To mark the 80th anniversary of China’s victory in the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Chinese government released several “patriotic films” during the summer, including Dead to Rights, which has grossed 2.5 billion RMB to date. The film has sparked controversy for promoting anti-Japanese sentiment, with social media in China flooded with hostile comments toward Japan and users expressing alternative views facing online attacks or reporting.
The film has reportedly had a negative impact on children. Clips circulating online show children crying after watching the movie, shouting, “We must kill all Japanese,” smashing Japan on a Chinese map with tools, or tearing up Japanese anime cards, raising concern among parents and scholars.
Dead to Rights is based on images of Japanese atrocities during the 1937 Nanjing Massacre. The plot follows a 15-year-old boy who apprentices at a Nanjing photo studio and discovers photographs of Japanese soldiers committing murders, rapes, and looting. He preserves dozens of images, 16 of which later serve as key evidence in war crime trials. However, several Japanese historians have pointed out historical inaccuracies. They note that Japanese military photographers primarily captured scenes of their soldiers’ bravery, not acts of violence against civilians, and such film reels would not have been processed at local studios, suggesting the story is largely fictional.
Scholar Zeng Jianyuan argues that the film leverages wartime narratives to stoke nationalism, deflect domestic tensions, and influence Sino-Japanese and Sino-American relations, reflecting political motives rather than cultural storytelling. Australian-based historian Li Yuanhua adds that the Chinese Communist Party has long used wartime narratives to incite anti-foreign sentiment and obscure historical truths, including collaboration and profit with Japan during the war.
Dead to Rights was released in Australia and New Zealand on August 7.