City of Life and Death

Where to watch City of Life and Death in the United States

City of Life and Death (2009) is available on Kanopy with a participating library card.

U.S. availability last verified

The poster features a gritty, sepia-toned image of soldiers in combat, with a dramatic, tense atmosphere. The title "City of Life and Death" is prominently displayed in bold red letters, emphasizing the film's themes of conflict and survival.
2009 · Movie · 132 min· Updated Sep 2026
⭐7.4
🍅92%
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🌐German,Mandarin,Japanese,+1 more· Originally Mandarin
Rated:R

About

You can watch City of Life and Death (2009) on Kanopy with a participating library card.

In 1937, during the height of the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Imperial Japanese Army has just captured Nanjing, then-capital of the Republic of China. What followed was known as the Nanking Massacre, or the Rape of Nanking, a six week period wherein tens of thousands of Chinese soldiers and civilians were killed.

A hauntingly quiet intensity radiates from the lead as he navigates the chaos of a collapsing city. This visceral portrait of the Nanking Massacre trades hollow spectacle for the suffocating weight of human survival.

Trailer

Director

Lu Chuan

Cast

Liu Ye, Gao Yuanyuan, Hideo Nakaizumi, John Paisley, Beverly Peckous, Fan Wei, Qin Lan, Ryu Kohata, Jiang Yiyan, Yao Di

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war crimes · mass murder · war victim · second sino-japanese war (1937-45) · massacre · japanese army · imperial japan · nanking massacre china 1937 · 1930s · nanjing

Watch City of Life and Death on Kanopy with a participating library card. Availability last verified September 22, 2026.