The Children of the Silk Road

Rating:

* * *

Verdict:

A fascinating story of beautiful landscapes which doesn't quite work dramatically

Based on the life of Oxford graduate-turned-Chinese war hero George Hogg, this was an ambitious project which was years in development. It would be fair to say that had the end product been as epic as the production, then this would have been quite a film.

However, while it impresses with its sweeping landscapes, unfortunately the story and some of the talent fail to elevate it to great heights.

Out of his Tudors Henry VIII garb, Jonathan Rhys Meyers plays journalist Hogg, who arrives in Shanghai in 1938, just as the Japanese take control. Keen to get to the heart of the conflict, he poses as an aid worker to get into the occupied territory of Nanjing, where he's a witness to a massacre of local Chinese.

After been saved from execution by Chinese partisans led by "Jack" Chen (Chow Yun Fat), Hogg finds himself recuperating in a rat-infested orphanage where 60 children are being looked after by American nurse Lee Pearson (Radha Mitchell). Her efforts convince Hogg he should stay and look after the kids rather than race back to the frontline as a reporter.

With the Japanese approaching, and the Chinese Nationals recruiting children to fight, Hogg takes the orphans on a 1126-km march across high mountain ranges in the winter of 1944-1945.

But Rhys Meyers's portrayal of the hero is the main problem in this film. While he captures the sensitive and vulnerable side of Hogg's character, this works against him when it comes to having a big impact on screen -  he's just too soft. In comparison, Chinese stars Chow Yun Fat and Michelle Yeoh fill the screen with the dignity and stature a story of this scale needs.

When you consider the story, the landscape, the atrocities of war and the feat that Hogg accomplished, this film should have been an epic adventure. Instead, we're left with a film that is at times unconvincing and lacking in tension, making it dramatically flat.

Francesca Rudkin

Cast:

Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Radha Mitchell, Chow Yun Fat, Michelle Yeoh

Director:

Roger Spottiswoode

Running time:

125 mins

Rating:

M (violence)

Screening:

Rialto and Berkeley Cinemas