Director: Vincent Zhao
Notable Cast: Vincent Zhao, Jiang Yiyi, Diego Dati, Lu
Peng
Also known as: Counter Attack
After the success of Wolf Warrior II as a home-grown
mega-blockbuster that didn’t need the help of the foreign box office to make it
onto the list of highest-grossing films of all time, it’s a bit of a shock that
more films weren’t immediately jumping on board to replicate the success. It
was a film that took a popular actor, in this case, Wu Jing, and made him one of
the biggest box office draws in the nation. Not to mention, the star directed
the film and suddenly he was a hot commodity in that area too. That kind of ego
boost for Wu Jing is impressive. Yet, there wasn't the boom of knock-offs that one might expect. However, speaking of an ego boost, please allow Vincent
Zhao to enter this review.
Zhao looks to replicate the success of the previously
mentioned film with Strike Back (or also titled Counter Attack
according to the title on the film) as his directorial debut. It’s a film that
feels much larger than its intimate plotting, features Zhao in the lead role,
and blends golden age Hollywood action with Chinese action stereotypes. It’s
one that, on paper, should be just as fun and silly as one would hope, allowing
Vincent Zhao all of the praise while delivering an easy to digest piece of
entertainment.
The problem with Strike Back, particularly compared
to the previously mentioned blockbuster hit, is that so much of it lacks that
inherent and naturalistic charisma necessary for a film like this to hit its
mark. Its story, which finds Zhao’s private military sniper/jet pack pilot/jet
pack pilot sniper/all-around military badass at the center of a frame job in a
foreign country, is often convoluted and formulaic. His character, Ziming, ends
up on the run with a plucky young reporter, played by Jiang Yiyi, and trying to
clear his name while taking down baddies. It’s a formula that I’m completely on
board within the generic action film sense as long as the execution is
there.
Yet, Strike Back needs a lot more charm to sell its
merchandise. Zhao, as a director and star, desperately attempts to embed humor
and heart into the proceedings, as his lead character teaches the young
reporter how to be a sniper in record time or how his old partner shows up to
remind him of his loyalties. Almost immediately these elements become
disconnected and forced into the plot, thinly veiled motivations for paltry
characters in a formulaic narrative. There is some wink-wink silliness to enjoy
in the plot, particularly in the unintentional humor of some of its key moments
- including a cold open that features Zhao in a jet back trying to snipe a man
in a moving boat, but it’s not nearly enough to awash the film in the pure
entertainment it should have contained.
With that being said, if you’re not watching Strike Back
for the flaccid characters and motivations, you’re probably here for the action
and, quite frankly, that part is pretty solid. Zhao may struggle with
delivering the heart and humor in much of the film for dramatic effect, but he
continues to be quite capable on the action front. Not only does he continue to
be a star in this aspect, delivering some fantastic moments of ass-kickery
on-screen, but he delivers as a director too. There are a ton of fun visual
quirks in the action, the pacing is spot-on in these moments, and the
choreography delivers plenty of pop. The combination of modern style with
classic Chinese action certainly lifts this film into positive territory.
Is Strike Back the next Wolf Warrior II? Not at
all. Oddly enough, both films often suffer from the same issues. There are thin
scripts, hollow characters, and a sense of humanity that tends to be forced
into the writing and performances that never syncs up with the intentions. Yet,
Strike Back is blissfully packed with incredibly well shot and
choreographed action and its stupidly efficient pace means that it rarely
overstays its welcome in the struggles it does endure. Vincent Zhao remains the
intriguing action star he always was, but now one can add intriguing director
to that resume too. Strike Back is hardly a great film, but in ways to
burn 80 minutes - it suffices to entertain just enough.
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