Dongji Rescue Review: A Monumental WWII Epic with Chinese Heart

By Richard Ren / Art Critic & Freelance Writer / LAPost

Los Angeles — August 21 — At AMC Monterey Park, I attended a special screening of Dongji Rescue with friends, a sweeping World War II epic that premiered in China earlier this month and will open in U.S. cinemas on August 22.

A Forgotten Story Brought to the Screen

Co-directed by Guan Hu (The Eight Hundred) and Fei Zhenxiang, Dongji Rescue revisits the long-obscured Lisbon Maru incident of 1942. After a Japanese transport ship carrying more than 1,800 British prisoners of war was torpedoed off China’s Zhoushan Archipelago, survivors were left to drown as Japanese forces opened fire on those struggling in the water. Against orders and at great personal risk, humble fishermen from Dongji Island launched small wooden boats and rescued over 300 POWs.

Unlike Fang Li’s 2023 documentary The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru, which primarily focused on Allied accounts, this feature shifts perspective to the Chinese villagers. It explores not just their courage but also their moral reckoning: should they risk annihilation to save strangers, or protect their families under brutal occupation?

Voices from Hollywood

Acclaimed Chinese-American filmmaker Qi Binying described the film as “deeply moving and profoundly shocking.” She noted that the narrative avoids bombastic nationalist tropes, instead unfolding through intimate character transformations. “The brother who first opposes the rescue is eventually moved by his sibling’s compassion — it’s human change, not propaganda,” she observed.

Qi praised Ni Ni’s performance as a woman who grows from the margins into defiance and courage. “Traditionally, women weren’t allowed to sail or fish, but her character breaks that taboo under occupation. When she smashes her stepfather’s idol and declares, ‘We must rely on ourselves,’ it’s a moment of raw, unforgettable power.”

Hollywood’s younger voices echoed this sentiment. Director Tanxuan Shi singled out the IMAX visuals and water cinematography as “a bold leap for Chinese filmmaking — technically astonishing, yet deeply human.” He urged more IMAX screenings abroad, “because this is a film that demands the biggest canvas.”

Technical Triumphs

With an $80 million budget and IMAX cameras, Dongji Rescue delivers both scale and intimacy. The filmmakers deploy stunning underwater photography — still rare in Chinese cinema — that transforms the hold of the Lisbon Maru into a suffocating, coffin-like space.

The storm-lashed rescue sequence, staged with whirlpools swallowing ships whole, represents one of the most ambitious logistical feats in recent Chinese blockbusters. Editors Yang Hongyu and Li Weiwen balance chaos with clarity, while Atli Örvarsson’s score surges with emotional force.

Performances that Humanize the Epic

At its heart are two brothers: Abi (Zhu Yilong), the restless fisherman, and Adang (Wu Lei), the younger sibling whose compassion sparks the island’s turning point. Their relationship grounds the narrative in emotion, making the epic personal.

Ni Ni, as Abi’s lover Ahua, evolves into the film’s moral spine, while veteran Ni Dahong adds gravity as the patriarch Old Wu. British actor William Franklyn-Miller lends poignancy as POW Thomas Newman, bridging cultures through shared humanity.

Strengths and Weaknesses

If the film falters, it is in pacing. The first act lingers on island life, subplots that enrich texture but slow momentum. Yet when the film crests into the rescue itself, the emotional and visual payoff is immense.

Beyond Borders

At a time when Chinese cinema is reaching outward, Dongji Rescue resonates as more than spectacle — it is cultural memory in motion. By foregrounding Chinese fishermen, it restores agency to overlooked heroes of WWII.

As one critic reflected during the screening: “Some stories, if China does not tell them, may vanish forever.” Now, they are not only being told but projected across oceans, connecting audiences through shared reflection on war, humanity, and moral choice.

Verdict

Dongji Rescue is more than a blockbuster; it is a cinematic monument to bravery, solidarity, and human conscience. Despite occasional narrative sprawl, its artistry and emotional gravity secure it a place among the most significant Chinese war films to reach American screens.

Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)