Wu sha 2

We have to acknowledge several facts about FIREFLIES IN THE SUN (2021) first:

1) FITS is a verbatim adaptation of JOHN Q (2002);

2) FITS's Chinese title indicates that it is the sequel to SHEEP WITHOUT A SHEPHERD (2019), but it hardly is;

3) Thailand, or Bangkok, is the backdrop of the story, but FITS was shot with stage scenery in China due to CO-VID restrictions.

The whole point of FITS is not how it copied JOHN Q, rather, is the courage and conscience of producer/director/leading actor who made a Hollywood satire their own. Crime and corruption related to organ transplant are very serious in China, and presenting this issue in excruciating way on media is by all means a grave undertaking. FITS purposely remakes a famous American movie as close as it can and pretends such tragedy happened in South East Asia. Yet everyone realizes effortlessly that what FITS aims at is the situation in Chinese society.

For the reason to encourage filmmakers tackle on forbidden or "not welcome by officials" subjects, I'm willing to overlook minor defects, e.g. A bit too much sensationalism, or, is it even possible that in reality an extremely brave police officer, an extremely brave doctor, an extremely brave journalist, all in one place at the same time, risking their career to help out the extremely brave protagonist?

Lacking originality doesn't mean everything else is bad. The cast did a decent job - I reckon that they stand proud even in front of those A-listers of JOHN Q.

Though the main storyline is predictable, the ending is more impressive and touching. Xiao Yang acts as a father who can demonstrate his hysterical compassion as good as the original John Q. The whole movie has elements in both emotional concentration and entertaining as a crime movie.