Wolf
Warrior is the Chinese equivalent of the American military action film, Act of Valor; it is well shot, filled
with exciting action, with a plot so simplistic it is nearly nonexistent, and a
tone so patriotic that it borders on propaganda. If you can excuse the
silliness of the story or the transparency of the movie’s national pride, there
is still some above average action to enjoy. In fact, I would say that this is
one of the more exciting Chinese action films I have seen recently, though the
emphasis remains on firepower rather than martial arts.
Sergeant Leng
Feng (Wu Jing) is a top marksman chosen to join an elite Chinese Special Forces
group known as the Wolf Warriors after he disobeys orders in order to take down
an international drug lord. While on a training exercise with his new team of
soldiers, Feng and his men are attacked by a group of mercenaries sent by the
brother of the drug lord killed. Even though the point of the Wolf Warriors is
that they fight in a pack, Feng takes the responsibility of warding off the
attacks, becoming something of a lone wolf.
Scott Adkins
heads up the cast of mercenaries, though the story barely slows down enough to
give these bad guys a few scenes of dialogue, much less character development.
This is a film that focuses nearly entirely on the action, pausing only
momentarily for the patriotic dribble. Fortunately, the fast pace along with
some truly visceral action sequences serve the film well, never pausing long
enough for the audience to contemplate the ridiculousness of the content. This
is a film meant to inspire emotions, either for country or enjoyment of the
spectacle, but nothing in the 90-minutes of entertainment is improved with
intelligent analysis. Even the fast pace can’t hide some of the more obvious
flaws, such as an unnecessary CGI-laden battle between the Wolf Warrior
soldiers and a pack of real wild wolves.
The brisk pace
and well choreographed sequences of unrealistic military action make this an
enjoyable, albeit flawed, viewing experience. Shut your brain off and ignore
communist propaganda, and this is one of the more exciting gun-centric action
films to come out of China
Entertainment Value:
8/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 5/10
Historical
Significance: 3.5/10
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