Feng Xiaogang’s War Epic Assembly

Chinese director Feng Xiaogang, whose last movie was the big-budget costume epic “The Banquet”, returns with a gritty war movie called “Assembly”. The film has been called the Chinese version of “Saving Private Ryan”, and indeed, the trailer for the film looks like seriously brutal stuff. Take a look at it below.

Feng’s film is a human drama about a soldier of a People’s Liberation Army unit during the civil war between the Communists and the Kuomintang (KMT), or the Nationalists, in the 1940s. The soldier, once a company commander, devotes his life to redeeming the honor of fellow soldiers who are declared missing in action.

The plot apes “Saving Private Ryan”, of course, as well as the more recent South Korean war movie “Taegukgi”.

“Assembly” has already opened to wide acclaim in China, and has pre-sold to other Asian territories. Who knows if it will ever reach American theaters, but I doubt it. Look for it on DVD.

Two trailers for the film below: