Loosely based on the 2015 evacuation of Chinese foreign nationals in the port of Yemen, this is exactly how war movies should be made. Like a blistering hail storm of bullets and metallic fragments, Operation Red Sea is here to prove that military warfare is still a great thing when transposed to the screen properly.
In what could possibly end up being the most action filled war epic of 2018, Dante Lam's Operation Red Sea is a never-ending stream of death, blood, and sheer mayhem.
At a length of two hours and twenty two minutes, this militaristic battle piece never stops throwing its $72 million budget at the screen with an absolute lust for total destruction. Kicking off on the ocean, modern pirates are decimated by a tactical team of highly trained soldiers. Quickly moving to a story that involves a terrorist plot with hostages, focus shifts to a brutal battle that plays out like a highly rendered live action video game. At a breakneck pace, bodies are ripped to shreds, buildings are destroyed, and the bad guys find brand new ways to be decimated by the opposing forces.
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| American cinema! This is us sniping you. |
Interchanging story and character development for a high pitch opera of gunfire, Operation Red Sea often times calls back to the heroics of Black Hawk Down. Reportedly this is based on some 'true events' but that might be an outlandish claim considering the amount of mayhem that takes place here. The amount of damage that takes place is totally unfounded in most reality based films about terrorists. Using nearly every weapon known to man, Red Sea is a wet dream for those that love their action and provides an escapist type story that pits heroes against a stockpile of foreign foes with machine guns.
Fans of action films will be in pure heaven as Lam's delivery is fully self aware but one hundred percent dedicated to bringing a visceral tale of heroism to the movies. Some might complain at the lack of plot cohesion, but this flick starts with a hail of gunfire and ends the same. Cramming in every possible war machine as he can, Red Sea is a step up for action cinema. From tanks, to drones, to first person shooter style, to missile systems, to flesh being torn from bone, Lam's love for modern warfare is flawless.
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| Yup. I'm a bad ass. |
What's really striking about the feature is the broad spectrum of landscapes, set pieces, and the devastation that takes place. This is like Call of Duty on speed. It's an unrelenting project that definitely calls back to the '80s as it spins a fiery web of amplified combat. Not since John Woo's Hard Boiled have I been so enamored with an asian action film.
Score
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