THE BATTLE AT WATER GATE BRIDGE Review: Dante Lam’s Ceremonial War Epic Is Brought To A Bloody, Brutal And Sobering Close
Consider yourselves still invited to check out Chen Kaige, Tsui Hark, and Dante Lam’s The Battle At Changjin Lake as its ceremonial pro-Communist China sequel now remains on deck for its UK release with director Lam’s The Battle At Water Gate Bridge (a.k.a. The Battle At Lake Changjin II). The events of the first film tie directly into the second with actors Wu Jing and Jackson Lee among the numerous names and faces shepherding the story of the members of the People’s Liberation Army in its efforts to beat back the Americans during the Korean War.
The new film tackles the PVA’s latest mission, which is to blow up a bridge that is strategically vital to the Americans’ retreat, and the multiple attempts at doing so between every firefight and freezing temperature. The patriotic and jingoistic sentiments are still present but not as much as in the first film, while its more captivating aspects lies with watching as the PVA ducks and dives heavy gunfire from both land and air, while keenly plotting its infiltration of U.S. base camps and collecting any and all ammo they can gather and store for their own uses.
The bulk of the film is a constantly moving affair that rarely stops, but never stifles the viewers’ experience. The characters and camaraderie are interesting enough to keep you as engaged as the action does, which especially includes actor Wu Jing provenly as nimble as ever in leaping tall bounds and sleighing down sheets of snow before landing into some fracas. The more gory moments are preserved for way later in the second half. The worst comes when whole bodies are either blown to bits from tank missiles, set ablaze by flamethrowers, or left as red stains in the snow from aerial machine gun fire, and its moments like these that never run short of shock value, as viscerally illustrative of war horror as they are.
The underlying tapestry of both films also gets brung to a poignant close with Wu joined by actor Jackson Yee, with the film eventually continuing into the aftermath of the war’s effect on two brothers, with the younger one joining his elder against his wishes in the first film. Their final appearance together is a heartbreaking one that serves as a proper foundation for the film’s finale, cajoling viewers enough to stake themselves in a film that, regardless of historical facts and ideological positions, leaves enough room to appreciate what three masters of their craft can achieve.
Trinity CineAsia Presents The Battle at Water Gate Bridge on Digital from December 26 and on Blu-ray & DVD from January 9, 2023. Pre-orders are currently available here.
Native New Yorker. Been writing for a long time now, and I enjoy what I do. Be nice to me!