82nd Golden Globe® Nominations Announced
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Wolf Warrior II (China)

Wolf Warrior II is a nationalist action film that stormed China’s box office in 2017. Since its theatrical release in China and North America, the movie has made over 860 million USD. Directed by and starring film star Wu Jing, Wolf Warrior II is an action-packed sequel to the 2015 hit Wolf Warrior. The story takes place years after the heroic Chinese soldier Leng Feng (Wu Jing) is released from prison. Leng is China’s deadliest special forces operative, but his impulsive misconduct during a mission shattered his career. His fiancée was murdered in a mission in an unnamed country in Africa, which drives Leng to that dangerous land to look for answers. There Leng crosses paths with a heavily armed group of Western mercenaries led by Big Daddy (Frank Grillo). Soon Leng realizes his new task is to save hundreds of innocent African civilians and Chinese immigrants from Big Daddy’s genocidal mission.“Once a wolf warrior, always a wolf warrior”, is Leng’s tagline as he reaffirms his duty as a Chinese soldier. Infused with blood-pumping Chinese patriotism, Wolf Warrior II doesn’t follow conventional patterns of Chinese patriotic movies, instead, it successfully molds its visuals and story structure on the Hollywood blockbuster formula. The film starts with a three-minute take of Leng capturing a band of pirates underwater. The scene is seamlessly choreographed with traditional Kung Fu moves and modern combat tactics. Following this mind-blowing opening, the film continues to entertain us with testosterone-fueled sequences. Guns, missiles and tanks blazing, turn the peaceful African country into a war zone, and Leng is the only Chinese soldier who can save the day.  Besides the obvious Chinese patriotism, the film also celebrates Sino-African solidarity. Leng’s love interest, Dr. Rachel Smith (Celina Jade), delivers a monologue about the damages colonization has brought to the African continent, which points out that Westerners and Chinese are outsiders and should pay respect to African civilians. Essentially, in Wolf Warrior II, China has found its own Rambo and Leng is fully aware of its increasing military abilities. The film can be viewed as a reflection of China’s boosting confidence and growing power in the Xi Jinping era.