For some journalists, nothing matters more than the story. Not only can this put them in personal jeopardy, but it can also lead them on a road they didn’t necessarily expect to travel. In 1937, English journalist George Hogg (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) found himself up to his neck in a whole heap of trouble, travelling through China as the Japanese invaded.

His eagerness leads him to sneak into Nanjing, posing as a Red Cross aid worker. Once there, he comes across Japanese soldiers in the midst of mass execution. He takes pictures of this atrocity, only to then be discovered by the troops. Just as he is about to be executed, he is saved by resistance fighter Chan Hansheng (Chow Yun Fat).

Don't tell me, he was watching the last series of The Tudors

His escape isn’t a complete success however, as he is wounded in the process. Chan takes him to an orphanage, run by an American nurse, Lee Pearson (Radha Mitchell), where he can recuperate in peace. Just as he regains his health however, Lee moves on, leaving Hogg holding the baby – or to be more precise, sixty children. What he soon discovers is that perhaps journalism isn’t the only important thing in his life and a new journey beckons them all.

This story, a true one at that, could have quite easily been a cheesy made-for-TV effort. With director Roger Spottiswoode at its helm, it could have gone that way too, as he’s made a fair few, surprisingly. Thankfully, he wore his ‘I also directed a Bond film don’tcha know’ hat to work, when he turned up for this gig. It’s certainly not as over the top as his Tomorrow Never Dies, but it is just as epic.

Spottiswoode manages to convey a real sense of the period; it looks like you’d imagine a war-torn China to look, which is pretty useful if you happen to be making a film set in that time. He even manages to squeeze a good performance out of Rhys Meyers, which is probably harder than it sounds.

What he does most effectively is let the real life story tell its self: there’s nothing fancy here; no grand special effects; no overbearing, pointless love interest; and certainly no over-acting from the young actors that make up the orphans. It is simply a fine example of good old-fashioned storytelling.

Sadly, this type of film may not be in vogue. It had a limited release in cinemas in the UK, and also had to undergo an odd title change – it was originally called Children Of Huang Shi. Which is a shame, as at its core is a great story well told. So if you find yourself at a loss for something to watch one Sunday afternoon, this would be the perfect choice.