DVD Review: Strong cast makes ‘Shanghai’ worth the wait

Few recent films have been delayed as long as this one. In 2008, The Weinstein Company built millions of dollars of sets in China, only to start over elsewhere when China decided not to let them shoot after all. The company took operations to Thailand.

The movie debuted in the titular city in 2010, but didn’t show up in American theaters until a token release in late 2015. When it came out on video last month, it had virtually no promotion, and Anchor Bay chose to issue it on a bare-bones DVD. No extras...no Blu-ray.

There was an audience waiting for this, and based on Amazon reviews, most were pleased.

The main attraction is the cast: John Cusack, Gong Li, Chow Yun-fat, Ken Watanabe, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Franka Potente and David Morse. The plot involves an American spy (played by Cusack) arriving in Shanghai in 1941 to meet up with his best friend/coworker (Morgan). He gets involved in romance and intrigue with a shady tycoon (Yun-fat) and his wife (Li). All of them are uncomfortable “friends” of the local Japanese big wig (Watanabe).

This is more a romantic melodrama than a standard spy thriller. Cusack fares better than he did in his other Chinese co-production, “Dragon Blade,” in which he was dreadfully miscast. Watanabe leaves the strongest impression. His character has more nuance and depth than the others.

Shanghai (Anchor Bay, DVD, $22.98)

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ANDY KLEIN is the film critic for Marquee. He can also be heard on “FilmWeek” on KPCC-FM (89.3).