Director: Hu Guan, Fei Zhenxiang
Year: 2026
Country: China
Alternate Titles: Dong Ji Dao; Dongji Island
Genre: Action/War
Plot:
When the Japanese warship Lisbon Maru is torpedoed off the coast of Dongji Island, the lives of over 300 British POWs on board are at risk of being claimed by the sea. Their only hope is a small group of defiant Chinese fisherman who will do anything to rescue and protect them from their captors.
Review:
For the most part, this was a standout genre effort with a lot to really like. The film is at its best with the incredibly powerful and emotionally charged storyline, taking a real-life event and turning it into a stellar showcase piece. The straightforward story, involving not just the sense of the main premise about the fisherman trying to brave the confounding military fire on the ship but also the elements trying to get into the ship and remove those still trapped inside, works incredibly well in getting the film off to a strong start. Featuring the ship being struck at the very start and the ensuing series of interactions, here trying to figure out how to conduct rescue operations without upsetting the lives of everyone on the island when the Japanese arrive to start targeting and terrorizing the villagers looking for the lost prisoner from the ship. This creates a strong dueling storyline where the race to get free of their captors and rescue those still stuck in the sinking ship, which manages to evoke a fantastic sense of heroism and bravery that these kinds of films produce wholeheartedly, relying on the strength of the ordinary men and women going out to rescue everyone there.
On top of that, there's also a fantastic series of action setpieces on display, focused on the attempts to get to the sinking ship and save everyone. The operation itself, requiring them to sail on disguise dboats to get to the ship and launch the rescue mission against the onslaught of the Japanese Nazy firing at them from the ship itself or on patrol boats swarming through the sea shooting up those floating in the ocean, creates an immensely likable setup where the group is tasked with getting to the ship and trying to get them out. The scale of the operation, trying to get through the thousands of people in the water while also trying to navigate around the full-scale broken and busted ships sinking in the middle of the whole thing, taking who they can out of the water and going past the dead bodies floating in the current. With everything here creating some truly vivid imagery amongst the full-scale setpieces within the water, there's a lot to like here to hold it up over the one major flaw, where its scenes set in the darkness of the ship in the tight, cramped corridors and hallways are so dark it's hard to tell what's happening. It's not that bad, but it does hold it back just slightly.
Overview: ****/5
A really strong and effective genre effort, this one comes together quite well as a high-scale genre effort that makes for enough to like that holds itself up over the few small drawbacks. Those with an appreciation for the style attempted here or who are curious about the film will have a lot to enjoy here, while most others out there should heed caution.
Comments
Post a Comment