The Flowers of War
Row 1 Entertainment | Release Date: December 21, 2011 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
46
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 22 Critic Reviews
Positive:
7
Mixed:
13
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
Total FilmPaul BradshawJul 28, 2012
Less about the thousands who died in the Nanking massacre than about how stunning it all looked, Zhang Yimou's epic puts Bale in the midst of a lavish nightmare. Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubTasha RobinsonJan 18, 2012
Many of Flowers' individual performances and scenes are striking and masterful, but taken as a whole, it's less a film than a rallying cry of "Our people feel more deeply than yours." Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam LaceyFeb 23, 2012
While Bale speaks in an anachronistically modern American vernacular, the Chinese cast recite grammatically perfect, phonetic English so stilted you find yourself wishing the film would stick to subtitles. This is not so much a question of a story being lost in translation as a movie that never finds the right story to tell. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneSheri LindenJan 19, 2012
When it comes to storytelling, Zhang Yimou's 19th feature is decidedly backward-looking: A lavish period weepie set against the atrocities of the Nanking Massacre, "Flowers" abounds with well-worn movie archetypes and slathers on schmaltz. Read full review
50
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertJan 18, 2012
Now let me ask you: Can you think of any reason the character John Miller is needed to tell his story? Was any consideration given to the possibility of a Chinese priest? Would that be asking for too much? Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleWalter AddiegoDec 22, 2011
Affecting at times, but finally feels overblown and heavy-handed. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineAndrew SchenkerDec 19, 2011
This film has too many weak, unconnected strands (what's the subplot about the narrator's father doing here anyway?), too much overtly expositional dialogue, and too unfocused a narrative to really cohere. And then there's that whole matter of expendable whores. Read full review
40
Arizona RepublicRichard NilsenMar 29, 2012
The film is cinematically brilliant but morally obtuse. Read full review
40
Los Angeles TimesSheri LindenDec 26, 2011
Flowers abounds with well-worn movie archetypes and slathers on schmaltz. Read full review
40
New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanDec 22, 2011
The biggest problem, however, is the way Zhang romanticizes the unimaginably awful, turning gold-hearted prostitutes and virginal orphans into cinematic martyrs. Though his talents are vast, there may be too much truth in this particular story to suit his extravagant tastes. Read full review
40
The New York TimesMike HaleDec 20, 2011
Mr. Bale, turning in a respectable if oddly chipper performance under the circumstances, has the unfortunate task of playing a character who doesn't really add up. Read full review
40
Time OutDavid FearDec 20, 2011
Zhang's mixture of unsparing violence, mawkish sentimentality and garish flourishes creates one uncomfortable aesthetic. Read full review
40
Village VoiceTim GriersonDec 20, 2011
With The Flowers of War, Zhang mostly just proves that there's no tragedy too terrible that it can't be turned into an operatic pageant - human suffering reduced to visual showmanship. Read full review
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