Mei Gong he xing dong

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In October 2011, the 13 crew members of two Chinese cargo ships were shot to death on the Mekong River, which runs through the Golden Triangle, and a large amount of metaamphetamine drugs were recovered from the crime scene. The Chinese government dispatches an anti-narcotics task force to the area to investigate. There they team up with an intelligence officer for a dangerous mission that takes them deep into the lawless jungles of the Golden Triangle and the lair of a ruthless drug-lord.

Now although there are a handful of protagonists here, two of the actors really step to the forefront, get the most screen time, and carry the film from start to finish – Hanyu Zhang and Eddie Peng. Hanyu Zhang previously appeared in films such as "The Taking of Tiger Mountain", "Special ID", "Bodyguards and Assassins", "The Message", "The Equation of Love and Death", and "Assembly." The thing I like most about this actor is his screen presence. He has a very commanding presence that keeps you engaged. With regard to Eddie Peng, I just covered him last week while reviewing "Call of Heroes" – so it's nice to see him in this one as well.

One criticism that I've read regarding this movie is that the story and character development are rather thin. I would agree with that criticism. The structure of the film basically goes like this. The narcotics unit gets "intel" about one of the drug lords, or someone who is associated with one of the drug lords, and they immediately take action. Sometimes, it's an infiltration and undercover sting – other times it's an extraction (or pseudo rescue mission) that takes place in a hostile area. These infiltrations and extractions may last anywhere between 10 minutes to 30 or more minutes of screen time, depending on the complexity of the particular mission. But in-between the missions, our protagonists basically do nothing but get ready for the next one. So there's really not much time for adding complexity or depth to the characters.

But with that said, "Operaton Mekong" more than compensates for this flaw with its blistering pace and action set pieces.

The action design is mostly gritty and diverse, with an emphasis on urban apprehensions and special ops strikes that involve gunplay and hand-to-hand combat that does get quite violent at times (there are a few intense scenes involving children and oppressed villagers). This creates a sense of thrill and suspense even though it does get unrealistic (especially in terms of how much damage our two heroes can take). This is definitely neat stuff, incorporating some creative equipment and technology, as well as one of the coolest dogs in recent memory. The dog in this movie – I think his name is Bingo – is awesome, and his usefulness contributes a certain creativity that you don't see in many action movies. And the sheer quantity of action is significant, meaning that things move at a very fast pace.

A few other positives I'd like to mention: There are some beautiful natural environments, as well as some great overhead shots of various country locales. International conflict and cast are also a nice mix.

This is a no nonsense crowd-pleasing action from Dante Lam, who previously directed "The Beast Stalker", "The Stool Pigeon", "Beast Cops", "Fire of Conscience", "Unbeatable", and "To the Fore."

Initially, the film is a bit confusing, but you soon get to know the characters and once the introduction is done, the film starts making perfect sense. The film features beautiful cinematography and incredible action sequences, with impressive photography during these action scenes.

'Operation Mekong' is filled with intrigue, suspense and action, making it the perfect action thriller. As an added bonus, the film is visually stunning. There are a few disturbing images of kids using drugs, though. The film is fast-paced and there never really is a dull moment.

The film's main antagonist, Naw Khar, is unfortunately an undeveloped, weak character who doesn't really contribute much to the movie. The film's climax would have been so much better had he been a stronger character. Nevertheless, this is an incredibly entertaining film.

Whether it is the anti drug version of "outwitting Tiger Mountain" or the national propaganda film, good-looking is the last word. From Tsui Hark to Lin Chaoxian, Hong Kong directors are becoming smarter and smarter about how to combine action elements with national policies, which is a good momentum. After watching it, an aunt nearby lamented that it was not lost to American blockbusters at all. Such films were not only exciting Chinese films, but also exciting.

Action scene well done. Full of thrill and tension all the time. You won't get bored since there are different fight scenes with variations. The plot is somehow simple. Well, I would say most action movies are not focused on weaver a complicated plot. The patriot of main characters serves its purpose, yet a bit more depth would be nice.

Some of the reviews are quite judgemental and not based on the movie per se. If we see all movies as somehow a Propaganda then all American movies with heroes in it will fall into the category. Since when does IMDb cares about politics rather than the movie itself? This is kind of disappointing.

5 stars only because of the first 5 or 10 minutes, which were well done. Anything after that, with the exception of the final moments is absolute and total nonsense. It is said in the end that the film is based on real events, and true enough, the very basics of the story are correct. That is that 13 Chinese sailors were murdered, and drugs found on them. Who murdered them remains a mystery, but there is a good chance it wasn't the men executed for it. The movie purports to tell the official version agreed upon by the Chinese and Thai governments, but it fails at it too. The action scenes are unreal, like the ones you would expect from a grade B American action film. The green screen in some places was more than obvious thanks to bad lighting. What was supposed to be a jungle in some places is clearly an artificial forest. The men who are supposed to be speaking Shan are speaking Thai. There's also the issue with some of the characters that are very out of place (their ethnicities wouldn't per it them to become drug lords)

Finally, the antagonists are all depicted as crazed men who train kids high on drugs to be soldiers. Without any spoilers: absolutely unreal. The real life drug lords of the Golden Triangle supported their communities to gain their trust and help when needed. They build schools and clinics and were called fathers. This film is bad, twists a real story unil it's unrecognizable, and is just badly done!