Feb
3
2008
Assembly
Posted by luna6
Movie : Assembly (集結號)
Release Date : October 4th, 2007
Country : China
Director : Xiaogang Feng
Starring : Zhang Hanyu, Deng Chao, Liao Fan, Wang Baoqiang, Hu Jun
Runtime : 125 min
Rating : 7.0
(8 Votes, User Rating: 8)
Loading …
“Assembly” is the latest blockbuster pic from Xiaogang Feng, who has graced audiences with “The Banquet” and “A World Without Thieves”. His latest film differs dramatically from his prior works as “Assembly” is a two part war film; the first half gives a first person viewpoint into the ultra-violent urban and trench warfare fought during China’s Civil War and then for the pic’s second half delves into one man’s quest to honor his forgotten comrades. The film does succeed on many levels and provides for plenty of gripping moments, my one gripe for the film (two if you count the horrendous soundtrack) would be its uneven feel when taken as a whole.
In a battered town somewhere in China, Captain Zidi Gu leads his 9th Company’s men through the streets to capture Nationalist soldiers. The 9th Company then runs into an ambush and suffers heavy causalities A fierce battle ensues with the end result being the Nationalist soldier’s unconditional surrender. At this moment Captain Zidi Gu is enraged because of the death of his close friend, his unit’s Political Officer. In retaliation for the Political Officer’s death he orders the Nationalist soldiers to pick their arms back up and and than orders them shot on site.
For his actions, Captain Zidi Gu is imprisoned for 30 days in a makeshift PLA jail cell, which is actuality a large barn. His cellmate is Wang Zincun, a Political Officer himself, jailed for cowardice in the field of battle. Captain Gu recognizes Wang Zincun’s shortcomings, but still finds him to be a good person.
Captain Gu is then given a special mission by his commanding officer Liu. Gu is to take his 9th Company (now down to 47 men) and defend a front line area where the Nationalists will attack. This is a near impossible task but Captain Gu accepts the order with one additional request. He asks that Wang Zincun becomes his unit’s Political Officer.
The second half of the film then deals with Captain Gu’s subsequent capture as a Nationalist soldier (he was found wearing a Nationalist uniform after that battle) and released from a PLA hospital. He has trouble proving his identity and has even more trouble gaining recognition for his fallen 9th Company from the government.
Even though the material in “Assembly” is based on a true story and the ensuing politics of that era, the movie takes a decided agnostic viewpoint on politics of that time. The only views the film really expresses is its solidarity to the soldiers that fought in those battles. The movie’s first half would definitely be the highlight for myself. Bullets tear off soldier’s limbs with frightening realism, while grenades would dismember a soldier just as realistically. Once the film moved into the trench warfare segment, again the visuals were amazingly realistic. Not only were the visuals done in a superb manner, the movie also did a splendid job in revealing the tactics used in those types of battles. In fact, my only complaint with the first half of the film would be with it’s weak musical score, which sounded like it was lifted from an actual People’s Liberation Army propaganda film.
With the beginning of the second half, the film jumps 2 months ahead. Most of the gunplay is now passed over in favor of a straight narrative concerning Captain Gu’s quest to gain the recognition of his fallen comrades, who were listed as “MIA”. This part of the movie felt fragmented and a slightly jarring when taken in context with the action packed first half of the film. The story told is solid, but feels slightly stiff, as well as uneven.
Xiaogang Feng’s “Assembly” excels in the first half’s up close depiction of the battles fought in China circa 1948. The second half’s movement into a conventional narrative about a forgotten soldier feels less impressive, but holds some genuine moments of interests. There is a slight patchworked feel to the pic when taken as a whole, but nevertheless, there’s a lot to like about the “Assembly” … especially those battles.
2007 Movie Reviews, Chinese Movies |