The Patriotic Action Film Storming China

That is the tagline for Wolf Warriors 2, the Chinese box office hit that is equal parts testosterone-fuelled machismo - think blazing guns, explosions, and tanks - and chest-thumping Chinese patriotism.

It sees a soldier venturing into an African warzone and saving hundreds of lives from Western baddies. It's basically the plot of your typical Hollywood action movie, but this time it's a Chinese man upholding justice and keeping the world safe.

Leng Feng, a Chinese special forces soldier played by Wu Jing, is sent in to save Chinese businessmen and locals held by Western mercenaries.

Following in the footsteps of Jackie Chan and Jet Li, martial arts expert Wu Jing is among a new generation of Chinese action stars turned directors.

His first Wolf Warrior film came out in 2014, but it didn't make much of an impact. Mainstream movies, especially those promoting patriotism, usually don't do very well in China.

Wolf Warrior 2, however, has become a phenomenon. The film has raked in a record 1.6bn yuan ($238m; £181m) in just one week. The massive response in China also made the film top the global box office worldwide, beating Hollywood blockbuster Dunkirk.

Many moviegoers said online that they were touched by the patriotic plot."This movie is the best Chinese action movie," one social media user wrote. "Shockingly good - hot blood and tough guys. 

The movie’s debut coincided with a series of celebrations marking the 90th anniversary of the People’s Liberation Army. It also came just before China officially opened its first overseas military base (located in East Africa, it is, Beijing insists, purely for peacekeeping and humanitarian purposes). As the Financial Times notes (paywall), the film’s scenes are sprinkled with dialog praising China’s foreign policy, and the film ends with a shot of a Chinese passport and the message that citizens will be protected by their motherland.  (source:internet)

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