The Message

Directed by Chen Kuo-Fu, Gao Qunshu
Key costume and image design by Tim Yip


The Message is a 2009 espionage thriller set in 1942 Nanjing (then Nanking). The film was adapted from Mai Jia's 2007 novel of the same name.

Following a series of assassination attempts on officials of the Japanese controlled puppet government, the Japanese spy chief Taketa (Huang Xiaoming) gathers a group of suspects in a mansion house for questioning. A tense game of "cat and mouse” ensues as the Chinese espionage agent attempts to send out a crucial message while protecting their identity.