X
  • 2002
  • Cowboy Pictures
  • 2 h 19 m
  • 2002
  • Cowboy Pictures
  • 2 h 19 m
Devils on the Doorstep

Summary By turns an elaborate wartime drama of China, suffering under Japanese occupation during the 1930s and 40s, and an absurdist comedy of madness, cultural disconnects and historical booby-traps that Samuel Beckett would recognize in an instant. (Film Forum)

Directed By: Wen Jiang

Written By: Haiying Li, Xing Liu, Jianquan Shi, Ping Shu, Fengwei You, Wen Jiang

  • 2002
  • Cowboy Pictures
  • 2 h 19 m
  • 2002
  • Cowboy Pictures
  • 2 h 19 m

Devils on the Doorstep

Metascore Generally Favorable Based on 7 Critic Reviews
70
User Score Generally Favorable Based on 8 User Ratings
6.4
My Score
Hover and click to give a rating Saved

Summary By turns an elaborate wartime drama of China, suffering under Japanese occupation during the 1930s and 40s, and an absurdist comedy of madness, cultural disconnects and historical booby-traps that Samuel Beckett would recognize in an instant. (Film Forum)

Directed By: Wen Jiang

Written By: Haiying Li, Xing Liu, Jianquan Shi, Ping Shu, Fengwei You, Wen Jiang

Top Cast

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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 7 Critic Reviews
70
71% Positive
5 Reviews
29% Mixed
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 7 Critic Reviews
70
71% Positive
5 Reviews
29% Mixed
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
90
Though shorn of 20 minutes for its U.S. debut, the film's wry comic portrait of the Japanese Occupation during WWII hasn't lost any of its incendiary brilliance, both as a political provocation and as a brusquely humane take on the horrors and absurdity of war.
By Scott Tobias FULL REVIEW
80
In its dry and forceful way, it delivers the same message as Jiri Menzel's "Closely Watched Trains" and Danis Tanovic's "No Man's Land." While acknowledging that war is hell, it goes further to suggest it is ludicrous.
By Stephen Holden FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

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User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 8 User Ratings
6.4
63% Positive
5 Ratings
13% Mixed
1 Rating
25% Negative
2 Ratings

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 8 User Ratings
6.4
63% Positive
5 Ratings
13% Mixed
1 Rating
25% Negative
2 Ratings

There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.

80
Jiang draws a great deal of humor from the situation, but the film inevitably explodes in terrible violence.
By Ken Fox FULL REVIEW
75
Jiang's razor-sharp conclusions are less about the Japanese army or the Chinese government than about simple human nature.
By Elizabeth Weitzman FULL REVIEW
75
A wild ride that effortlessly combines devilish dark humor, slapstick comedy, extreme violence and bitter satire.
By V.A. Musetto FULL REVIEW
50
By the final shot, which assumes the viewpoint of a decapitated head, its appalled comedy has swelled, beyond outrage, to a pitch of punch-drunk hysteria.
By Dennis Lim FULL REVIEW
50
Has all the classic faults of a picture not only directed by an actor but by an actor who is his own producer.
By Derek Elley FULL REVIEW
See All 7 Critic Reviews

Details

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Production Company Asian Union Film & Entertainment, Beijing Zhongbo-Times Film Planning, CMC Xiandai Trade Co., China Film Co-Production Corporation, Huayi Brothers Advertising
Release Date Dec 18, 2002
Duration 2 h 19 m
Genres
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Awards

Kinema Junpo Awards
• 2 Wins & 4 Nominations
Cannes Film Festival
• 2 Wins & 3 Nominations
Mainichi Film Concours
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination

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