Exoticalot People are voting emotionally.

ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Kinley This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

Geraldine The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Samhh I remember walking into the theatre without much expectations. I just happened to be vacationing in China and without anything to do on a searing summer day, I went to check out the film that everyone seemed to be hyped up about.I walked out awestruck. The Silent War is a clever film twisted with mystery, suspense and that secret hope of romance everyone gets between the hero/heroine. The beginning of the film was frankly, intriguing. Xun Zhou and Tony Cheung, two great actors, had perfected chemistry and through the progression of the film, you'll fall in love with them.The end of the movie will leave you reeling. You won't know what's going to happening, unlike some mystery films, until the very last second and even then you'll be able to convince yourself otherwise because everything was going so perfectly.In all honesty, its a beautiful and bittersweet film. Never have been much of Asian movies fan, but this is DEFINITELY recommended.

Mandy Chan It's a complex feeling after watching this movie. Even more when complicated when such a heavy and serious movie incorporated with Tony's witty and semi-funny acts. I really want to like this movie a lot, but really... putting the "tokyo raiders" charisma to this show proves it doesn't work. What's more is when the story is pretty predictable to some point it doesn't make sense. But nevertheless, the setting for the movie is nicely captured... and comes with accompanying music, and of course credit given to those who did a perfect job developing tony's character. Conclusion, worth watching on a boring weekend or when you have nothing to watch.

caseymoviemania Previously known as WINDSEEKER, Alan Mak and Felix Chong's THE SILENT WAR fizzled at the Hong Kong box office upon release but somehow gained huge success in Mainland China. Reviews were also terribly mixed. But somehow I'm surprised to find out that THE SILENT WAR isn't as bad as I thought. Yes, it feels somewhat hollow for most parts but overall, it's an engaging dramatic thriller benefited from a solid cast and competent directions from Alan Mak and Felix Chong.Set during the Chinese Civil War circa 1949, the movie centers on Zhang Xuening (Zhou Xun), a senior investigator who joins 701, a top-secret government agency tasked to stop "invisible enemy". Upon her arrival at the 701 headquarters in southern China, she is instructed by her superior, known as Devil (Wang Xuebing), to bring back the famous piano tuner, Luo San-Er (Pal Sin) from Shanghai, because he has an unique hearing ability that could help 701's radio-monitoring division to locate the frequencies now being used by KMT (Taiwan-based Kuomintang) agents for top-secret military information. However, she ends up rescuing Luo's blind assistant, He Bing (Tony Leung Chiu-Wai) instead who has a better sense of hearing, and brings him back instead. Within a couple of days, He Bing has successfully discovers over 70 encrypted radio channels, which provide intelligence that KMT agents are gathering in China's major cities, including Shanghai.Meanwhile, He Bing finds himself falling for Xuening but gradually attached to a decipher clerk Shen Jing (Mavis Fan) instead. Soon, problem arises when 701 agent Wu Chang (Dong Yuan) is killed in Shanghai while tailing a KMT agent Zhang Guoxiang (Lam Wai). Devil suspects there are some remaining radio channels yet to be discovered that are being used by the KMT for advanced and sophisticated codes. Again, He Bing manages to track those channels down, and discovers it involves with a mysterious head of the whole KMT spying operation codenamed as "Chungking".It's understandable why the movie is unpopular for those who have seen it. The movie is mostly muted in tones, particularly in the second act that concentrates more on a love triangle between He Bing, Xuening and Shen Jing. While the romantic part has its worthwhile moments, most of them tends to drag the story a lot. Not surprisingly, the pace is erratic with Alan Mak and Felix Chong are yet to practice their sense of restraints whenever they tries to explore in a broader canvas within the genre convention. It's also a shame that the directors choose to ignore political aspect as well as the overall complexity of Mai Jia's original novel (in which the movie was adapted) and favors for something more commercial and simpler.But, as mentioned earlier, the movie remains engaging enough to watch for. Even though Alan Mak and Felix Chong's executions does burden with a couple of hiccups, the first act and the third act are overall interesting. Furthermore, the movie is mostly saved by a line of solid cast. Tony Leung Chiu-Wai is typically charismatic as always, even though his Mandarin re-dubbing voice, does sounds awkward at time. Zhou Xun fares better and easily the most accomplished role of all. Here, she gives one of her classiest, yet nuanced performances she ever played in her acting career. Her engaging presence alone is certainly well-worthy for awards nomination. The rest of the supporting cast are equally competent.Technically, the movie is adequate enough. While Dion Lam's action choreography is nothing to shout about, at least there are some worthwhile tension moments here. Overall production values are visually credible, particularly for its elegant set decoration that has the authentic feel of the period era.

Jeff Lee AN illiterate blind man who's an assistant to a piano tuner holds the key to cracking an espionage tale. How did this happen?Firstly, the blind man is played by Tony Leung, so, naturally, he possesses supernatural hearing skills. He can't see but he can very well hear everything, and at great distances, too.How does he get thrown into a plot reeking of romance and spying for the Chinese government in 1949?Well, a cute chick spots his talent, and in spite of his abrasiveness, she cajoles him into joining a secret group of code breakers.Naturally, he becomes the pet of the group because of his astounding skill, and he even learns Morse code within five days.The movie demonstrates his skill in a montage that will take your breath away. In it, he guesses the personalities of five rebels seeking to bring down China just by listening to the amount of pressure they use while tapping out Morse codes. The camera movement and editing here are exquisite.The title of the movie refers to Chinese government agents who die in the field, and whose exploits are never known to the world.Watching Leung in this spy flick reminds me of his appearance in another spy flick, Lust, Caution, set during the Japanese occupation of Shanghai during World War II. In Lust, he bares his butt. In Silent War, he bares his finely-manicured hands.Even while playing a blind character, Leung still has a sheen of animal magnetism. He's drawn to his recruiter, and when she rebuffs him, he finds love in the fields with another code breaker.The recruiter does so probably because of the dangerous nature of her work. So the two women take a walk in the fields to settle things, and the recruiter gives way to the other woman. All this is done in a civilized manner, so there's no scene of one woman attacking another in a bar.He marries the code breaker, and their pillow talk is confined to him tapping out codes he heard at work on her palm. So what does he do during lovemaking? The espionage plot is threadbare as our hero is confined to his chair. It's the recruiter who puts her life on the line, and the revelation of the traitor's identity is the only thing surprising.Midway through, Leung's character gets an eye op that will allow him to see. Firstly, I doubt if such technology was available in 1949. Secondly, it brings only more problems for our hero.I, of course, thought about Val Kilmer's blind masseur character in At First Sight (1999). Kilmer also gets an eye op and from that moment onwards, he can only see problems.Leung's character also feels the same way; he gouges out his eyes later.The director's maintains a mainly bluish-green patina in most scenes with a film-noirish mood. You can always make out the Rembrandt shadow on the guys. The production and photography are excellent. Too bad about the plot, which is hard to turn a blind eye to.