Shanghai in World War II was a viper’s nest of competing interests. Occupying Japanese forces had to deal with Chinese fighters who were themselves splitting under two leaders, Communist and Nationalist. French and British nationals along with Shanghai natives were restricted to an international concession where rights were stripped away daily. With allegiances shifting daily, no one could be trusted.
Complicated and obscure, Hidden Blade conveys the suspense and danger of the time through a handful of key figures. Foremost is He (Tony Leung Chiu-wai), a “director” collaborating with the Japanese after surviving a brutal onslaught on Guangzhou. His two underlings — Ye (Wang YiBo) and Wang (Eric Wang) — carry out his dirty work.
The three answer to Watanabe (Hiroyuki Mori), a swaggering, heavy-drinking Japanese officer who thinks he knows the war better than he does. Sitting in on their meetings is Tang (Chengpeng Dong), who believes, perhaps foolishly, that he can negotiate with the Japanese.
Director Chang Er, whose last film was the excellent The Wasted Times, sends these characters on a convoluted journey of betrayals, double-crosses, and twists that mirror the progress of the war at large. Instead of following a straight chronology, he stages and restages scenes, breaking the narrative in order to flesh out the characters, adding new colors to their behavior.
Take the opening scene, in which He interrogates Liang (Huang Lei), a Communist functionary. He is all smiles and efficiency, much like Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds, teasing and manipulating Liang into a mortal mistake. When the scene reappears much later, viewers have found out enough about He to be able to more accurately question his motives.
Never miss any opportunity to see Leung Chiu-wai perform. He is in command here, often better, more nuanced, more subtle, than the material deserves. It’s another in a long line of his deeply worked out roles. The big acting surprise in Hidden Blade Wang YiBo, a singer, dancer, and former member of the boyband Uniq. This is his first major movie role, and he’s a soulful knockout, able to convey the sorrow and loss of an agent unable to explain his actions.
Hidden Blade is needlessly complex, especially for those unfamiliar with Shanghai politics during the war. Chang Er does little to help viewers, alluding to nicknames, neighborhoods, and offscreen events that will be obscure to viewers in the US. A third act shift to action is unfortunate, reducing the movie to a routine spy adventure.
Still, Hidden Blade has a lot to offer viewers. It’s especially gratifying to see a mainland Chinese film that refuses to resort to propaganda.
Opening in selected theaters February 17 from Well Go USA.
