Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

In response to a Japanese user's one star, I think 9 stars is fair. The spying before WWII from Japan in China was prevalent and nasty. The robbery was under the name "East Asia Coproerisity." The fighting against those invaders had never stopped. (as recorded in history and in the film, the old Shanghai gang people also contributed much in underground acticivities)I have been consistently shocked by how more and more Japanese people tend to beautify their WWII history since the last decade. If even this film could even hurt their feeling, this film should not be blamed.This is a film about tolerance and repentance. It is a life story of the hero, it is also a portrait of the culture, or an attitude in the family, friendship and business.Though I am not a fan of Shanghai culture, I really like the acting. The description of the old Shanghai fashion is really good. Much of the Shanghai culture has been lost since 1949 but some still left. As you can see in the movie, it was very exquisite but life-oriented.

There is not a shot out of place, not a word uttered or note of music that is not just right in this film. I admit I had to watch it twice to get all the nuances. You must listen for when they are speaking Shanghainese or Japanese and you must understand a bit about what was happening in china and shanghai in 1937. There are family ties, triad ties, Japanese secret society ties and love ties. There is betrayal of all these ties. Jumping back and forth in time makes the plot unravel slowly and like a game of mah-jong the final betrayal is revealed when all the tiles are exposed at the end. This is a great movie. It does not have any kung-fu or wire-work or epic slow motion gunfights and white doves - but it is a truly original masterpiece. I recommend it to anyone who wants to see a thoughtful movie and be challenged by what a great piece of cinema is.

An awful movie that made me feel embarrassed and sorry for the "wasted time" as the title. I shouldn't watch this.I don't understand what the plots are trying to say, too many characters and too many fragmentary scenes which make people confused. I didn't read the book but I guess the story might be a good one, however, nothing was shown in the movie. I seldom give 1-star evaluations to a movie but I really can't take it this time. Everyone was watching this, an awful movie.