中文
By Teng Jimeng
Directed by Shen Ao and written by Shen Ao, Zhang Ke and Xu Luyang, the film – "Dead To Rights" – stands as a landmark achievement in Chinese cinema. Set against the grim backdrop of the 1937 Nanjing Massacre and based on documented events, the film follows A Chang, a humble postman who assumes the identity of a photo developer to survive the Japanese occupation. Working within a Japanese-controlled studio, A Chang engages in a quiet but unyielding act of resistance by hiding Chinese civilians and soldiers for protection, capturing the trauma of war on film and ultimately preserving truth in a time of darkness.
Much like Schindler's List and Hacksaw Ridge, "Dead To Rights" does not merely recreate history; it imbues it with emotional and moral gravitas. With powerful cinematography and meticulous period detail, the film is both a visual elegy and a spiritual reckoning. At its core lies a profound message: Even amidst unimaginable cruelty, individual acts of conscience and courage can illuminate the darkest chapters of humanity. It is a film of quiet heroism, where survival is not merely physical but moral, and resistance is rendered through memory, image and the human heart.
"Dead To Rights" resists sensationalism. It does not portray violence for shock value, nor does it reduce its historical backdrop to melodrama. The camera does not seek to exploit suffering but to dignify those who endured it. The screenplay, too, is marked by discipline and integrity. There are no easy triumphs here, no simplified heroes – only the painful weight of conscience and the courage to act in the face of annihilation. The film is not simply a historical retelling; it is a cinematic act of remembrance, a refusal to let atrocity fade into abstraction. In this way, it speaks directly to the collective need to confront denialism and uphold historical truth.
The role of photography in the film is especially poignant. As he processes photographic evidence of atrocities, A Chang becomes the accidental custodian of historical truth. Through his lens, we see not only the horrors of war but also the resilience of spirit. In an era when image manipulation and revisionism threaten to obscure the past, "Dead To Rights" elevates the photograph into a sacred artifact – a document that resists erasure.
"Photographs may fade, but history shall never be erased." This powerful line from the film resonates with particular urgency today, especially as China prepares to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War with a military parade in Beijing on September 3. At this pivotal moment, "Dead To Rights" is more than a cinematic triumph; it is a cultural milestone and a moral imperative. It demands to be seen, not only for its artistic brilliance but also for its contribution to preserving historical memory.
The film's domestic reception speaks volumes: Distributed by China Film Group, "Dead To Rights" topped the box office for a second consecutive weekend, grossing 609.3 million yuan ($84.6 million) and bringing its cumulative total to over 1.51 billion yuan, making it the No. 1 film globally over the weekend, according to data from measurement firm Comscore. Its success reflects a deep cultural resonance, a shared need to confront, process and preserve the past.
At a time when global historical memory faces erosion, distortion, or outright denial, this film emerges as a cinematic bulwark against forgetting. It powerfully stresses that remembering history is not about perpetuating animosity; it is about ensuring that the truth is not lost to time and that the future does not echo the violence of the past. As the world grapples with the erosion of postwar norms and the resurgence of revisionist narratives, "Dead To Rights" reminds us that preserving historical truth is both a moral obligation and a political necessity.
As the main Eastern battlefield during World War II (WWII), China endured the longest resistance and the gravest suffering, making an irreplaceable contribution to the final victory in the global fight against fascism. To remember this past is to safeguard justice in the present. Today's international order is inextricably linked to the outcomes of WWII, and the global community must firmly defend the hard-won legacy of that struggle. Any attempts to distort wartime history or to sanitize fascist or militarist ideologies must be unequivocally rejected. Only then can history serve as a force for peace, rather than a source of division.
Let it be said clearly: While rejecting hatred, we must never allow the erasure or manipulation of historical truth. As a nation that suffered profoundly from foreign aggression, China holds this solemn commitment. Remembrance is not a call for vengeance, but an enduring vow to never forget, to honor the lives lost and to strengthen a collective resolve against the recurrence of atrocity. "Dead To Rights" is both a cinematic triumph and a historical act of witness. It is a film that dares to remember so that the world may never forget.
Teng Jimeng, a special commentator for CGTN, is a film critic.
