Shanghai

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2:31

Shanghai

R

Released Oct 2, 2015

1h 45m

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

4%

Tomatometer

23 Reviews

37%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

In the months before the attack on Pearl Harbor, an American intelligence official investigates a friend's death in 1941 China.

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Critics Consensus

Shanghai is crippled by a weak story and fatally undermined by clunky direction, making for a period political drama that lacks all of its key components.

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Katie Walsh

Tribune News Service

Cusack is halfway between Humphrey Bogart and Jimmy Stewart, and the result doesn't come together.

Rated: 2/4

Oct 7, 2015

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Nick Allen

RogerEbert.com

Even if an uncredited editor were hired to make clear sense of these pieces, the film wouldn't work.

Rated: 2/4

Oct 2, 2015

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Glenn Kenny

New York Times

You might be forgiven for expecting either an unfairly squelched masterpiece or an unholy mess. The movie is neither, although it falls closer to the mess side of the table.

Oct 1, 2015

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Courtney Howard

Fresh Fiction

Perhaps the greatest mystery this film never solves isn't why Shanghai fell, but rather how such a magnificent cast was ever swayed to climb aboard.

Rated: 2.5/5

Nov 5, 2017

Full Review

Todd Jorgenson

Cinemalogue

The true-life historical background is more compelling than the fictional melodrama.

Oct 9, 2015

Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson

Common Sense Media

Written by the talented Hossein Amini and clearly inspired by spy and detective movies of the 1940s, this seems to have been a labor of love. But SHANGHAI is so convoluted that it eventually becomes lost.

Rated: 2/5

Oct 9, 2015

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Anna H

This is a great movie! I had to watch it several times to figure out the plot, etc., but now it's one of my favorite movies.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/29/24

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Susan M

I actually liked this movie. But here's the thing, watch it with English subtitles. Don't watch it in English. When you have multiple main characters whose first language isn't English, the scenes seem weak. Poor John Cusack was the only native English speaker!

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/01/23

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Jelisije J

A 2010 film that feels like a 90's film and I appreciate this movie even more.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/02/23

Full Review

Lucas G

It is in my top 3 favorite movies of all time! Lots of humor, plenty of action and great dialogue! Definitely rewatching again!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/29/22

Full Review

isla s

This is a quite atmospheric, intriguing period drama thriller film, with some nice settings and costumes. I thought John Cusack did quite well as the 'gumshoe on the scene', as it were - he provides narration/voice-over at times, which I thought was quite good as it sounded very much like someone deep in thought, so there is certainly an element of authenticity present, from what I could tell. The colours appear somewhat muted at times. I liked the incidental music in the background, it added to the tension felt in key scenes. It's also fairly engrossing, I thought. As a foreign set period drama, this is a good film - one I'd recommend.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

It's good movie to watch

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/18/23

Full Review

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Mikael Håfström

Director

John Cusack

Paul Soames

Gong Li

Anna Lan-Ting

Chow Yun-Fat

Anthony Lan-Ting

David Morse

Richard Astor

Ken Watanabe

Tanaka

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Shanghai: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

In the months before the attack on Pearl Harbor, an American intelligence official investigates a friend's death in 1941 China.

Director: Mikael Håfström
Producer: Donna Gigliotti, Mike Medavoy, Barry Mendel, Jake Myers
Screenwriter: Hossein Amini
Distributor: Weinstein Co.
Production Co: E1 Entertainment, Living Films, Weinstein Company, Phoenix Pictures
Rating: R (Strong Violence|Some Drug Use|Brief Language)
Genre: Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 2, 2015, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 5, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $44.7K
Runtime: 1h 45m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

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