‘The Children of Huang Shi’: Story of hero to Chinese plays it too safe and sober

A little-known hero comes to light in “The Children of Huang Shi,” a sincere and painfully earnest period piece. The hero is George Hogg, a young Englishman who went to China in 1937 without intending to stay, and got caught up in the war inferno that was breaking loose all around.

Hogg’s story is a fascinating one, for sure. We meet him in Shanghai, as the Japanese are overrunning parts of China; Hogg (played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers, from “The Tudors”) is there as a journalist, and he sees some horrors before almost getting killed himself.

But journalism isn’t in the cards for Hogg. After meeting a leader of the communist guerrillas (Chow Yun Fat in wry form) and a nurse (Radha Mitchell), he is drafted into helping run an orphanage.

This is an impressive feat for a fish out of water, but Hogg really rises to the occasion when the war threat becomes imminent and the children are put in direct peril. The only way out? A 600-mile trek along the Silk Road to the west.

This is an amazing journey, and Hogg is remembered for it in China. His story had not been widely noted in the West until recently, and this film should go part way to restoring recognition of his achievement.

But “The Children of Huang Shi” disappoints by its safe, sober approach. Director Roger Spottiswoode, who has made a number of politically tinged films (and one James Bond picture, “Tomorrow Never Dies”), keeps this one strictly at the level of a TV movie.

The characters are all cardboard-thin and respectable, which will likely make this movie a dull go even for its probable target audience, families and school groups. (The R rating, for war violence, is odd, considering the generally tame approach.)

Nowhere is this more apparent than in the casting of Rhys Meyers, the Irish actor who has excelled at playing less than noble roles. He looks ready to instill more nuance into this character, but the script won’t let him. That’s how a memorable story becomes forgettable.