Resurrecting a hero in 'John Rabe'

Conventionally dramatic, and falling somewhat short of epic grandeur, "John Rabe" does a good turn by resurrecting one of 20th century history's neglected heroes, a man who has come to be known as the Oskar Schindler of China.

When we meet him, John Rabe (Ulrich Tukur) is a fastidious German, an obedient Nazi Party member and an executive preparing to retire from the Nanjing electronics plant he's run for 30 years. But it's 1937, and the Japanese are coming - bringing with them wholesale murder, rape and atrocity. Reluctantly, and in the tradition of many a great Western hero, Rabe decides to stay, resist the invaders, and in the process saves 250,000 people.

In his fact-based, broadly drawn adventure, director Florian Gallenberger addresses a chapter in Sino-Japanese history that the Japanese have always denied. But Gallenberger wants to make things palatable and thus plays down much of the actual horror in favor of an implied terror. It works well enough, as does the dramatic shortcut of assigning all Japanese evil to one character - the imperial prince Asaka (Teruyuki Kagawa).

The perpetually furious Asaka is an effective counterweight to the phlegmatic Rabe, who is given a terrific portrayal by Tukur that is easily the best thing about the film. Steve Buscemi, as Rabe's antagonist, Dr. Robert Wilson, is woefully miscast.

Most of the problem lies in Gallenberger's script, which Tukur rises above by internalizing Rabe's doubt, fear and courage, ultimately giving an underappreciated subject his due.