Jin ji jiu yuan

If you've seen 'Operation Red Sea' and 'Operation Mekong', you'd agree that Dante Lam is one of the best, if not the best, directors in contemporary action cinema. No other Chinese filmmaker has accomplished the same gritty realism and pulse-pounding exhilaration as he had done in both of these preceding movies, and it is not surprising you'd hold the same expectation with 'The Rescue'.

In terms of action, Lam doesn't disappoint. The opening sequence alone sees an elite emergency rescue unit of the Chinese Coast Guard aim to rescue two persons trapped atop a burning offshore oil rig on the brink of collapse, and it takes bravado for a movie to open with a sequence as spectacular as this. From the point that the fearless Captain Gao Qing (Eddie Peng) unhooks himself from the cable he is dangling off the side of a helicopter to land atop the rig, to the point that the helicopter has to make some evasive mid-air manoeuvres to dodge the wildly swinging cranes as the rig crumbles, and finally to the successful airlift evacuation, you'll be transfixed by the sheer harrowingness of that introduction.

Within the next two-and-a-half hours, you'd be indulged with three more of such gripping set-pieces - including one where the unit has to save the driver of a vehicle transporter trapped within amidst a fast-moving river, and another where they are called to rescue passengers on board a flight which has crashed into the open ocean. Each is a race against time, but more importantly, Lam's absolute resolve for authenticity ensures that you'll feel the trepidation and thrill of every single moment. The finale is expectedly the most elaborate of them all, set within an LNG carrier out at sea that is on fire and at risk of exploding anytime. Like we said, Lam, who also choreographed the action, delivers the spectacle as stunningly as you can imagine.

And yet, measured against his last two films, 'The Rescue' undeniably pales in comparison. Whereas both Operations had the benefit of being singularly mission-driven, the overall narrative here is less focused and ultimately rather distracted, with Lam striving to wrap the four action high-water marks around the personal lives of the heroic men and women of the rescue unit. In actual fact, most of it is centred on Gao Qing, a single parent whose professional calling means that he is unable to be as present and attentive for his precocious young son Congcong (Zhang Jingyi) as he would like to. The newly wed Zhao Cheng (Wang Yanlin) also gets some screen time, although you'll soon realise that is more expedient than anything.

Indeed, despite some assist from veteran Hong Kong screenwriter Lawrence Cheng, Lam's scripting has obvious storytelling flaws. Not only are there a couple of throwaway scenes involving Congcong and his newfound four-eyed curly-haired friend in school, there is also an all-too indulgent subplot dedicated to the budding romance between Gao Qing and the new female pilot Fang Yulin (Xin Zhilei), whom Congcong is enamoured with and urges his father to marry. Most egregiously, there is a shamelessly manipulative (though effectively heart-tugging) turn in the last hour which sees Congcong undergo an emergency operation to remove a tumour in his brain just as his father has to answer the call of duty.

That these episodes turn out less cringey than they could very well be is thanks to Peng's unaffected charisma, bonding effortlessly with an irresistibly adorable Zhang as well as sharing some lovely chemistry with the coy Xin. This is Peng's fourth collaboration with Lam, and he anchors the film through and through, not just by how he singlehandedly performs each and every one of the film's most dangerous stunts, but also by injecting just the right extent of masculinity into the role. Likeable though Peng may be, it is equally true that the movie would have benefitted spending more time on the other characters, who end up being wallflowers even though they are part of the same team as Gao Qing.

Had Lam delegated the screenwriting and focused simply on directing, 'The Rescue' could probably have been a much tighter and more compelling motion picture. Each one of the rescue missions is a breath-taking spectacle in its own right, choreographed and executed with precision, confidence and flair to get your heart pounding. Yet the rest is underwhelming, choosing to amplify humour, romance and melodrama, instead of genuine drama from the inherent conflict between these rescuers' personal and professional responsibilities. Yes, we had indeed expected more after two highly accomplished Operations; be that as it may, let it be known too that this tale of, and tribute to, heroism is tense, affecting and riveting where you demand it to be.

It's a good action movie with well-executed and thrilling action scenes. The main lead is likable, the main sort-of love interest is also likeable, and the kid character is adorable - but in a milk toast-y kind of way, because ultimately none of them are very memorable.

I think, however, that the story would probably have been more effective in showcasing the Chinese Coast Guard, if the movie went in-depth on one single rescue mission rather than go for multiple rescue missions. A missed chance, in my opinion.

All in all, recommended mostly for fans of action movies of the rescue team variety. Also good enough for a one time watch for anyone else, who has a slow day.

Seeing reviews giving this movie a 6 or lower is sad. I feel it's a 7 minimum, and a lower score would be a disservice to everyone that worked in it and the amount of effort put into crafting the end result. Is it because it's a "state-sanctioned" movie? Because China wanted to make the people that rescue others for a living in their country look good?

Anyway.. It is visually impressive (stunts, action, locations, camera-work, etc.). It's a very technical movie, and it teaches you a bit about the REAL world of rescue teams that are ignored by many (the discipline, preparation, actions, you name it). It's tense, well acted (the lead portrays a character that would make you respect anyone), sound editing is great (music choices, or lack of sound at certain times) and editing in general. It is perfectly crafted to be an immersive movie. I'm not used to movie-structures that aren't particularly conventional.. but these are the kind I enjoy the most, the ones I don't know what to expect.

Still, it is a bit charged with drama, but it's tasteful and doesn't undermine the plot. CGI is noticeable at some points (never ugly), but on the other hand, it helps in most scenes.

Personally, I really enjoyed it. At times, I forgot I was watching a movie, which is more than I can ask for.

If you are interested, give it a shot and don't be deterred by the low score and other reviews!! Expect realism and humanity, but more importantly, don't forget it was written by someone with an objective in mind.

Dante Lam is imo one of the top five action directors in the world. In this film, he is perfection. It will blow your mind how he creates these explosive scenes as if you were right there, flinching amidst the action. That final rescue scene, visually, has to be the best I have ever seen. I feel slow-mo shots are for amateurs and so 1980's, but here they worked impeccably, and made that final rescue scene, one I will forever have etched in my mind. Simply perfection, stunning and explosive. Wow, Lam nailed it, and the entire rest of this film.

Then add the insanely amazing cinematography, stunning special and visual effects, and this is better than most A-list big budget Hollywood blockbusters. Everything from the training and rescues, makes firefighter training seem like a walk in the park. Casting was excellent, and the score and soundtrack top notch.

My only issue was the excessive melodramatics and the "parent and child" subplot. I didn't mind the romance part, but even with the excellent pacing, the 139 min runtime would have been more enjoyable, and less of an unnecessary emotional roller-coaster, without that subplot, and thus shaved at least 20-30 minutes, leaving us with more action than we can handle. The witty and sharp humor was good, but cheesy in this type of film, especially when it came from kids. I guess this is what happens when you have 3 writers collaborating - Wrong Size Man... errrm, darn auto-correct... I meant Wong Sze Man, Tan Yuli and Yaqing Zhi.

Nevertheless, today I learned to respect the search and rescue teams, who have been trained better than Navy Seals (obviously minus the combat training), and thoroughly enjoyed this gem by Lam. It's a well deserved 9/10 from me.

Having thoroughly enjoyed Dante Lam's films 'Operation Mekong' and 'Operation Red Sea', 'The Rescue' was highly anticipated. Sadly, it wasn't as satisfying as the previous films (yet by no means bad either!).

Fair enough, this is a well made film with lots of action and nail-biting, thrilling moments. Unfortunately the director relied too much on CGI for this film, where he used a lot of practical effects for his previous films. The visual effects are not bad, but certainly not the greatest. The visual effects in the 2019 Chinese film 'The Bravest' - also dealing with fire - were far better.

The character that most appealed to me was Gao Qian (Eddie Peng). They told us everything about him - from his back story to his ambitions and outlook on life, to his current dilemma and trauma, and regret. I really cared about this character and rooted for him every step of the way. I also cared about his son, Cong Cong. Why they always insist on adding a love interest is beyond me, and quite honestly sometimes gets in the way of the action. The love interest in 'The Rescue' is cliched and too predictable - in typical Hollywood style...

The film gives us a great insight into the dangerous operations of rescue personnel, and the grueling preparations and exercise they go through to save lives. I enjoyed that aspect of the film. 'The Rescue' can be divided into chapters. Chapter One is the oil rig rescue operation, Chapter Two is the truck rescue operation, Chapter Three is the plane rescue operation (this scene by the way was incredibly well done!), and Chapter Four was the oil vessel rescue operation. The rig and the oil vessel scenes were very similar, though, and gave me a sense of deja vu. Crammed into all of this is our hero's son developing a cancerous brain tumor, and then there's still room for the love story. As a result the film feels too long, with the viewer (or me at least) almost losing interest during the finale, which was too similar to the opening scene, and - honestly - the rig scene was more impressive.

I love Asian disaster movies and even though 'The Rescue' wasn't as good as many of the other offerings as of late, it was still enjoyable.