- Director : Michael Chiang
- Actors : Max Zhang, Aarif Lee, Jiang Luxia, Mark Luu, Liu Ye
- Studio : Well Go Usa
- MPAA rating : NR (Not Rated)
- Country of Origin : USA
- Number of discs : 1
- Media Format : Subtitled, Widescreen
- Run time : 1 hour and 45 minutes
- Release date : January 23, 2024
I have long encouraged anyone willing to
listen to expand their film viewing experiences beyond national borders,
despite the common misconception that foreign films are slow and boring. If each
year’s Academy Awards nominees for Best Foreign Language Film are often
misleadingly self-serious, but there is a world of trashy genre filmmaking in a
language other than English. In other words, Hollywood is not the only industry
aware of the value in pure spectacle and mindless entertainment, and Wolf
Pack is a perfect example coming from China.
Wolf Pack
feels like China’s answer to The Expendables franchise, containing a
plot about an international conspiracy and filled with macho energy and
over-the-top action. The film begins with the kidnapping of a young doctor
named Ke Tong (Aarif Lee) who is working in Indonesia while investigating the
mysterious death of his father. He is taken by a mercenary group led by Lao
Diao (Max Zhang), who initially appear cold-hearted in their determination to
complete a mission with details not immediately revealed to either Tong or the
audience.
Although Diao
and his team are capable of brutal violence, there is more to them than Tong initially
realizes. They are on a mission to stop a conspiracy to target China’s energy
lifeline, making them a group of unlikely heroes while simultaneously embedding
the film with predictably nationalistic themes. As transparent as the
intentions of the narrative may be, the non-stop spectacle of action makes for
a painless viewing experience. There could have been more hand-to-hand combat, utilizing
Zhang’s talents fully, but there are a few good chase scenes and decent gun
action. It isn’t the best the genre (or the country) has to offer, but Wolf
Pack is enough to satisfy die-hard action fans until something better comes
along.
The Blu-ray
release for Wolf Pack doesn’t have any extras to speak of, though the
high-definition presentation will likely help sell some of the shoddier digital
effects.
Entertainment Value:
6.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 5/10
Historical
Significance: 3/10
Special Features: 0/10
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