The Message

Feng Sheng

(China, 2009, 115 mins, 35mm)

US Premiere

Exec. Producers: Feng Xiaogang, Wang Zhonglei
Producers: Wang Zhonglun, Wang Zhonglei, Chen
Writer: Chen
Cinematographer: Jake Pollock
Editor: Xiao Yang
Sound: Wang Danrong
Music: Michiru Oshima
Cast: Zhou Xun, Li Bingbing, Zhang Hanyu, Huang Xiaoming

Taiwanese director Chen Kuo-fu and Mainland Chinese director Gao Qunshu team up with some of the biggest names in Chinese cinema to deliver this suspenseful, entertaining period thriller. Loosely based on a 2007 novel about WWII-era Chinese code-breakers, THE MESSAGE is a lavish drama that will have you at the edge of your seats. In 1942, the Chinese government of Nanjing, a puppet regime supported by the occupying Japanese Imperial Army, is facing increasing violent attacks from the resistance. Colonel Takeda, chief intelligence officer of the Japanese Army, suspects that “the Phantom” (a mole who has been leaking secrets to the Resistance) is working within his own department. Takeda sets up a trap by sending out false intelligence and rounding up the five suspects who had contact with the message: the tough military office section chief Wu (Zhang Hanyu); the seemingly clueless section chief Jin (Ying Da); the quiet, deep-thinking decoding head Li (Li Bingbing); the administrative officer (and spoilt party-girl) Gu (Zhou Xun), and a gossipy assistant (Alec Su). Faced with torture and interrogation, the five prisoners soon realize they can trust no one, including one another. With stunning performances from its leads, especially Li Bingbing (THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM, who won Best Actress at Taiwan’s Golden Horse Awards for her role here) and Zhou Xun (THE EQUATION OF LOVE AND DEATH; SUZHOU RIVER, who was nominated for the same award), THE MESSAGE is a fast-paced mystery that will have you guessing until the end.

-- Vicci Ho

Presented by

  Print this Page