“Railway Heroes” is a historical action spy thriller produced by the Huayi Brothers and set during the 1939 Sino-Japanese War in China in which a group of brave railway workers and resistance groups take on the Japanese to make life difficult for the foreign invaders. They are fronted by railway foreman Lao Hung who, together with his followers, are willing to risk their lives to fight for their freedom.
First time director Yang has a great eye for details and it shows in his film. The harsh winter landscapes he portrays are amazing and beautiful to behold. But underneath, there is hostility, danger and death hidden in the shadows ready to strike. In addition, the way in which he pays great attention to the trains, their close-up shots of the wheels plus his creative use of steam and slow motion, he certainly makes the locomotives look like the supporting characters and that further make them look like threatening iron beasts at times.
The whole production has a somber and almost monochrome look and there is nothing glossy or bright. In fact, the only primary color comes from the red sun motifs of the Japanese flags which are on display quite prominently. The outbursts of action sequences are short but impressively put together and the use of slow motion and freeze frames also help to further enhance the overall tension.
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Sandwiched between a thrilling opening and a bloody finale, the story is a remarkable account of the brave resistance fighters which also works as a respectable tribute. The Japanese army, in the typical nature of a war film, is portrayed here as pure evil and they seem to be there solely to punish and kill the Chinese without blinking an eye. Of course, this being a Mainland production, there is the sequence in which the fighters sworn to the Communist Party are backed up by a very thundering sound track. Thankfully, it is only for a very brief moment but it does glorify brotherhood and communism. Then again, which war film does not do that to a degree?
The charismatic veteran Zhang Han Yu plays the railway foreman Lao Hong, who doubles as the fearless leader of the rebel movement known as the Lunan Railway Brigade from the Shandong province. During the day, these fighters work as railway engineers and laborers but they rob the Japanese trains at night and sabotage their operations whenever possible. Zhang is believable in his role besides being handy with a gun, as seen in his exciting shootouts with the Japanese.
Equally impressive is Fan Wei who portrays the railway station master Lao Wang, a spy who provides the resistance Brigade with information. He is a much laidback character, a total opposite to Hong but together, this lead pair definitely drive the film effortlessly with their performances. There is hardly any notable female character except for one nurse Zhung Yun, played by Zhou Ye. But her role is only a brief and less demanding compared to her much more memorable presence in “Better Days” (2019). The rebels' only nemesis with a decent screen time is Captain Iwai, played interestingly by Zhang Chu Yi. Again just like all the Japanese, he is the ultimate evil one who gives the rebels a really hard time. That goes for the rest of the supporting characters too, like the railway workers, who are just nameless beings without backstories.
Interestingly, “Railway Heroes” has a storyline similar to the action comedy “Railroad Tigers” (2016) starring Jackie Chan which has the local Chinese in Shandong stealing from the Japanese. The main difference here is that Yang's production is a much more serious spy and freedom fighter patriotic drama. Nonetheless, the result is a film that is full of compelling visuals pushed along by a precisely orchestrated score by He Min. There is even a special thank you to Hong Kong's Andy Lau who sang the theme song.
Overall, this is a slick looking film with excellent cinematography, a remarkable story about courageous men and the inclusion of veterans Zhang Han Yu and Fan Wei sure takes it to another level. Even though there is a brief hint of nationalism on display, this is still an entertaining action thriller that is worth your ride.
