I don't want to give the show away, but it's safe to say that there's a slight change of genre about midway through. Great performances throughout, Wen Jiang especially noteworthy. It's great to see a movie about genuinly stupid people that make decisions that are as palpable as they are dumb. Some characters are underdeveloped, others disappear for no reason, but memorable scenes lift it: A little boy is killed, and the camera pans down to see his tiny face twisted in disbelief. Good stuff!

The common reaction this film elicits starts with amusement and slowly turns into a creeping sense of dread, disgust, and then sadness. It presents the atrocities war brings as both arbitrary and absurd in its disruption of humanity. The thorough dehumanization corrupts everything it touches. The black comedy compels us to understand by bridging the cruel insanity of it all with our sheltered hindsight which is thankfully far removed from that sad era.

The most impressive thing of this film is the way it effortlessly shifts tones throughout the proceedings. It begins as an absurdist, existential comedy in the vein of Beckett and then subtly transforms into something much more sombre and disturbing. The pacing is very organic thanks in large part to both the smart, unpredictable script and the naturalistic, moving performances. See it.

One half-expects this to be dogmatically anti-Japanese and a glorification of Chinese valor and resilience. Admirably it's nothing of the sort. Wen Jiang performs powerfully in his own comedy of errors as Ma Dasan, a simple peasant, cowardly, hesitant and not too bright. Dasan is the reluctant captor of two Japanese soldiers, themselves flawed but sympathetic. A humane, moving, often farcical but in the end grotesquely sobering war drama.

Devils on the doorstep manages impressingly well to balance between the comic and the grave. At the same time the story fails to give enough depth to many characters and situations, ultimately taking the edge of the film.

Dark comedy that leans more and more towards darkness as it progresses and delivers beautifully at the end. Absolutely stunning in many ways.

Very real story about the arbitrariness of those thrown into a war.

Jiang delivers a memorable performance in the lead role, backed up by dynamite supporting actors. The film moves at breakneck pace as the situation constantly develops in new directions and turns from comedic to horrifying in its unforgettable final act. The black and white photography is stunning, and the kinetic camerawork and use of close-ups really puts you in the middle of the story. This is superb filmmaking.