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战狼2 or Wolf Warriors 2 was a Chinese action movie directed by martial artist, actor and director Wu Jing. Screened on July 27, the box office results for the film have broken many Chinese movie records, reaching a total of 5.4 billion RMB during the film’s screening period. Wolf Warriors 2 was so popular that it was even screened outside of China, one of the few Chinese-made films to ever receive such international fame. Wolf Warriors 2 is now the second-highest earning movie from one single territory, the first being Star Wars: The Force Awakens. So how did this film manage to win the hearts of so many Chinese citizens to accomplish this? The film’s surge of popularity was the result of its heroic story, and also, the nationalism that it promoted.
*** SPOILER WARNING ***
Wolf Warriors 2 centers around an ex-special ops soldier, Leng Feng, played by Wu Jing himself. Leng goes to an unnamed African country to search for the murderer of his true love, Xiaoyun Long. But he becomes involved in a rebellion in Africa which threatens the safety of Chinese citizens stationed in the war-torn sections of the country. Due to diplomatic reasons, the Chinese government cannot send in forces to rescue its citizens, so Leng volunteers himself and wages a one-man war against the rebels and mercenaries until he finds help in the form of two Chinese soldiers. The story of the film follows a general hero’s journey story where Leng’s journey begins as a quest for revenge, then turns into a heroic rescue mission. Leng’s quests align when the leader of a mercenary group, Big Daddy, turns out to be Long’s killer. In the end, despite the obstacles Leng faces, he rescues many refugees and, of course, kills Big Daddy.
The rebel leader who hires the mercenaries orders his forces to avoid fighting the Chinese, because he’s afraid of provoking the Chinese government, a sign of respect to China’s power. Near the end of the film, when Leng and the refugees are blocked from safety by a war zone, Leng ties a Chinese flag to his arm and the group passes through the battlefield with no resistance, a sign that the soldiers all recognize China’s power and are afraid of angering the powerful nation. At the very end, an image of the Chinese passport appears on screen, with added text on the back reading, “Citizens of the People’s Republic of China: When you face danger overseas, do not give up! Remember, there is a powerful motherland behind you!” The film pays respects to its fanbase and market, which helped spike the popularity of the film. After viewing the film, many Chinese audiences remark that they felt proud to be Chinese. Perhaps the presence of overseas Chinese in so many parts of the world, many of whom may think nostalgically of their homeland, contributed to the popularity of the movie outside of China.
Wolf Warriors 2 presents the power and nobility of China through a dramatic film medium, allowing it to obtain unprecedented popularity. Here’s hoping that Wolf Warriors 3 can be just as good, if not better.
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