This is a cultural landmark. I'm not sure a movie like this has ever reached U.S. viewers: a triumphalist film from the enemy perspective celebrating the defeat of U.S. forces in battle. (Ok, ok, any unreconstructed confederates out there stay in your lane on this.)
I have not been able to find any information on how wide a release this will have. It may be a limited release and may disappear without a trace. It would then be a question of which streamer(s) will pick it up. OR: as a culture war topic, this could go to DEFCON 1 overnight. All it would take is for a sufficiently prominent politician or "journalist" -- in full moral relativism, take-down-the-U.S., stand with the emerging global majority mode -- to fumble his response about a ChiCom propaganda piece celebrating a Chinese defeat of the U.S.
What are the odds of someone on The Squad, someone in the democrat leadership, someone on MSNBC, etc., saying something stupid? They should all be give the chance to audition for this role. If we played the game the way the dems do, all of them would be asked about the movie the moment it hits U.S. theaters. I am willing to make the ultimate sacrifice and take AOC to the movies myself, and pay for the popcorn. It wouldn't hurt to ask some Republicans about it as well.
Should that happen, it would be prudent before weighing in to actually have a bit of situational awareness about the film before going off half cocked. It doesn't take much. In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.
I have no intention of seeing this in the theaters, nor of paying to watch it at home. When it gets into free streaming territory, I will probably watch it, mainly to see how the politics are handled. Until then, I will rely on reviewers, who I take with a grain of salt.
This film was clearly a big vanity project for God-King Xi, who had it commissioned as part of the celebration for the 100th anniversary of the CCP. By all accounts, it is a crudely propagandistic film, which is alright by me; we've made plenty of those over the years, and other nations are entitled to do the same. But this was a big budget, state sponsored production involving three top Chinese directors and a big name cast. No expense was spared. And of course, the story is presented as a triumph against great odds by the heroic PLA against ruthless American imperialist aggressors. That the Chinese regime would sponsor such a project at this time has obvious political connotations.
Several trailers are available on YouTube. The politics aside, the trailers don't impress me as cinema. That's surprising given the budget and the talent China brought to bear. I know that China has different film conventions, and that's probably part of the story. But I suspect that a big part of the problem is that the film is state sponsored hagiography. All the Chinese characters are noble, selfless, heroic, humble, wanting nothing more in life than to be devoted sons to honored parents, to be faithful to their brothers in arms, and to die for their country. In their spare time, they worship the God King Mao and the glorious, infallible CCP. There aren't many English language reviews yet, but the several I've seen all suggest that the level of crude propaganda caricaturing is over the top. It apparently has all the subtlety of a 1930's Stalinist socialist realism poster.
In the trailers, the battle scenes also seemed off, simply not up to current movie standards. China spent a lot of money on this. From the trailers, it looks like they wasted a lot of it. (Or maybe the funds fattened someone's offshore accounts.) Of course, Hollywood too has some big budget extravaganzas that don't work as planned.
Treasonous propaganda?
They rely on those who saw it will need to see it again an hour later.
What amazes me is that a movie Americans have never heard of has already grossed $891 million, based on the fact its popular (and politically promoted) in China’s massive market.
China may win the propaganda wars based solely on this fact alone.
It also explains why entertainment/cultural businesses the NBA are so willing to whore themselves to maintain at all costs access to the China market and crumbs the CCP will give them.
China and her people delenda est.
Breaker Morant
We call that fight the Battle of Chosin Reservoir—or the Frozen Chosin.
Other than for the scenes that try to show Poles in a poor light, the German series “Generation War” (Unsere Mutter, Unsere Vater) was good, too.
Gee I can’t wait to see how China portrays Americans being slaughtered by communists. I guess China thinks the time is right.
The world wonders...
The Chinese had high levels spies and knew in advance that Truman would not use nukes. If Truman had been chomping at the bit to send a bunch of Communists to Thermonuclear Hell there would only be one Korea today.
the movie tells the story of how soldiers from China’s People’s Volunteer Army fought a key Korean War campaign during the freezing winter at the titular lake, also known as the Chosin Reservoir.
Conveniently omitting the mountains of Chinese bodies - so high, the following troops had to use ladders to get over to the other side, only to be chewed to pieces like those that preceded them by the glowing red hot Ma Duces.
they worship the God King, Mao and the glorious, infallible CCP.
Released just as the new God King Emperor, Xi ascends the thrown.
The Marines retreated in good order and absolutely pulverized the Chinese in the process. It’ll take a lot of weaseling to depict this as a great victory.
Is this about the defeat/destruction of much of the US 7th Division in November 1950 in Korea?
It will be on Super Nova under the referenced title within a few days of being released in the US. It may be on there now under the Chinese title.
Does Bruce Willis have a cameo?
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