The Eight Hundred (2020)

One of the best war movies of all times. Yes it is. Also one of the best cinematic experiences of all time.

Fmovies: This is a most curious film to watch from the comfort of a cinema seat - especially as the dramatic action depicted in this wonderfully evocative movie is also being carried out in front of an audience - as near to the battles as we are to the screen - sitting in similar safety and comfort in the foreign concessions just across a canal from the warehouse where a few hundred remnants of the Chinese army are trying to stop the invading Japanese forces from conquering Shanghai in 1937. I cannot swear to the historical accuracy of the narrative - like many films of this nature, the memorial nature of the screenplay can sometime become subsumed into myth and legend, but the performances of the ensemble here are super. The sense of peril faced by the soldiers - old, young, experienced, some willing, some not so, some scared, some less so - is palpable. The pyrotechnics and visual effects are potently effective without eclipsing what is essentially a human story of pride, sacrifice, brutality and dedication. Unfortunately, there is way too much dialogue; the imagery is powerful enough to demonstrate the senses of panic and fear without the need for what, at times, constitutes a sort of running commentary and at times that's detracting from the effectiveness of the presentation but overall this is a superior assessment of a battle in a war of which I knew little that left me wanting to find out more.

After 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!

The Eight Hundred fmovies. In 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.

It's overall a shocking experience watching this movie. A part which sadden me the most is between the bridge was hell and heaven. Most of the part was shoot in call of duty mode which take u inside the war zone. Everything thing done with a reasonable motive,strong character development which slowly move u to tears throughout the movie. Both Party soldiers was fighting bravely for their country. Never a minute of dull moment which keep u awake whole time.

When all the memory come back, the movie is so powerful to show the bravery of Chinese soldier anti-Japs, peace is what we want finally.