The Wasted Times (2016) User Reviews

Cinema Omnivore - The Wasted Times (2016) 7.8/10

[lasttimeisaw · 8/10 · 22 February 2023]

"Lu appears to be a merciless mastermind in the opening gambit, substantiated by a chopped hand and a summary execution of a dishonest Union organizer from north (for those who are cognizant of Chinese history of that time, a big chunk of the personages can be traced back to real-life figures, such as Lu is based on Du Yuesheng, a well-known mob boss and key supporter of Kuomintang, and by implication the unlucky northern guy can be linked to Wang Shouhua, a Communist cadre who was murdered by Du in 1927). Never abandons his urbanity, he seems to have everything under control, when facing the proposal from Japanese party for collaboration, his firm declination is final despite its polite elocution."

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Directors and titles spoil good stories

[yoggwork · 6/10 · 18 February 2019]

Directors and titles spoil good stories. Good stories are torn apart. Every story changes when it is clear. On the contrary, many irrelevant details are left behind, such as the first two jokes before the shooting, and what is the relationship between the theme of the story? Poor audiences who go to the cinema to give their heads off

Chinese and Japanese characters in WWII Shanghai

[magnoliacream · 6/10 · 3 March 2022]

A violent war movie I would not have watched if not for Wallace Chung. He appeared for maybe 10 seconds in the movie, yet by then, I had already gotten intrigued by the unusual story and characters, I could not stop watching.

It's an interesting look at Chinese and Japanese relations in Japanese-occupied Shanghai in WWII.

Masterpiece

[wesc-5-62313 · 9/10 · 19 April 2017]

There is not a shot out of place, not a word uttered or note of music that is not just right in this film. I admit I had to watch it twice to get all the nuances. You must listen for when they are speaking Shanghainese or Japanese and you must understand a bit about what was happening in china and shanghai in 1937. There are family ties, triad ties, Japanese secret society ties and love ties. There is betrayal of all these ties. Jumping back and forth in time makes the plot unravel slowly and like a game of mah-jong the final betrayal is revealed when all the tiles are exposed at the end. This is a great movie. It does not have any kung-fu or wire-work or epic slow motion gunfights and white doves - but it is a truly original masterpiece. I recommend it to anyone who wants to see a thoughtful movie and be challenged by what a great piece of cinema is.

A Film about Tolerance and Repentance, Though Disliked by A Few Japanese People

[lichtblickzzzz · 9/10 · 12 June 2017]

In response to a Japanese user's one star, I think 9 stars is fair.

The spying before WWII from Japan in China was prevalent and nasty. The robbery was under the name "East Asia Coproerisity." The fighting against those invaders had never stopped. (as recorded in history and in the film, the old Shanghai gang people also contributed much in underground acticivities)

I have been consistently shocked by how more and more Japanese people tend to beautify their WWII history since the last decade. If even this film could even hurt their feeling, this film should not be blamed.

This is a film about tolerance and repentance. It is a life story of the hero, it is also a portrait of the culture, or an attitude in the family, friendship and business.

Though I am not a fan of Shanghai culture, I really like the acting. The description of the old Shanghai fashion is really good. Much of the Shanghai culture has been lost since 1949 but some still left. As you can see in the movie, it was very exquisite but life-oriented.

Great Chinese Gangster Flick

[activereasoner · 10/10 · 4 January 2021]

This is one of the best gangster movies I've ever seen. It's streaming on Amazon and I've watched it twice, and I'll watch it again. I'll buy it. Complex, beautiful, horrific, and unforgettable. Everything about The Wasted Times is great. This film deserves far more interest and a much higher rating.

Awful

[dml-73774 · 1/10 · 14 March 2017]

An awful movie that made me feel embarrassed and sorry for the "wasted time" as the title. I shouldn't watch this.

I don't understand what the plots are trying to say, too many characters and too many fragmentary scenes which make people confused. I didn't read the book but I guess the story might be a good one, however, nothing was shown in the movie.

I seldom give 1-star evaluations to a movie but I really can't take it this time. Everyone was watching this, an awful movie.

Bad adaptation of better movies/scenes

[espressorobot · 4/10 · 8 July 2022]

I screamed when they ripped of the staircase scene from Brian De Palma's 'The Untouchables' badly!!!

The rest of the movie is as awful as the killing/rape scene with Zhang Ziyi.

It's okay.

[edwardtsai-77971 · 5/10 · 23 July 2021]

The scenes were a bit jumbled in the first half of the film which could be confusing. It's almost like too many different plots going on and then doesn't continue until later on. There were some unnecessary introduction of minor characters that were kind of pointless. However you could understand what the director was trying to portray such as the theme of betrayal all throughout the film.