Operation Mekong (Chinese: 湄公河行动) is a 2016 Chinese-Hong Kong crime action film directed by Dante Lam and starring Zhang Hanyu and Eddie Peng. The film is based on the 2011 Mekong River massacre. It was released in China on 30 September 2016 and became one of the highest-grossing films in China.[2][3]
| Operation Mekong | |||||||||||
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 Poster | |||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 湄公河行動 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 湄公河行动 | ||||||||||
| Literal meaning | Mekong River Action | ||||||||||
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| Directed by | Dante Lam | ||||||||||
| Screenplay by | Dante Lam Chu Kang-ki Lau Siu-kwan Tam Wai-ching Eric Lin | ||||||||||
| Produced by | Candy Leung Huang Jianxin | ||||||||||
| Starring | Zhang Hanyu Eddie Peng | ||||||||||
| Cinematography | Edmond Fung | ||||||||||
| Edited by | David Richardson | ||||||||||
| Music by | Henry Lai Julian Chan Lam Kwan-fai | ||||||||||
Production companies | |||||||||||
| Distributed by | Bona Film Group | ||||||||||
Release date |
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Running time | 124 minutes | ||||||||||
| Countries | China Thailand | ||||||||||
| Languages |
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| Box office | $173 million[1] | ||||||||||
Plot
editIn the Golden Triangle region of the Mekong River, there is a section known as the "Gate of Hell." Two Chinese merchant ships were attacked by unidentified assailants while passing through this area. The Thai military later held a press conference, accusing the merchant ships of being involved in drug trafficking. Although it was claimed that all crew members had escaped, the bodies of 13 Chinese crew members were soon discovered, all brutally murdered. This shocking incident garnered significant attention from Chinese police. Gao Gang (played by Zhang Hanyu), the captain of the Anti-Narcotics Unit of the Yunnan Provincial Public Security Department, was assigned to lead a task force to Thailand. There, he teamed up with intelligence officer Fang Xinwu (played by Eddie Peng) to investigate. According to intelligence, the case was orchestrated by the notorious Golden Triangle drug lord, Naw Khar. Greedy and ruthless, Naw Khar posed a major threat to the safety of transportation in the Mekong River region. To bring him to justice, China, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand launched joint patrols. While focusing efforts on dismantling Naw Khar's drug production bases, Gao Gang and his team ventured into dangerous territory, engaging in a fierce battle against the inhuman drug traffickers...
The film is based on the real-life Mekong River massacre.
Cast
edit- Zhang Hanyu as Gao Gang
- Eddie Peng as Fang Xinwu
- Feng Wenjuan as Guo Bing "Aphrodite"
- Sun Chun as Yu Ping
- Chen Baoguo as Minister of Public Security Jiang Haifeng
- Liu Xianda as Xie Wenfeng "Icarus" (哪吒 meaning Nezha)
- Jonathan Wu Linkai as Kuai Yitong "Hermes"
- Zhao Jian as Guo Xu "Poseidon"
- Zhan Liguo as Fu Baowei "Panoptes" (二郎 meaning Erlangshen)
- Shi Zhanjie s Jiang Xing "Ares" (木星 meaning Jupiter)
- Wu Xudong as Wild Bull Team Leader
- Carl Ng as Pierre
- Pawalit Mongkolpisit as Naw Khar
- Vithaya Pansringarm as P'Som
- Ken Lo as Xing Deng
- Ron Weaver as Puja
- Ganesh Acharya as Mr Zar
- Mandy Wei as Fang Xinwu's girlfriend (cameo)
The members of the operation have aliases: in the Chinese version they are named after deities in Chinese folk religion,[citation needed] while in the English versions the names are changed to deities in Greek mythology.[4]
Production
editPrincipal photography began on 13 September 2015, and wrapped on 31 January 2016.[5] Shooting locations include China (Beijing and Yunnan), Myanmar, and Thailand (Bangkok), but a few scene include HQ task force and another place in Penang, Cameron Highlands Pahang and Perak.
Release
editOperation Mekong was released on 30 September 2016. It concerns an incident that occurred in Chiang Saen District of Chiang Rai Province on 5 October 2011 when 13 Chinese crew members from two cargo ships were murdered by a Myanmar drug-trafficking ring.
Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, responding to news of the film's imminent release, said that the film would be banned in Thailand if it was found to "damage" the country. "I have ordered authorities to check the content of Operation Mekong. If it is damaging, it will be banned," Gen Prayut said.[6] Some believe that the reason for his government's nervousness is that Thai troops, the "elite" anti-drug Pa Muang Task Force, were known to have been at the scene of the massacre.[7] Nine soldiers were arrested, but "...have since disappeared from the justice system."[7] Naw Kham, a Golden Triangle drug kingpin, and his gang were found guilty of attacking the two Chinese cargo ships in collusion with Thai soldiers. He was executed in March 2013 in China along with three accomplices, including a Thai national.[6]
Reception
editThe film has grossed CN¥1.17 billion at the Chinese box office.[2]
Jessica Kiang of Variety stated that Operation Mekong "hurtles by in an enjoyably giddy, propulsive rush right until the final titles, which dedicate the film to the dead fishermen and detail the fate of the real Naw Kham."[4] Kiang stated that the sense of escapism in the film may be interfered with by the references to real life tragedies.[4]
Awards and nominations
editAccolades
edit| Award | Category | Nominee | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34th Hundred Flowers Awards | Best Director | Dante Lam | Nominated | [8] |
| Best Writing | Dante Lam, Zhu Jingqi, Liu Xiaoqun, Tan Huixian, Lin Mingjie | Nominated | ||
| Best Actor | Zhang Hanyu | Nominated | ||
| Best Supporting Actress | Feng Wenjuan | Nominated | ||
| 31st Golden Rooster Awards | Best Picture | Operation Mekong | Won | [9][10] |
| Best Art Director | Li Jianwei | Nominated | ||
| 12th Chinese American Film Festival | Golden Angel Award Film | Operation Mekong | Won | [11] |
| Best Actor | Zhang Hanyu | Won | ||
| Best Producer | Won | |||
| 13th Guangzhou Student Film Festival | Most Popular Film | Operation Mekong | Won | |
| 24th Beijing College Student Film Festival | Best Actor | Zhang Hanyu | Nominated | |
| Eddie Peng | Nominated | |||
| Best Visual Effects | Nominated | |||
| Favorite Film | Operation Mekong | Won | ||
| Favorite Actor | Zhang Hanyu | Won |
References
edit- ^ "Operation Mekong". Box Office Mojo
- ^ a b "湄公河行動（2016）". cbooo.cn (in Chinese). Retrieved 16 October 2016.
- ^ "湄公河行動 (2016)". movie.douban.com (in Chinese). douban.com. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
- ^ a b c Kiang, Jessica (22 October 2016). "Film Review: 'Operation Mekong'". Variety.
- ^ "《湄公河行动》顺利杀青 拍摄历时五个多月". 搜狐娱乐. 1 February 2016. Archived from the original on 5 October 2016.
- ^ a b Jitcharoenkul, Prangthong (28 September 2016). "PM mulls 'Operation Mekong' ban". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- ^ a b "Whitewash at Chiang Saen". Bangkok Post. 2 October 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- ^ "第34届大众电影百花奖提名名单公布". Netease (in Chinese). 7 November 2018.
- ^ "金鸡奖提名：《潘金莲》领跑 范冰冰周冬雨再争影后". ifeng (in Chinese). 16 August 2017.
- ^ "邓超范冰冰分获影帝影后《我不是潘金莲》成金鸡大赢家". ifeng (in Chinese). 16 September 2017.
- ^ "第十二屆中美電影節星光熠熠——開幕式暨金天使獎頒獎典禮耀動洛城". cafilmfestival.org. Retrieved 15 May 2017.