Thrilling war drama with plenty of action and connections with the main characters
Did not know of this part of Chinese history so made the film more interesting.
13 out of 15 found this helpful
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bryangary6526 August 2021
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ryanpersaud-5941528 August 2021The Good: I think it's safe to say that the film's highlight is the expertly crafted and powerful action scenes. This movie is clearly trying to recall and homage Chinese war stories of old and it does a really good job of doing that, visually. The action scenes are fantastic and I was surprised as to how tasteful the blood and gore was here; I sorta went into this expecting a brutal ride.
Initially, I felt the film's lack of character development was a negative. On reflection, I think this might be a cultural bias on my part and also not entirely appropriate for the story. American war films tend to focus on individual(s) for storytelling and emotional purpose. I think this approach, focusing on a group of basically unremarkable people, is actually a really effective way of making this battle feel like...well, a battle in a larger conflict. That while this moment mattered, ultimately, the war was not won that day.
I also have to applaud the set and costume designers...WOW. The International Concession set is so immaculate and bursting with life, I felt transported into the past when watching those scenes. The contrast with the abandoned, decaying warehouse is truly striking.
The Bad: I'm a little conflicted as to whether or not to include this, but the dub of this movie is absolutely terrible. I felt like I was watching extended video game cut scenes; the voice actors almost never sound appropriate for what it happening on screen. Again, I don't know if this is fair or not, but the dubbing made what was supposed to be emotionally powerful into a farce.
However, this criticism will be universal, whether you're watching the English dub or Chinese original. This movie is as subtle as a brick through a window. I understand what this particular time in history means for Chinese people, but damn...is this as propagandistic as they come. It's sometimes hard to take seriously and yes, I acknowledge culture plays a part in this.
The Ugly: On that point, this movie's ra-ra patriotism may be a bit refreshing for audiences who have come to expect war films to be, by default, "anti-war." Surely this movie isn't pro-war, but it's realistic in that it acknowledges war is a part of the human story and sometimes, the unjust thing to do is to shy away. -
conrart20 September 2021This movie creates a lot of emotion and makes you sympathize with the characters.
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SnoopyStyle2 February 2021It's 1937. Japanese forces have attacked the city of Shanghai. The foreign concessions become an island of civilization among the destruction of the city. Around 800 Chinese soldiers have fortified a warehouse across a canal from the concession area. They are mostly soldiers armed with the latest weapons from Nazi Germany. They are joined by some stragglers and a squad from the countryside. They hold out against overwhelming Japanese forces for months in front of an audience of international press and their fellow Chinese citizens.
First, the movie spends too much time showing scared and incompetent soldiers. Some of it is useful but it really makes it frustrating to root for the Chinese soldiers. The long-haired guy is really annoying. It may work if he's the only one but the movie seems to relish showing the Chinese soldiers as weak scared little boys. The balance is off. The real force consists of mostly well-trained troupes but the camera spends more time with the others who get collected. The flag section is a good high point except throwing that many bodies onto the flag is ridiculous. It's more effective to concentrate on one guy picking up the fallen flag and putting it back up. Finally, this uses too much slow motion especially in the last act. It could have more effective to let the brutal action overwhelm the senses. As a true war story, this is primed for a great telling but this is only partially good. Westerners may not like the portrayal of Nazis and I'm surprised that Communist China is willing to make Nationalist soldiers into heroes. Again, the Chinese soldier fighting with Nazi gear is going to be weird for a western audience. As a Chinese war movie, this is better than most. It looks great and it's compelling to watch. -
danielj-521-35105711 September 2020After enjoying the trailer, and being a fan of Asian cinema, I went to the movies to watch The Eight Hundred.
As the movie is based on a true story and true events, it was very interesting to see a different kind of war film that's not Hollywood-ised and the great high quality production certainly was impressive.
The movie is gripping, intense with solid tension building throughout the movie, lots of action guns and bombs with great performances that I believe the actors deserve great credit for.
The writing and direction by Guan Hu was very impressive with nice stylised cinematography.
My own dilemmas with the movie was the pacing, story beats and focus on the central story. The movie felt too split everywhere into different perspectives and doesn't focus on a singular character or group to follow the story properly.
There was no clear goal or focus for us as the audience to keep an emotional core building. The essence of Chinese patriotism is the front runner story but I felt it took away from my attachment to following a core protagonist/s with their story instead of the theme or essence of patriotism.
There's lots of invasion attempts and warfare action with some heartfelt emotional scenes, but not a clear storyline direction that makes it understandable to follow.
Make sure to give this movie a go, it's definitely an experience! -
This is a Remake about a historical event. It may be a bit hyped and exaggerated and has quite the nationalistic take (pride wise) to it - something US movies also like to do to the same degree. Hopefully you don't have an issue with that, otherwise you'd deprive yourself of quite the intense and harrowing movie! And visually ... I mean wow, just wow.
How it all was built, the amount of preproduction it took, the stunts and so many other things make me want to say "great job". The violence is quite vivid and there is a lot of blood and brutal depictions of injuries and death. Amongst all that there still is character development (and some cliche and over dramatized things too of course)! That is not an easy feat to achieve ... but the movie does it. And even with 2,5 hours (and an odd 15 minutes missing or so probably will be forever lost, since the director had to cut them to get a rating in China) the movie never feels like it is too long ... very well done indeed! -
Horror_Flick_Fanatic14 March 2021The visuals of this film are artistically cinematic and very gritty. It's a beautiful picture with tons of on screen action. The director adds so many simultaneous events in each frame that it kept my eyes busy scanning the periphery to take it all in. This film has high budget written all over it. From the sets, customs, cgi, special effects and large cast it's very impressive. You can also see a lot of American and European cinematic influences in the film. Especially during the flag raising which was reminiscing of Iwo Jima flag raising. The gory firefights and sniper kills gets your heart running.
Where the film falls short are the many overdrawn patriotic speeches and at first they are cool but become long on the tooth in this 3+ hour film which actually felt like four hours or more. Many scenes don't add much to the story and I think distracts from the film. I think this film could use an editor to shorten the film a bit and clear up the story. -
kluseba31 August 2020While everbody seems to be going crazy over Christopher Nolan's new science-fiction epic Tenet, I must admit that I have prefered Chinese historical military drama The Eight Hundred a little bit more. The movie tells the story of a few hundred Chinese soldiers who desperately attempt to defend a warehouse against Japanese invaders. While national and international spectators idly observe the relentless battle from the other side of Suzhou Creek, the desperate soldiers realize that they are all alone on a suicide mission to defend their position, city and country.
This epic movie convinces on numerous levels. The story is overall historically accurate which isn't the case for some other recent Chinese movies that depict their own people as unbeatable heroes and their opponents as relentless criminals. The realistic characters in this movie feel refreshingly human and have flaws and strengths. Some soldiers try to betray their brothers in arms to save their lives, secretely escape from the warehouse or simply try to hide to avoid fighting. However, it's great to see that even the oldest cowards, youngest deserters and stupidest egoists end up facing their deadly challenges and fighting for a better tomorrow. The character development in this film is excellent and it's easy to empathize with several of the diversified characters, varying from disillusioned children over overambitious military personnel to nostalgic elders. The locations look incredibly authentic and bring Shanghai in the late thirties to life in a visually stunning way. The contrast between dead bodies, destroyed buildings and dirty battle equipment on the north side of the river and ladies with fancy make-up, elegant casinos and contemporary vehicles on the south side of the river is truly captivating. The big-budget sound and visual effects are gripping and should be enjoyed at your local cinema as even the best set-up in your living-room couldn't bring the dramatic battles to life. Despite a length of two and a half hours, the film has great pace and especially the first three quarters go by very quickly.
This movie would have been excellent if it weren't for its last quarter. The movie suddenly jumps back and forth in the timeline and focuses on redundant discussions and lengthy speeches that add patriotic pathos but considerably slow down the film's excellent pace. The final forty minutes or so could have been told in fifteen minutes and been much more impactful.
Despite that minor flaw in the film's final quarter, The Eight Hundred is one of the best military dramas in recent memory. The story is mostly historically accurate, the sound and visual effects are impressive, the characters have depth and development and the acting performances are accurate, diversified and empathic. It might even be a great idea to transform this intriguing story into a television series at a certain point. Don't hesitate to watch this movie with English subtitles at your local cinema as The Eight Hundred is definitely the best movie of the year so far. -
denis88820 January 2022Very much of a curate's egg here - epic production, very good CGI, very tough battle scenes, very cool period piece. But at the same time, very many typical modern clichés, as well as very trite dialog lines as well as some very predictable plot twists. Several times, the film was bordering between a very blatant parody and a very brutal war drama. This has made it a very mixed bag and therefore produced a rather sour aftertaste...
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Writing this review in Point Form.
My grumble with this film:- Too much shouting and over the top acting BUT otherwise a watchable war film that recounts the ''Defense of Sihang Warehouse in 1937 Shanghai''.
- Some of the character dialogue scenes are hard to follow.
- I heard there is a 1976 version released in Taiwan, Have yet to see that one. I might do so just to cross references the events from 2 different perspective, CCP or China Communist Party and Republic Of Taiwan.
What I like and learnt from this film: Gritty, Raw, Unfiltered violence film on IMAX camera. Before watching, I have never heard of the Defense of Sihang Warehouse in 1937 Shanghai. After watching it, did a readup on wikipedia, realised most of the stuff did happen. -
Genkinchan18 April 2021I seldom review a Chinese movies I try my best here to give you an honest review..
I don't what is the propaganda about where the movie tries to glorify Chinese as brave and bold but as I finished watching the movie I went to you tube to do more research and reviews . What I finds out amazed me the whole river set was actually built from scratch whilst the building too.. it was real building and people in it not done green cgi screen.
This is the first impressive Chinese mainland movie that use impressive CGI the action was top notch, it even shows the stronger side of Japanese which is much more superior in their battle wits which rarely you get to see in a Chinese movies, most of the Chinese Mainland or even Hong Kong Movies till now still depict Japanese as inferior during the WW2 period
The movie also have some touching moments such as the last battle scene moments, the suicide bombing moments overall , the ending crossing the bridge moments etc.
There are some down point too may be due to the director tries to fit in over more than 30 characters all in the movie with given time.. most of the character makes it very forgettable and hard to resonate too the director should cut down to 10-12 characters so that we can blend in with more characters.
Overall it was a great movie.. no wonder the movie is the highest grossing movie in the world year 2020. -
neuhome27 February 2022First of all congrats to the comrades of the communistic party who seemed to opens the treasury for a really great two and a half hour propaganda movie that can compete easily with Hollywood. Scene and technic are awesome. Target is clear: showing of some important Chinese recent historic moments with some cultural information. Liked but but you have to know the purpose, like Hollywood always did.
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justinemj26 June 2021It was so green that I thought my tv or internet had problem. It made me feel like everything was from green screen (graphics).
While watching the movie, I kept thinking why do ppl across the river/bridge just look at the war? Don't they care about safety? Don't they want to help their country?
The flag - while it was patriotic, it was silly to die just to hold the flag in OPEN AREA! Can't they get some shield or put the flag somewhere else? Same goes for suicide line (Japanese had these too but not in this movie).
Brave soldiers, some light hearted moments, some tense and exciting moments but acting + editing were a bit choppy. -
dukeb0y16 March 2023. My main reason for this review is a question that anybody can answer. A Goodyear blimp was in the movie. Twice I saw so far. Since it's a historical movie from the 19 30s, did Goodyear visit China then? I looked all over Wikipedia and the internet and as far as I can see they didn't. So why did the filmmaker put the blimp in the movie.
Okay as another reviewer has said, too much time spent on scared soldiers. Well that's real life actually. But it also thought too much time was spent on it. And I found it curious that in Shanghai it was plenty of electricity. All the bright lights were on while the Japanese were attacking. And yet sections a few blocks away were absolutely totaled. It may have been the international section that was safe.
Very realistically filmed without too much shaky camera although they have a little bit. Anyway if anybody can answer the blimp question let me know. Thank you, John. -
valleyjohn20 December 2021The Eight Hundred was the biggest grossing film of 2020 , beating Tenet but it's not surprising when you think about it. It was released during the pandemic and China has a population of over two billion , so in theory they could beat Hollywood every year.
Having said all that , this is a much better film than Tenet anyway .
It's the story of a group of Chinese soldiers and draft dodgers , in 1937 who put up a four-day defence of a Shanghai warehouse complex just as Japanese forces are overwhelming China.
This film looks amazing. As war films go it's right up there and i was surprised to see it only cost only eighty Million dollars. Perhaps that is because they didn't spent so much of the budget on actors wages as Hollywood , would normally ?
I have to admit the logistics had me confused at times. I would have liked more of an explanation as to why one side of the river was so different to the other and why people of all nationalities were just watching the chaos go on .
The acting was really good and i like the fact that they were not afraid to kill off main characters.
It's biggest problem is it's too long . In fact it's that long the opening credits were still playing twenty minutes after the start of the film. I did think at one stage that i might have to watch it in two parts but thankfully i manages to see it through and in the long run , it was definitely worth it.
I'm sure the Chinese people will have loved this. It does feel a little flag waving at times , almost as if it's a propaganda movie but i can forgive director Hu Guan for that because he has produced a stunning piece of work. -
beachtv29 May 2023"The Eight Hundred" (2020), directed by Guan Hu, is an unflinching bullet-riddled ballet, exploding across the silver screen like a firebomb. Unsheathed in the mad chaos of war, it paints a gut-wrenching tableau of the grim dance between life and death.
The film hones in on the harrowing tale of 800 Chinese soldiers holding the fort at a warehouse in Shanghai, faced with an onslaught from the imperial Japanese army. Here you have it: a pack of desperate men standing defiant, staring down the gaping maw of oblivion.
Hu cranks the tension to deafening heights, orchestrating a relentless symphony of chaos and courage. Each shot, each explosion, punctuates the narrative like a concussive blast, echoing in the hollow chambers of the human spirit.
The film's cast, an ensemble of warriors cloaked in blood and grime, deliver performances that cut straight to the bone. They're not just characters; they're raw, visceral embodiments of resilience and sacrifice, etched onto the cinematic canvas with the indelible ink of desperation.
In this blood-soaked opera, the visuals take center stage. The war-torn world is rendered with haunting precision, each frame drenched in smoke and fire, as if plucked straight from the fevered dreams of a shell-shocked soldier.
The film's symphonic score underpins the narrative with a dirge-like solemnity, its notes strung together like a rosary of sorrow and resolve. The cacophonous symphony of war clashes against the melancholic melody, creating an auditory tapestry that's as haunting as it is hypnotic.
Make no mistake, "The Eight Hundred" is not for the weak-hearted. It delves deep into the heart of war, unmasking its monstrous visage with a stark, brutal honesty that'll leave you reeling. It's a gut punch of a movie, a raw testament to the horrors of war and the indomitable spirit of those who fight it.
"The Eight Hundred" is a thunderous cinematic charge straight into the belly of the beast. It's a relentless, visceral exploration of the human will under siege, a searing testimony of survival etched in blood and gunfire. Strap in, hang tight, and brace yourself for a wild, gut-churning journey into the heart of the storm. This is war, naked, unhinged and unadulterated. -
Daniel-699924 August 2020The movies is shown from a different aspect, which is something I haven't seen ever since hacksaw ridge. The movie tells a story that you might of never heard of but it's a battle you should know. This movie shows courage, unity, and braveness among the soldiers. It's very inspiring and I hope the future generations can witness it first hand. Truly a masterpiece!
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Erik_Surewaard25 August 2023This movie is internationally known as "The Eight Hundred". It is based on true events during the Japanese invasion of Shanghai, whereby the focus is put on the famous "Defense of the Sihang Warehouse".
The "Sihang Warehouse" is located directly next to the foreign concession of Shanghai. This means that all attacks by the Japanse army on the soldiers in the warehouse, are in direct view of all people watching from the concession. As such, many reports are available of the historic events surrounding this battle.
Since the movie often switches back and forth between different events, it is important to know how all events fit in the overall battle. It is therefore that - before watching this movie - I highly recommend you first read the Wikipedia article titled "Defense of the Shihang Warehouse". In my opinion, reading this Wikipedia article will not spoil the movie, but instead provide the necessary background for watching this movie. Amongst others, it explains why the chinese soldiers were dressed the same as german WW2 soldiers.
Due to the movie not having a main character, you as a viewer will have an additional challenge of understanding what's going on. During some events I had the idea someone was put center stage, all but to find out that he is not seen for the next 15 minutes or so... I think it would have been very beneficial if the movie would have for instance a voice-over - e.g. Someone who was there - whom explained what was going on.
One big plus of this movie are the extremely detailed scenes. It is just a 'feast for your eyes'. If you for instance pause the movie, you often will be able to discover details (in the background) which you wouldn't have seen otherwise. Overall, the result is a very convincing portrayal of Shanghai during WW2.
In coming to a conclusion, I think we have here a movie that misses some necessary ingredients to make the viewer fully understand what is going on. The director and writers were probably so accustomed to the historic events, that they assumed that everyone else would also be as aware as they are... Why on earth they did not chose for having a main character is beyond me. As such, this movie is often a challenge to watch. Especially the first 15 minutes, I personally was left in limbo of what exactly I was watching. Giving it a second try after reading up on Wikipedia helped me enormously.
Taking everything into account - including the fact that this movie learnt me quite some new and interesting things about WW2 - I decided to score this movie with 7.3/10. Resulting in an IMDb score of 7 stars, I think this movie could have easily gained 1 (or even 2) additional stars if more effort was put in guiding the viewer better in understanding the overall situation. I recommend to first read the Wikipedia article "Defense of the Sihang Warehouse" -
missionary11 March 2021This is my third attempt at presenting a candor review of this film, after having my first review declined. Sitting through this two-and-a-half hour film was like sitting in a walled-in classroom while being shouted at with propaganda drivel. In summary, the acting was cartoonish with spoken (shouted) dialog (in any language) by actors phrased like they've been put on a hot-plate. Notwithstanding the historical topic, we can all agree that yes, fictionalizing drama amounts to good eye-catchers for profit. The CG and motion graphics -- which are perhaps the only true attraction cinematographically -- appear to be well-planned and funded, yet splatter the film with disgustingly cheap-looking scenes after scenes (despite the $80M budget?). Why there are 10-star reviews is perhaps the most surprising aspect of this film.
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chong_an10 September 2020In 1937, WW2 has started for China, with the Japanese invasion. On the southern front, the Chinese army has abandoned a ruined Shanghai, except for one warehouse. This is defiantly defended by one regiment of about 800 troops, where seasoned professionals are reinforced by raw recruits of varying eagerness. The warehouse has 2 attributes: used as a bank vault, it has extra-thick walls; and it is across a small river from the English Concession. The foreign concessions are considered foreign territories by the Japanese, who try to avoid touching them. Thus we have the juxtaposition of a battlefield with a bustling, well-lit area, where crowds hang around the riverside street to watch the action, and the privileged (including foreign press photographers) watch from the balconies.
The movie alternates between the warehouse action, and the events in the concession. In and around the warehouse, the action includes close combat, snipers, and occasional speeches. It is refreshing to see a Chinese action movie without martial arts. While there is blood and bandages, it is not the gorefest some western directors seem to like. There some of the Chinese soldiers are featured, whereas on the Japanese side only one commander had any speaking role. The switching to the concession side gives the audience a break from the action, and keeps the narrative fresh.
This was based on actual historical events, and the movie included a final shot of the warehouse - with a backdrop of modern Shanghai skyscrapers. I read that the movie's opening was delayed, so that scenes of the national government could be cut. This government, or its successors, still govern the rebel island of Taiwan. But for the flag-raising scene, it was still the historically-accurate sun-in-sky national flag that went up. -
RosanaBotafogo5 November 2022In 1937, eight hundred Chinese soldiers fight under the siege of an outpost in the middle of the Shanghai battlefield, completely surrounded by the Japanese army.
It is in these war movies that we are absolutely sure that in this type of event only innocent people die, on both sides, and the only culprits are the rulers, the white-collar bandits, behind their tables comfortably in the air conditioning, while thousands of young men and women ruthlessly self-destruct, sad, tragic, a beautiful and long film, excellent production, great ambiance and beautiful photography, many characters, we ended up not identifying... -
1937. The Second Sino-Japanese War is raging and the Japanese Army has the upper hand. In Shanghai the Chinese Army is falling back but the 524th Regiment holds on at Sihang Warehouse. The 452 defenders (exaggerated to 800 for the public) hold on against overwhelming odds in what will become an epic last stand.
The actual events of the Battle of Sihang Warehouse are the stuff of legend: 452 defenders holding out against about 20,000 for several days, providing a massive morale boost to the population of the Republic of China. This film tries to capture that heroism but does so clumsily and hammily.
Rather than concentrating on the military tactics we have sub-plots involving insignificant, generic characters. Concentrating on average people is supposed to increase the engagement factor but here, because the sub-plots are so clichéd and silly, it has the opposite effect.
Many of the tactics and actions don't seem very accurate either. The writers and director mistake foolhardiness for bravery with some very stupid actions disguised as heroism. Their idea of a battle also seems to largely involve explosions and inane shouting.
Add in some next level hammy acting and the film is often embarrassing to watch.
On the plus side, the cinematography, CGI and backdrops are great. These do give a very authentic feel to proceedings (even if the plot and acting doesn't!). -
Not all people like this movie coz this movie is quite nationlistic. However you can't simply judge this movie as a bad one coz "there is not enough anti-war plot". This movie is about self-defense and anti-oppression. If you don't know much about Chinese history please don't judge around. In the 1930s China was weak and the country was in great chaos. The imperial Japanese army took advantage of China's weakness and invaded China. Most Chinese people were numb and apathetic about the country and that's why at the beginning of the story, citizens besides the Suzhou river were not interested about the battle and they only care about their own living. Even some soldiers didn't know why they have to fight. As time went by, soldiers gradually woke up and realized what their mission was, citizens realized what the soldiers were fighting for. The soldiers were from different parts of the country and they had their own plans but finally they stayed together as a whole. The connection between soldiers were so great, and so natural. That's because we all share a same idea----we don't want to be ruled by brutal foreigners. If you don't like foreign ruling, you can feel this passion. Great amount of character development. The explosion is awesome. The director had planed and prepared this movie for yrs and you will feel amazing by all the visual effects.
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batia012131 August 2020I'd call this easily a milestone for Chinese War films, the cinematography and character development are rarely seen before in other Chinese war films.
All the characters felt real, and relatable.
The story is a bit chopped up, due to the unfortunate compliance issue with censorship. However I'd still give this movie a 10/10 simply because it tried and didn't fail. -
Egads, what a movie. I though the first hour and a half was some sort of military comedy-farce, with a dialog that was mostly NCOs yelling commands. It was also the overly long part to endear you to the characters, which of course, it didn't.
The last hour actually had a story and if they focused on it throughout the movie might have been decent. But in the end it was melodramatic nationalism.
Overall it is over written, over acted, over filmed and just way over done. Everyone was stereotyped, more stereotyped than a mid-20th Century Dr. Seuss book. And for some reason, it a lot of the movie was filmed with an eerie green lighting that you see in horror movie. I kept waiting for the Zombie Japanese soldiers to rise up and charge the warehouse.
The final charge across the bridge scene is an example of the film's over-the-top-ness. The brave but hapless Chinese soldiers get mowed down by the Japanese but in the real battle only 10 or so Chinese soldiers were wounded on the bridge and their commander didn't die gloriously in the middle of the bridge recovering wounded; he was assassinated by the collaboration government a few years later while still interned by the Brits. The film makes you think the Chinese sacrificed this battalion, but in the entire fight the battalion suffered just 10 KIA and 37 wounded. But hey, #history...