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Operation Mekong

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Operation Mekong
Poster
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese湄公河行動
Simplified Chinese湄公河行动
Literal meaningMekong River Action
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinMéigōng Hé Xíngdòng
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutpingmei4 gung1 ho4 hang4 dung6
Directed byDante Lam
Screenplay byDante Lam
Chu Kang-ki
Lau Siu-kwan
Tam Wai-ching
Eric Lin
Produced byCandy Leung
Huang Jianxin
StarringZhang Hanyu
Eddie Peng
CinematographyEdmond Fung
Edited byDavid Richardson
Music byHenry Lai
Julian Chan
Lam Kwan-fai
Production
companies
Bona Film Group
Distribution Workshop
Film Fireworks Production
Distributed byBona Film Group
Release date
  • 30 September 2016 (2016-09-30)
Running time
124 minutes
CountriesChina
Thailand
Languages
  • Mandarin
  • Thai
  • Lao
  • Burmese
  • English
Box office$173 million[1]

Operation Mekong (Chinese: 湄公河行动) is a 2016 Chinese-Hong Kong crime action film directed by Dante Lam and starring Zhang Hanyu and Eddie Peng. The film is based on the 2011 Mekong River massacre. It was released in China on 30 September 2016 and became one of the highest-grossing films in China.[2][3]

Plot

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In the Golden Triangle region of the Mekong River, there is a section known as the "Gate of Hell." Two Chinese merchant ships were attacked by unidentified assailants while passing through this area. The Thai military later held a press conference, accusing the merchant ships of being involved in drug trafficking. Although it was claimed that all crew members had escaped, the bodies of 13 Chinese crew members were soon discovered, all brutally murdered. This shocking incident garnered significant attention from Chinese police. Gao Gang (played by Zhang Hanyu), the captain of the Anti-Narcotics Unit of the Yunnan Provincial Public Security Department, was assigned to lead a task force to Thailand. There, he teamed up with intelligence officer Fang Xinwu (played by Eddie Peng) to investigate. According to intelligence, the case was orchestrated by the notorious Golden Triangle drug lord, Naw Khar. Greedy and ruthless, Naw Khar posed a major threat to the safety of transportation in the Mekong River region. To bring him to justice, China, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand launched joint patrols. While focusing efforts on dismantling Naw Khar's drug production bases, Gao Gang and his team ventured into dangerous territory, engaging in a fierce battle against the inhuman drug traffickers...

The film is based on the real-life Mekong River massacre.

Cast

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The members of the operation have aliases: in the Chinese version they are named after deities in Chinese folk religion,[citation needed] while in the English versions the names are changed to deities in Greek mythology.[4]

Production

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Principal photography began on 13 September 2015, and wrapped on 31 January 2016.[5] Shooting locations include China (Beijing and Yunnan), Myanmar, and Thailand (Bangkok), but a few scene include HQ task force and another place in Penang, Cameron Highlands Pahang and Perak.

Release

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Operation Mekong was released on 30 September 2016. It concerns an incident that occurred in Chiang Saen District of Chiang Rai Province on 5 October 2011 when 13 Chinese crew members from two cargo ships were murdered by a Myanmar drug-trafficking ring.

Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, responding to news of the film's imminent release, said that the film would be banned in Thailand if it was found to "damage" the country. "I have ordered authorities to check the content of Operation Mekong. If it is damaging, it will be banned," Gen Prayut said.[6] Some believe that the reason for his government's nervousness is that Thai troops, the "elite" anti-drug Pa Muang Task Force, were known to have been at the scene of the massacre.[7] Nine soldiers were arrested, but "...have since disappeared from the justice system."[7] Naw Kham, a Golden Triangle drug kingpin, and his gang were found guilty of attacking the two Chinese cargo ships in collusion with Thai soldiers. He was executed in March 2013 in China along with three accomplices, including a Thai national.[6]

Reception

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The film has grossed CN¥1.17 billion at the Chinese box office.[2]

Jessica Kiang of Variety stated that Operation Mekong "hurtles by in an enjoyably giddy, propulsive rush right until the final titles, which dedicate the film to the dead fishermen and detail the fate of the real Naw Kham."[4] Kiang stated that the sense of escapism in the film may be interfered with by the references to real life tragedies.[4]

Awards and nominations

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Accolades

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Award Category Nominee Result Ref.
34th Hundred Flowers Awards Best Director Dante Lam Nominated [8]
Best Writing Dante Lam, Zhu Jingqi, Liu Xiaoqun, Tan Huixian, Lin Mingjie Nominated
Best Actor Zhang Hanyu Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Feng Wenjuan Nominated
31st Golden Rooster Awards Best Picture Operation Mekong Won [9][10]
Best Art Director Li Jianwei Nominated
12th Chinese American Film Festival Golden Angel Award Film Operation Mekong Won [11]
Best Actor Zhang Hanyu Won
Best Producer Won
13th Guangzhou Student Film Festival Most Popular Film Operation Mekong Won
24th Beijing College Student Film Festival Best Actor Zhang Hanyu Nominated
Eddie Peng Nominated
Best Visual Effects Nominated
Favorite Film Operation Mekong Won
Favorite Actor Zhang Hanyu Won

References

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  1. ^ "Operation Mekong". Box Office Mojo
  2. ^ a b "湄公河行動（2016）". cbooo.cn (in Chinese). Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  3. ^ "湄公河行動 (2016)". movie.douban.com (in Chinese). douban.com. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  4. ^ a b c Kiang, Jessica (22 October 2016). "Film Review: 'Operation Mekong'". Variety.
  5. ^ "《湄公河行动》顺利杀青 拍摄历时五个多月". 搜狐娱乐. 1 February 2016. Archived from the original on 5 October 2016.
  6. ^ a b Jitcharoenkul, Prangthong (28 September 2016). "PM mulls 'Operation Mekong' ban". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  7. ^ a b "Whitewash at Chiang Saen". Bangkok Post. 2 October 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  8. ^ "第34届大众电影百花奖提名名单公布". Netease (in Chinese). 7 November 2018.
  9. ^ "金鸡奖提名：《潘金莲》领跑 范冰冰周冬雨再争影后". ifeng (in Chinese). 16 August 2017.
  10. ^ "邓超范冰冰分获影帝影后《我不是潘金莲》成金鸡大赢家". ifeng (in Chinese). 16 September 2017.
  11. ^ "第十二屆中美電影節星光熠熠——開幕式暨金天使獎頒獎典禮耀動洛城". cafilmfestival.org. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
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