The Rescue

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.

Fake Cgi from Far scene but better when up close.Parenting and Rescue moment still watchable.I nearly fall off from my chair while Eddie Peng still can survive under such fatal condition and his own motivation ps. Writer must be living in his own fantastic World.i thought I watch a super heroes movie.

While I won't call this a great movie, there are some fun to be found in it. The story is good with it being personal and professional lives of members from the China Rescue & Salvage. We see their daily life with their love ones and how these operations effect them. The movie contain too many plotline with the rescue mission, the romance between the main character and the new female worker, and his sone having a brain tumor. It feel like they try to added in things into the movie and it somewhat works. I do think the characters are build up pretty well and give them backstory to them. The action scenes are entertaining with their jobs on rescuing people from disaster and the risk they take to complete it. But I found the romance part to be not that interesting and is predictable on where it goes with it. And even the son with a tumor is obvious on what going to happened to him. The movie also contains some comedy bits which isn't that funny at all. But it does have a good climax to it.

The Rescue is a decent action movie that is enjoyable, but needs to be trimmed down.

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.

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.