I went into the movie thinking it's the Chinese Oppenheimer. It is that, but it's also influenced by Cloud Atlas, Inception and A Beautiful Mind.
The film is visually beautiful. The dream sequences were the most visually interesting and reminded me of the epic scenes in Cloud Atlas.
The acting was well done. This is a Chinese film, a Chinese story, a love letter to China. The theme of love runs throughout, juxtaposed against the backdrop of war. Love of family, love of a mentor/student, romantic love, and all culminating in a love of country.
The reason I felt A Beautiful Mind and Inception were more influential is the main character's struggle to know what is real and what is the dream world.
What could have been better:
Pacing. Some parts were slower, followed by a fast paced scene. Seemed like a piece of classical music with adagio movements leading up to crescendo parts. While it works in music, for me, it doesn't work as well in film.
I would have liked more references to when things were taking place. There are a few, but at a point they stop and maybe it's to make the audience feel as lost as the main character, but it didn't help the story.
Also, more cross language scenes. The film is predominantly in Chinese with English/Chinese subtitles, but when John Cusack is on screen he predominantly speaks English.
John Cusack's character at the beginning is a Polish math professor in China teaching to all Chinese students and there wasn't even an interpreter.
Logically, I was looking for some demonstration that the students knew English or the presence of an interpreter.
I could say more but I don't want to give out spoilers.
Overall, a good solid movie.
