The Message - 2009 - Director: Chen Kuo-Fu, Gao Qunshu

Mainland Chinese cinema gets treated like some sort of unwanted step child in the West. Perhaps due to their history of the films not always being up to par to their Hong Kong counterparts or perhaps because of the issue of censorship, most reviews start with an introduction which usually comments on the look of the film in a negative way.

However it has been my observation that the films that are being produced in Mainland china have been coming forward in leaps and bounds. And although some may have structural problems (it seems a coherent narrative can sometimes get sacrificed in favour of a jingoistic message or an implausible twist) , they have now reached a standard which can easily compete with the output from elsewhere on the Asian continent. If anything the most disappointing stuff seems to be flowing from Japan at the moment where although blessed with amazing scripts, there seems to be a trend of shooting on dv most of the time which detracts from the quality of the visuals.

Back to our main subject and to the film that will change a lot of opinions: 'The Message' (or 'Feng Sheng' as its' known) is a beautiful period piece that cleverly never tries to overplay its' hand or outstay its' welcome.
Set in 1942, Nanjing (Nanking) following a series of assassination attempts on officials of the Japanese-controlled puppet government, the Japanese spy chief gathers a group of suspects in a mansion house for questioning. All of the suspects in question work for the counter-insurgency unit of the Japanese army and through the use of a false message , the Japanese spy chief Colonel Takeda has whittled down his suspect number to six members of the unit.

The suspects are fully aware of the fate that might await them - from the word go, we are privy to the information that in order to make someone talk the Japanese are willing to go to any length - including some of the more ingenious and extremely brutal methods of torture. In fact for a film which is essentially an old-fashioned who-dunnit set within a castle, 'The Message' has moments of discomfort that might be a tad too much for some of the viewers.

As the Colonel in charge starts to play each suspects against another and listening into their conversations via the use of bugs, the mole desperately tries to get out a message that will save his/her comrades from certain death.

The first thing anyone will notice about 'The Message' is how lush it looks. The setting, the attention to period details and the camerawork are all elegant and impressive , similar to 'Lust,Caution' in places. But whilst that was an exploration of lust and power, 'The Message' remains true to its' core at all times and does not complicate its' aim: to entertain through a tense thriller. (Only perhaps the nationalistic coda at the grates a little but it remains completely forgivable due to the 110 minutes that goes before it) Considering that one of the directors was an executive producer on the superb 'Assembly' from 2007 though, neither how spectacular the film looks nor the nationalism at the end really comes as a surprise to this viewer.

The film unfortunately does suffer from one too many quick cuts, sweeping shots and a number of flashy filming and editing techniques. At the same time, it also has some very inventive ideas one of which is using the mole's thoughts/messages as chapter headings to keep the audience involved at all times.

'The Message' is a lengthy film but that never matters due to how well made it is. An outstanding cast complements the script well and you can easily tell that the rather large budget was spent in creating a feel for the period (as well as some spectacularly gruesome effects) rather than wasting on CGI effects as some period dramas (Goemon , I'm looking at you) seems to have done.

For anyone who enjoys a good mystery or wants a variation on a theme we are very much used to in the west, I recommend 'The Message' heartily - a perfect Sunday evening movie that will both excite and amuse.

'The Message' has no UK release date at the moment.