Summary
A slick production filled with impressive action sequences concentrates on a moment in history.
The guerrilla warfare waged by the Counter-Japanese Underground Armed Force of the Communist Party during the Second Sino-Japanese War has provided ample fodder for film and TV shows. From Railway Guerrilla (1956) to Jackie Chan in Railroad Tigers (2016), it’s become synonymous with a critical point in history for China’s national identity.
Which brings us to RAILWAY HEROES (铁道英雄), a lavish production and the debut film of writer-director Yang Feng. Here he casts the group, often known as the Lunan Railway Brigade, as troupe running a grass-roots campaign against the Japanese occupiers. Working their way up and down the critical Tianjin–Pukou (or Jinpu) railway, they hide in plain sight for hit-and-run skirmishes aimed at hurting the Japanese supply line.
As with many recent large-scale Chinese action films, there’s a fiercely nationalistic streak running through it. There are times when you might feel like the film is overly jingoistic. It is, after all, about a moment in Chinese history where clear lines could be drawn between heroes and villains. The Japanese soldiers, led by Captain Iwai, are portrayed as singularly sinister and shifty, right down to the music cues. It would also be easy to label a scene in which the Brigade pledge loyalty to the Communist Party as propaganda, but it’s no more so than a pledge of allegiance to a flag, country or military industrial complex in any Hollywood production.
So, if one were to concentrate on the spectacle, then it’s easy to get drawn into the depths of this blockbuster. From the opening scene, the slick cinematography, big budget and high production values are on full display. Action sequences are top-notch, and the wintry setting allows for some impressive set-pieces. There’s at least one moment, as the Brigade comes swinging through a train car and greeted by machine gun fire, typifies the scale of the individual sequences.
RAILROAD HEROES is ‘dedicated to the heroes of the Shandong Rail Corps, 115th Battalion of the 8th Route Army.’ It’s a film that’s filled with a rich history and connections to the past. The railway itself, which started construction in 1908, is a source of some national importance and pride for the people of Shandong. So, whether you take this as a product of nationalism or just an handsomely staged action flick, it’s worth spending some time with.
2021 | China | DIRECTOR: Yang Feng | WRITERS: Yang Feng | CAST: Zhang Hanyu, Fan Wei, Vision Wei, Zhou Ye, Yu Haoming | DISTRIBUTOR: China Lion (AUS/US) | RUNNING TIME: 124 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 19 November 2021 (AUS/US/China)
