Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

The Flowers of War

Play trailer Poster for The Flowers of War R Released Jan 20, 2012 2h 21m History Drama War Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
41% Tomatometer 58 Reviews 74% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
An American (Christian Bale) tries to protect a group of Chinese students and prostitutes from Japanese soldiers in 1937 Nanjing.
Watch on Fandango at Home Buy Now

Where to Watch

The Flowers of War

The Flowers of War

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Zhang Yimou's stylistic flair is in full bloom during The Flowers of War, but his colorful treatment of a historical genocide ultimately does a disservice to the horrifying events' inherent drama.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View All (58) Critics Reviews
Tara Brady Irish Times It can look tremendous, even if Zhao Xiaoding's hyper-stylised '90-retro cinematography sits uneasily beside relentless bloodshed and sexual violations. Rated: 3/5 Aug 3, 2012 Full Review Peter Bradshaw Guardian Bale is forthright and emotional in the role, and with a hint of boyish vulnerability, even reminds us of his 13-year-old self in Spielberg's Empire of the Sun. Rated: 3/5 Aug 2, 2012 Full Review Nigel Andrews Financial Times Maudlin make-believe in which a molecule of fact has been dropped like vermouth into a martini ... Rated: 2/5 Aug 2, 2012 Full Review Keith Garlington Keith & the Movies Director Zhang Yimou’s respectful but straightforward approach to the story gives it quite a powerful punch even though it employs a few conventions that we’ve seen in several other films. Rated: 4/5 Aug 20, 2022 Full Review Mattie Lucas From the Front Row As a melodrama it's passable, solidly crafted entertainment, but one can't escape the nagging feeling that perhaps such ghastly atrocities shouldn't go down this easy. Rated: 2/4 Aug 6, 2019 Full Review Sean Burns Philadelphia Weekly A florid, melodramatic tear-jerker of questionable taste but undeniable emotional impact. May 3, 2015 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (607) audience reviews
Jojo K first 30 min of the movie (chinese troops vs japanese) are not necessary, too many redundant scenes throughout the move and the director failed to make a point Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 01/08/25 Full Review Jelisije J A depressing yet engaging film based loosely on the real life historic tragic event when Japan invaded China in World War 2. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/01/25 Full Review Faiz D Stunning visual effects, amazing actions, and good performances makes it a decent watch. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 08/29/24 Full Review Gregory M This movie was extremely powerful. It is very difficult to understand how anyone could experience watching it and not be deeply affected by it. The absolute brutality and ultimate absurdity of war were both depicted in a way that showed just how one's humanity is amplified and magnified under under the conditions of duress that must be endured during armed conflict. I thought the movie was brilliantly acted and directed. During the course of the film I felt the full spectrum of emotions and I was moved to tears on more than one occasion. Although The Flowers of War was over two hours in length I was completely engaged the entire time. I highly recommend this movie 🎬. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/13/24 Full Review David C What do I think of the movie - I'm visiting Rotten Tomatoes to see if it is worth watching, so what do I know? Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 09/06/23 Full Review Jared S Believe the audience, not the professional reviewers. It is a beautiful movie, sort of a dark comedy. Christian Bale's charming as an anti-hero. I saw this movie 10 years ago and I'm watching it again and I absolutely love it. I think it is common sense to take the average viewers' word over that of someone who is looking for errors. We are not looking for political correctness. We are not looking for chinks in the story's armor. It is heartbreaking and heartwarming. I've seen thousands of movies so it means a lot to say this isn't the top 10 to 20% of movies I've ever ever seen. Absolutely a work of art. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 05/23/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Flowers of War

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

Show Less Cast & Crew Show More Cast & Crew

More Like This

View All Best Movies to Stream at Home
Stalingrad 51% 42% Stalingrad Watchlist TRAILER for Stalingrad Come What May 41% 54% Come What May Watchlist TRAILER for Come What May My Way 21% 76% My Way Watchlist Miracle at St. Anna 33% 51% Miracle at St. Anna Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More
View All The Flowers of War photos

The Flowers of War

View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis An American (Christian Bale) tries to protect a group of Chinese students and prostitutes from Japanese soldiers in 1937 Nanjing.
Director
Yimou Zhang
Screenwriter
Heng Liu
Distributor
Wrekin Hill Ent.
Production Co
Edko Films, Beijing New Picture Film Co.
Rating
R (Brief Strong Language|A Sexual Assault|Disturbing Images|Strong Violence)
Genre
History, Drama, War
Original Language
Chinese
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 20, 2012, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 8, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$308.2K
Runtime
2h 21m
Most Popular at Home Now