I had no idea China had their own Michael Bay. In retrospect, I can’t say that I’m surprised; being a world superpower comes with strength, leadership, and whole ton of irresponsible cheerleading. It takes a great deal to wave your flag properly in the modern atmosphere; this is why the Russians were always doomed to lose the Cold War – their propaganda sucked. You can’t sell an oppressive philosophy on dour; you have to make it look heroic, with explosions and fire and making the blasé into triumph. It takes something that makes impressionable teens want to invest in the army more than the mall. And with that, I present Operation Red Sea: imagine it as 12 Strong, only with Chinese soldiers instead.
The movie opens in the Indian Ocean where Somali pirates have taken a cargo ship. The eight-person Jiaolong Assault Team arrives to balance the scales. During the counterattack, the pirates prove no match for Jiaolong, of course. That still didn’t quite prepare me for the next moment in the show: while the pirates have taken the bridge, made 
demands, and clung to hostages as human shields, a Chinese sniper fires about 200 feet away from a hovering helicopter, through glass, and nails the shielded hostile in the forehead. Whoa, whoa, nice shootin’, Tex.
It is at this moment that I realize two things: 1) What an impressive piece of filmmaking. Whatever else you call it, you have to appreciate the skill taken to set up and execute that movie moment. 2) I have seen this –or something very much like it- before in several films, but I’ve never seen it with the backdrop of the Chinese flag. Then, of course, the sniper goes down next scene, leaving the door open for heroism … and replacement. Who’s gonna be the next anti-terrorist sharpshooter? How about you, impressionable teen? Dudes, well done. That is how to make propaganda.
I’m almost embarrassed to point out this screenplay is based on real events, because I swear it looks like a Bruce Willis film. See, there’s this Yemeni terrorist organization, Zaka, in the Gulf of Aden and they want to get yellow cake to make a dirty bomb or two. And they’ve taken hostages, so the Jiaolong Assault Team is the tool of choice here. Meanwhile, the intel is unearthed by journalist Xia Nan (Hai Qing), who avoids a booby-trapped car bomb by retrieving a forgotten heirloom of past terror.
Ok, let me go over that part again – there’s a journalist. She’s the only one who really knows what’s going down. She’s about to tell people that the bad guys have the yellow cake and access to dirty bomb plans and now just need to combine the two to make the Middle East, well, a little worse. She’s about to get in her car when she realizes that she’s dropped a cheesy homemade bracelet – the only souvenir from her parents who died in a terrorist attack years ago – in retracing her steps to retrieve the bracelet, she passes out of the danger zone and the bomb destroys her car alone. OK, questions anyone? Because I could only come up with a dozen on the spot. The best part? A car bomb might phase some people. A car bomb in many other movies is a 
plot point; it might even lead to, you know, action of some kind. Now I don’t speak Mandarin, but I sure-as-Hell read English subtitles. This didn’t come up again.
Sure, car bomb, why not? Get the lady reporter involved. This sausage fest needed more women anyway.
For me, Operation Red Sea is kind of a revelation. I’m certain Chinese filmmakers have made war films before. I’m certain they’ve been made with skill and I’m certain some have even found American movie theaters. But this is the first one of Michael Bay type I’ve seen that looked exactly like an American flag waving army-yay, terrorists-boo epic. This wasn’t a film about reinventing history or reexamining Mao or setting romance against foreign oppression. It was simply a blow-shit-up-label-a-hero-and-wave-a-flag film. Only the flag here is all red with some yellow stars in the corner. And the film isn’t bad; it’s just a carbon copy of a dozen other films where soldiers with red, white, and blue flags destroy the Middle East in the name of justice.
Terrorists, your endeavor is wrong
Your shelf life? Won’t be too long
Wait a sec, I’m amused
This pic seems a bit used
Last week, it was called 12 Strong
Not Rated [Read: R], 139 Minutes
Director: Dante Lam
Writer: Ji Feng
Genre: The art of the powerful
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Chinese nationalists
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Terrorists
