1 / 8
MONEY
Did you know
Mid-budget at $50M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
MoodPlayr · trivia#01
Shanghai
"In a world filled with secrets, solving a mystery can be murder."
2010 1h 45m EN
😐
6.1
MID
🥫
4%
ROTTEN
😬
36
METACRITIC
⭐
6.3
IMDB
★6.1TMDB · 202🥫4%Rotten Tomatoes●36Metacritic★6.3IMDB · 10,463
DramaThrillerMystery
Synopsis
Spoiler shield
An American man returns to a corrupt, Japanese-occupied Shanghai four months before Pearl Harbor and discovers his friend has been killed. While he unravels the mysteries of the death, he falls in love and discovers a much larger secret that his own government is hiding.
“In a world filled with secrets, solving a mystery can be murder.”
Cast
John Cusack
Paul Soames
Gong Li
Anna Lan-Ting
Chow Yun-Fat
Anthony Lan-Ting
David Morse
Richard Astor
Ken Watanabe
Tanaka
Franka Potente
Leni Müller
Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Conner
Hugh Bonneville
Ben Sanger
Credits
Behind the camera
- Director
- Mikael Håfström
- Writers
- Hossein Amini
- Languages
- German, Japanese, Mandarin, English
- Countries
- China, United States of America
Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.
Did you know?
Fun facts 🍿
2 / 8
MONEY
Did you know
Earned back only 31% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
MoodPlayr · trivia#02
3 / 8
ERA
Did you know
Released 16 years ago.
MoodPlayr · trivia#03
4 / 8
WORLD
Did you know
Dialogue crosses 4 languages: German, Japanese, Mandarin, English.
MoodPlayr · trivia#04
5 / 8
WORLD
Did you know
International production across 2 countries: China, United States of America.
MoodPlayr · trivia#05
6 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Directed by Mikael Håfström, shot by Benoît Delhomme. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
MoodPlayr · trivia#06
7 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Original score by Klaus Badelt. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
MoodPlayr · trivia#07
8 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Editor Peter Boyle shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
MoodPlayr · trivia#08
Cinephile deep dive
The take
Mikael Håfström directs. Benoît Delhomme behind the camera. Klaus Badelt scores. Peter Boyle cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in China, United States of America. Dialogue in German, Japanese, Mandarin, English.
Trivia
Things worth knowing
- 1Mid-budget at $50M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
- 2Earned back only 31% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
- 3Released 16 years ago.
- 4Dialogue crosses 4 languages: German, Japanese, Mandarin, English.
- 5International production across 2 countries: China, United States of America.
- 6Directed by Mikael Håfström, shot by Benoît Delhomme. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
- 7Original score by Klaus Badelt. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
- 8Editor Peter Boyle shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
- 9John Cusack and Gong Li and Chow Yun-Fat carry the top of the cast.
- 10Marketing tagline: "In a world filled with secrets, solving a mystery can be murder.".
- 11IMDB entry: tt1092634 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
- 12Classified under 12 themes, including "shanghai, china", "world war ii", "film noir", "female spy".
The technical file
- Cinematography
- Benoît Delhomme
- Original score
- Klaus Badelt
- Editing
- Peter Boyle
- Production design
- Jim Clay
- Costume design
- Julie Weiss
- Makeup / hair
- Denise Wynbrandt
- Sound
- Eric Hirsch
- Stunt coordinator
- Paul Jennings
- Runtime
- 105 min · 1h 45m
- Status
- Released
- Budget
- $50,000,000
- Box office
- $15,302,850
- Return
- 31% of budget
- Original language
- EN
- Certification (US)
- R
- IMDB
- Shanghai (2010)
- Rotten Tomatoes
- 4% 🥫 Rotten
- Metacritic
- 36/100
- IMDB rating
- 6.3/10 · 10,463 votes
- MPAA
- R
Also by
Mikael Håfström
Trailers & featurettes
Watch the pieces
Production companies
Who made it
Living Films
TH
Phoenix Pictures
US
- TW
TWC Asian Film Fund
The Weinstein Company
US
Key crew
- Sound Re-Recording MixerEric Hirsch
- Makeup ArtistDenise Wynbrandt
- Foley RecordistRyan Collison
- Sound Re-Recording MixerCraig Irving
- Foley ArtistPeter Burgis
- Makeup DesignerAileen Seaton
- Foley ArtistRicky Butt
- Executive ProducerWang Zhongjun
- Co-ProducerChristophe Tseng
- Foley EditorHarry Barnes
- Sound EditorZhao Nan
- WigmakerAlex Rouse
- Foley EditorMatthew Haasch
- Hair DesignerSarah Love
- Sound Re-Recording MixerMichael Barry
- ProstheticsGary J. Tunnicliffe
- Executive ProducerKelly Carmichael
- Sound Effects EditorPaul Apted
- ADR MixerChris Navarro
- Sound Re-Recording MixerTim Cavagin
- EditorPeter Boyle
- CastingAvy Kaufman
- ProducerMike Medavoy
- ProducerBarry Mendel
Themes & keywords
What it's about, really
- shanghai, china
- world war ii
- film noir
- female spy
- american abroad
- pacific theater
- nazi collaborationism
- spy thriller
- japanese occupation of china
- war against fascism
- international espionage
- chinese resistance
Release history · US
When it landed
- Theatrical (limited)2010-10-02R
Also known as
International titles
- SanghajHU
- Conspiração XangaiBR
- シャンハイ：2010JP
