia)
Yuemin Li Yuemin Li ... Dou (as Li Yuemin)
Bai Xue Bai Xue ... Lan
Takashi Yamanaka ... Lieutenant Asakura
Shigeo Kobayashi Shigeo Kobayashi ... Lieutenant Kato
Learn more

More Like This 

Rescue Dawn (2006)
Action | Biography | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.3/10 X  

A U.S. fighter pilot's epic struggle of survival after being shot down on a mission over Laos during the Vietnam War.

Director: Werner Herzog
Stars: Christian Bale, Steve Zahn, Jeremy Davies
Bad Times (2005)
Certificate: 12 Action | Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.9/10 X  

A tough-minded drama about two friends in South Central Los Angeles and the violence that comes between them.

Director: David Ayer
Stars: Christian Bale, Freddy Rodríguez, Eva Longoria
Certificate: 12 Action | Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.8/10 X  

When Rodney Baze mysteriously disappears and law enforcement doesn't follow through fast enough, his older brother, Russell, takes matters into his own hands to find justice.

Director: Scott Cooper
Stars: Christian Bale, Casey Affleck, Zoe Saldana
Action | Adventure | Crime
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.7/10 X  

A small-time rancher agrees to hold a captured outlaw who's awaiting a train to go to court in Yuma. A battle of wills ensues as the outlaw tries to psych out the rancher.

Director: James Mangold
Stars: Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, Ben Foster
Action | Adventure | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7/10 X  

During China's Tang dynasty the emperor has taken the princess of a neighboring province as wife. She has borne him two sons and raised his eldest. Now his control over his dominion is complete, including the royal family itself.

Director: Yimou Zhang
Stars: Yun-Fat Chow, Li Gong, Jay Chou
Certificate: Tous publics Action | Drama | Fantasy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6/10 X  

The defiant leader Moses rises up against Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses II, setting six hundred thousand slaves on a monumental journey of escape from Egypt and its terrifying cycle of deadly plagues.

Director: Ridley Scott
Stars: Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton, Ben Kingsley
Hostiles (2017)
Certificate: Tous publics avec avertissement Drama | Western
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.2/10 X  

In 1892, a legendary Army Captain reluctantly agrees to escort a Cheyenne chief and his family through dangerous territory.

Director: Scott Cooper
Stars: Scott Shepherd, Rosamund Pike, Ava Cooper
Drama | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.1/10 X  

Romance sparks between a young woman and a young man from different economic backgrounds during China's Cultural Revolution of the 1960s and '70s.

Director: Yimou Zhang
Stars: Xuejian Li, Taishen Cheng, Dongyu Zhou
Equilibrium (2002)
Certificate: Tous publics Action | Drama | Sci-Fi
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.4/10 X  

In an oppressive future where all forms of feeling are illegal, a man in charge of enforcing the law rises to overthrow the system and state.

Director: Kurt Wimmer
Stars: Christian Bale, Sean Bean, Emily Watson
Certificate: Tous publics Adventure | Drama | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.9/10 X  

Bobby Platt (Christian Bale) is a mentally slow young man who escapes an abusive, hateful stepfather who has killed his pets one by one. To save himself, Bobby runs away and meets a strange... See full summary »

Director: Jeremy Thomas
Stars: John Hurt, Christian Bale, Daniel Benzali
Certificate: Tous publics Biography | Drama | History
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.7/10 X  

The story of the English exploration of Virginia, and of the changing world and loves of Pocahontas.

Director: Terrence Malick
Stars: Colin Farrell, Q'orianka Kilcher, Christopher Plummer
Certificate: Tous publics Action | Adventure | Fantasy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.2/10 X  

A brood of fire-breathing dragons emerges from the earth and begins setting everything ablaze, establishing dominance over the planet.

Director: Rob Bowman
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Christian Bale, Izabella Scorupco
Edit

Storyline

In 1937 China, during the second Sino-Japanese war, a mortician, John (Christian Bale) arrives at a Catholic church in Nanjing to prepare a priest for burial. Upon arrival he finds himself the lone adult among a group of convent girl students and prostitutes from a nearby brothel. When he finds himself in the unwanted position of protector of both groups from the horrors of the invading Japanese army, he discovers the meaning of sacrifice and honor. Written by msmith5484

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Genres:

Drama | History | Romance | War

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence including a sexual assault, disturbing images, and brief strong language | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

The mini-series/TV adaptation of this film used some of the same sets (i.e. The Church) which is located in Jiangsu Province, China. See more »

Quotes

Yu Mo: Maybe with your help, I can save them.
See more »

Connections

Featured in The 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards (2012) See more »

Soundtracks

Introït of Requiem
[Gregorian, anonymous]
See more »

User Reviews

 
A glimpse of WWII in China through one fallen city, Nanking
17 January 2012 | by kahtreenahSee all my reviews

Please watch this movie to get a glimpse of what it was like during World War II in China. My grandparents were in a different part of China that also got occupied where similar tragedies occurred. Though much much worse. Babies would be thrown in the air and caught on the bayonets as a game. There were killing games. My grandma can never tell her story without crying. The Japanese government deny this ever happened, they never apologized, and payed for their war crimes. They do not even have it written in their history books. All my grandparents want is for their story to be recognized as well as a formal apology. Thanks for reading.


65 of 75 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
Review this title | See all 161 user reviews »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more »
Edit

Details

Country:

China | Hong Kong

Release Date:

16 December 2011 (China) See more »

Also Known As:

Sacrifices of War See more »

Edit

Box Office

Budget:

$94,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$48,448, 22 January 2012

Gross USA:

$311,434

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,855,644
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | Dolby (Dolby Surround 7.1)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See full technical specs »

Contribute to This Page



Recently Viewed