The Flowers of War

When a cynical American in 1937 Nanking (Christian Bale) is mistaken for a dead priest, his latent humanity rouses him to protect the students in a girls’ convent—and a group of prostitutes cowering in the church’s cellar—from the marauding Japanese. In the process, he both sees and exhibits a surprising level of noble sacrifice. Director Zhang Yimou’s movie (written by Heng Liu from Geling Yan’s novel) is (as usual for him) too long and slow, and the plot isn’t always convincing, but it’s beautifully photographed and performances are excellent by the entire cast, most of whom are unknown in this country. Ni Ni (as the leader of the prostitutes), Kefan Cao (as the father of one student who collaborates with the Japanese) and Tianyuan Huang (as the late-priest’s assistant) are particular standouts. J.L.