The concept of watching three hour movies is nothing new. All the same however, neither is the shared sentiment of arduously watching a movie with such an extenuating runtime, although whatever the case may be, a film like The Battle At Lake Changjin is just the kind of film you would expect to see have three major directors on board.
The Chen Kaige/Tsui Hark/Dante Lam-helmed Korean War period epic immerses moviegoers into this latest chapter from world history, one that’s become a major global box office hit as the most expensive mainland-produced Chinese film. Its ceremony hasn’t been without its share of disaccord, however, in the wake of dissenting opinions and criticism regarding historical accuracies and brouhaha over its inherently propagandistic overtones and nature.
Do with those aspects what you will, regardless of your culture or creed. The Battle Of Lake Changjin certainly lends quite the bang for the box office buck with two reputable stars headlining the film’s sizeable cast: actor and action star Wu Jing (Wolf Warrior, Wolf Warrior 2) as 7th company People’s Liberation Army commander Wu Qianli, and Jackson Yee (Mr. Six, Better Days) as Baili, Qianli’s younger brother, with other notable stars like Zhang Hanyu (The Taking Of Tiger Mountain, The Captain) as PLA deputy commander Song Shilun, and Hu Jun (The Bodyguard, Shadow) as 7th company Artillery Platoon leader Lei Suisheng.
Set in 1950, the crux of the story focuses on Qianli as he’s ordered back into service after just returning home to his family when he gets word that the Chinese army is engaging the Korean War. Against Qianli’s wishes, Wanli joins the fight with little preparation and knowledge of war, and is thrust into a trial-by-fire with a little guidance from Lei and tough brotherly love from the infantry.
The unit makes its way through hails of bullets and bombs, fiery scrimmages, epic tank battles, furious close-quarters combat and freezing temperatures as it takes on the American soldiers, with General Douglas MacArthur stubbornly intent on a fast-ending war before Christmas. Multiple battles and ambushes await as the 7th company makes its way to Lake Changjin with the Chinese military looking to seize a major opportunity to hold the line and take the fight to the Americans.
It’s definitely fine if you’re not used to jingoistic cinema, so if you’re moreso a fan of Wu Jing or any one of the cast or the directors and wanna see what a cast and crew like this can do on celluloid, and you don’t mind an overlong runtime, The Battle At Lake Changjin should serve you well. The action goes especially hard with plenty of realistic-enough violence complete with the red stuff and some true blue self-sacrificial hero moments.
What never really escapes the viewer is how grating the American characters sound in most of these films, which is overwrought and comically overacted at times, and the writing isn’t that all spiffy either. The most cringe moment is near the end when an American General can be heard narrating about the U.S.’s evidentiary defeat in the face of the PLA’s retaliation – an ending told from the perspective of a white Character in a regional Chinese war epic, which would otherwise be an entirely different conversation in the Western world on matters of representation.
Gladly, it suffices that these parts are minimal and the fanfare goes squarely to Wu and Jackson, and their on screen relationship and how it unfolds in the midst of a war-weary environment with an army of soldiers toiling away at the ice-cold terrain. The action is explosive and the film moves at a steady-enough pace throughout each battle scene and periodic character development that the film doesn’t feel like a complete chore.
Shy of their forthcoming sequel to this endeavor outside of mainland theaters, Kaige, Hark and Lam bring their combined filmmaking acumen for an entertaining war thriller that, while short of everyone’s cup of tea, still brings some worthwhile results. If you’re tired and weary from hopelessly waiting for a third Wolf Warrior movie, The Battle At Lake Changjin won’t necessarily leave you out in the cold.
Trinity CineAsia presents The Battle at Lake Changjin on Blu-ray, DVD & Digital from May 16. Pre-order it now at Amazon UK.