Today’s film, In Harm’s Way (2017), is a tricky one, but not for anything having to do with the actual story.  Instead, its complexity pertains to that which brought it into being.  It is a Chinese production with a Danish director about an American pilot during World War II being looked for by Japanese soldiers.  Further, the title I gave is the American one.  It has an alternate one, The Hidden Soldier, and in the country of its origin, it is referred to as The Chinese Widow.  In any case, for the rest of this review it will be In Harm’s Way.  You can judge for yourself based on what you are about to read whether this is the right call.

The person answering the call at the beginning of In Harm’s Way is that aforementioned American pilot, Jack (Emile Hirsch).  He has been summoned to give a report on his activities following the famous Doolitte Raid on Japan.  As an aside, the problem with movies that involve a long flashback is that you know the main character is going to survive.  Still, if you know the particulars of this historical event, you will understand that living through it is far from guaranteed.  Such is the feeling when General Jimmy Doolittle (Vincent Riotta) gives the green light for the B-24 bombers to launch from their aircraft carrier for fear of nearby enemy patrols.  Once they are airborne over Tokyo, they drop their payload but take fire from Japanese fighters.  They do not know it immediately, but one of the aircraft’s engines has been hit and is leaking fuel.  As such, it makes it more difficult for them to reach their destination in China, especially when their target runway has turned off its landing lights believing that it could not be the Americans.  Thus, Jack is forced to ditch the plane, ordering his crew to bailout.  He is the last to go for the exit, holding the faltering vehicle steady until the others get away safely.  He eventually comes down in some trees near a small village in rural Zhejiang province.  Living there is Ying (Liu Yifei), a young single mother who makes silk thread in order to provide for her small family.  We meet her and her daughter, Nunu (Li Fangcong), as they go about their daily business.  It is during the night while they are eating their supper that they hear Jack’s plane going down.  In the morning, Nunu finds Jack unconscious and reports the sighting to Ying.  In turn, Ying goes to the only person she can trust, Kai (Yan Yikuan), a childhood friend and the head of the village.  Kai’s response is immediate, reminding her that the Americans are also fighting the Japanese, and therefore the pilot is a friend.  Unfortunately, the occupiers are aware that there are Americans in the vicinity.  Thus, the Japanese gather all the villagers in town and demand information.  When no one comes forward, Kai is ordered to answer for everyone.  The commanding officer, Captain Shimamoto (Tsukagoshi Hirotaka), puts a gun to Kai’s head to force compliance.  Because Kai had told Nunu and Ying to remain silent, they say nothing as he is executed.  Not long thereafter, a patrol is sent into the surrounding mountains to look for survivors.  Wanting to honor the promise Ying made to Kai, she goes to the cave where they hid Jack and brings him to her home.  The soldiers locate Jack’s camp and bring out a silk bag that looks like it had been made by Ying.  Captain Shimamoto presents the item around the neighborhood, including Nunu’s school, but the young girl denies recognizing it.  Her denial is suspicious, so the officer brings it to Ying’s abode.  With Jack stashed in the crawl space below, she manages to convince Captain Shimamoto that the tote is not of her making.  With that, Ying sets to tending to Jack’s wounds and nursing him back to health.  Nunu is not thrilled with the stranger being in her home, but he eventually wins her over by whistling “Yankee Doodle Dandy.”  As he regains his strength, he is increasingly restless and impatient with his subterranean dwelling.  Thus, while Ying is away selling her yarn, he tries to repay her kindness by fixing her roof tiles.  Seeing him up there distresses her, and she manages to get him to agree to get back below.  Nonetheless, after giving him the materials needed for a wash, a bond begins to form between the American and his hostesses, and they allow him to stay upstairs with the understanding that he will need to scatter should any Japanese soldiers come around.  Meanwhile, at school, Nunu is overheard by her teacher (Yu Shaoqun) whistling “Yankee Doodle Dandy.”  Though Nunu tries to say it was not her, she is led immediately home.  Before she arrives, we see that earlier Captain Shimamoto had paid a visit to Ying.  He has more than the tea he is offered on his mind, and is about to sexually assault her until Jack intervenes, shooting the officer in the head.  Nunu and the teacher get there as Jack and Ying are cleaning.  Luckily, the teacher is a member of the Chinese guerillas fighting the Japanese, and he is able to make arrangements for Jack’s extraction.  It must be soon, though, because a search commences for Captain Shimamoto.  This also means that Nunu and Ying must flee as well, and they head for the hills as the Japanese close in on their house.  From there, it is a race to the boat that will carry Jack to safety.  Sadly, Ying is killed in the escape, and Nunu is carried away by a grieving Jack.  Back in the United States, Jack states that he wants to adopt the child, but he is told he is returning to action.  Instead, she is adopted by a Chinese family in California.

The last scene of In Harm’s Way features an aged Jack writing to Nunu and returning the lock of hair Ying had given him on the day of their flight.  It is a fitting, if sad conclusion that I saw coming almost as soon as a bond started forming between her and Jack.  It was a hunch, but she was almost too perfect.  For whatever reason, movies do not seem to like that kind of selfless behavior, even if it is thoroughly Christian in nature.  She is a martyr, and she is willing to do the right thing no matter the consequences.  A key aspect of fulfilling this role is that it is not an easy one.  It is sometimes said of such people that they gladly go to their death when called upon, and that may well describe some who have died in the name of Christ.  God bless those who are able to do so, but for the rest of us, it costs something.  For her, it means losing her in-laws and the only life she knew.  What I particularly admired about her in this vein is the fact that she did not give into Shimamoto’s advances.  She protected Jack while also seeking to preserve her dignity as a widow and woman.  In a sense, it reminds me of St. Maria Goretti, a young Italian saint who was murdered instead of allowing herself to be violated by a boy who lived downstairs from her.  While this is not ultimately what leads to Ying’s passing, the behaviors are roughly analogous.  Of course, St. Maria Goretti went a little further by praying for her murderer as she lay dying in the aftermath of her attack, saying that she hoped to see him in Heaven.  I am not trying to draw an equivalence with this last point, but Ying does offer Captain Shimamoto some tea before things get out of hand.  At base, it is a kindness offered to enemies that is sorely lacking in our day and age.

I am not sure there is anything lacking as a whole from In Harm’s Way, except for a happy ending.  It is a difficult watch, and because of Ying’s strength of character, I was genuinely sad to see her die.  As I mentioned, I could see it coming, but that did not take away from the impact.  Hence, other than a little bloodiness, there is nothing too objectionable about this film.