(movie) The Silent War

photo taken from Wikipedia

Movies on espionage usually interest me, but to some level I expect them to be complicated, full of tension, and often gory details. The Silent War excels in its beautiful cinematography, wonderful casting, and a quiet beauty that hides the intricate details in such a manner that leaves us feeling sad long after the movie ends.

The movie is about a secret agent during the 1950's, a woman named Xue Ning (Zhou Xun), who was told to fetch a piano tuner with exceptional hearing to aid their cause in finding radio frequencies that were messed up by the enemy. She encountered the tuner's assistant Bing (Tony Leung), and brought him to their basecamp. He proved to be a great aid, and with his help they located over 100 channels to intercept the enemy's message.

It's interesting, but not exciting. I felt like it was more of a drama instead of a taut thriller film, but didn't mind it one bit. Zhou Xun is amazing as always, and I found her self assurance fun to watch because it fit her role so well. The ending is beautiful, and we can see how the actors convey so much message with one look and we understand why they do what they do. It just breaks my heart, one scene after another, especially when Bing realizes what he has caused and how he cannot take it back.

This movie's not for an audience looking for a fun exhilirating spy movie, but it's definitely worth the watch. 4/5 stars.