Think of it this way: If Michael Bay can reduce the Japanese attack on PEARL HARBOR/’01 into a loud, pseudo-patriotic, fast-paced, dumbed-down Michael Bay film, why shouldn’t Chinese directors Zhenxiang Fei and Guan Hu give a ‘Pop’ patriotic spin to a heroic WWII incident that took place on a small isolated island in the East China Sea where Native fisherman were living under brutal Japanese occupation. Especially when these two filmmakers easily best Bay at his own game. The actual incident started when an American submarine successfully torpedoed the Japanese freighter Lisbon Maru, unaware that 1,800 British P.O.W.s were locked inside. (Beyond this, truth leaks faster than water on the fast-sinking Lisbon Maru.) One prisoner, blown off the ship’s deck and out to sea, is rescued by the kid brother of a pair of fisherman living alone of the far side of the island. His older brother knows saving this man will mean nothing but trouble and tries to throw him back like an undersized catch. Yikes! Sure enough, word gets around, and the Japanese, already feeling disgraced by the ship attack, hold the entire island responsible. Meanwhile, 1800 prisoners in the holds below deck are sure to drown when the ship sinks. On the island, Japanese miscalculate with extreme cruelty which backfires, causing an uprising by the islanders who mount an attack before taking to sea with a flotilla of small fishing boats to try and save what men they can; the attack heroically led by that once reluctant older brother. Marvelously characterized and cast, with spirit and humor in the first half, followed by astounding action footage (CGI fakery kept to a minimum) in the second; islanders showing pluck, cunning, sacrifice and courage. Showmanship and flair aided by the use of a striking, extra-wide format (frame ratio 2.85 - 1) while story and character development never let up. Particularly so for older brother Bi-An (Yilong Zhu) who brings a level of physical swagger to personal vengeance rarely seen since Daniel Day Lewis bared his torso and started to run down his enemies in THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS/’92. Stirring stuff, reveling in its sure audience manipulation. Plus a moral: Learn to hold your breath underwater for a good four minutes!
ATTENTION MUST BE PAID/LINK: Best guess is that co-director Zhenxiang Fei (mainly with tv background) played kid brother to director Guan Hu whose last film was BLACK DOG/’24, a sort of anti-epic epic as subtle and abstract as this one is broad and concrete. Note cinematographer Weizhe Gao came along with him. https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2025/04/black-dog-gouzhen-2024.html
DOUBLE-BILL: A documentary on the incident, THE SINKING OF THE LISBON MARU (not seen here), released in 2024.
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