Want more recommendations for your family?
Sign up for our weekly newsletter for entertainment inspiration
Shanghai
By Jeffrey Anderson,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Good-looking, ambitious, but muddled '40s-set thriller.
A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this movie.
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Shanghai
Community Reviews
There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.
What's the Story?
In 1941, Shanghai is the last city in China that's not entirely controlled by the Japanese. American Naval Intelligence officer Paul Soames (John Cusack) arrives there to meet his friend and colleague Conner (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). When Soames learns that Conner has been killed, Soames poses as a newspaperman to find the person responsible. He becomes friendly with a Triad leader, Anthony Lan-Ting (Chow Yun-fat), and his wife, Anna (Gong Li), as well as the Japanese Captain Tanaka (Ken Watanabe). He discovers that Anna may be a spy and that Captain Tanaka's mistress, Sumiko (Rinko Kikuchi), was secretly seeing Conner. If Soames can find Sumiko before it's too late, he may have the key to the whole puzzle.
Is It Any Good?
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. That said, the cast is a great collection of international personalities, all of whom seem to fit right into the period clothing and setting, and they all move and speak with the appropriate rhythms. And for a long time, it's easy to follow them, even as the plot becomes more complex.
Amini's screenplay is certainly ambitious, but as it reaches its climax, it takes too many short cuts and can't keep up its high level of storytelling. Director Mikael Hafstrom -- whose previous movie with Cusack, the ghost story 1408, was so vividly atmospheric and effective -- seems rather confused here. The movie frequently betrays too many nervous cuts, as if to cover up Hafstrom's increasing discombobulation as to what's actually going on. But Shanghai may have been doomed anyway; it sat on the shelf for five years before finally being released in the United States.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Shanghai's violence. How did it affect you? Did it thrill you or make you feel uneasy? Did it evoke a particular time and place? What's the impact of media violence on kids?
There's no nudity in the movie, but characters seem to be sexually involved with people outside their marriages. Does this change the way you see them?
What did you learn about the time and place that the movie is set in? How could you find out more?
How much smoking and drinking are in the film? Do they help evoke the period? Are they glamorized?
Movie Details
- In theaters: October 2, 2015
- On DVD or streaming: January 5, 2016
- Cast: John Cusack , Gong Li , Chow Yun-Fat
- Director: Mikael Hafstrom
- Inclusion Information: Asian actors
- Studio: Radius TWC
- Genre: Thriller
- Run time: 105 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: strong violence, some drug use and brief language
- Last updated: January 2, 2023
Inclusion information powered by
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
Where to Watch
Our Editors Recommend
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate