John Cusack stars in this noir-like tale of espionage and double-dealing set in 1940s Shanghai. Paul Soames (Cusack) is a US Naval Intelligence agent who travels to Shanghai to investigate the death of his friend, Connor (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). Posing as a journalist with pro-Nazi sentiments, he uses his charm and know-how to infiltrate the upper echelons of German society in the city, and also to get close to Germany's new ally, Japan. But Paul finds himself in over his head when he becomes involved with local triad leader Anthony Lan-Ting (Chow Yun-Fat) and his beautiful wife, Anna (Gong Li).

Big budget biopic of Chinese thinker Confucius (Yun-Fat Chow). Though, for the most part, self-educated, Confucius became a teacher and Governor of Chung-tu. His social reform theories brought him worshippers and adversaries alike and his teachings are still significant in Chinese culture today. The film has engendered some controversy due to its portrayal of Confucius as a military man and politician rather than the usually accepted picture of him as an educator and philosopher.