Herman Yau has always been prolific, but 2023 was one of his most productive years ever, with him coming up with 4 movies, with “Raid on the Lethal Zone” being a mainland production, by streamer iQIYI. The scope is somewhat smaller, but Yau still has come up with an impressive picture.
Raid on the Lethal Zone is screening at Udine Far East Film Festival 2024
The story is based on a heavy 1992 crackdown, but this time unfolds in July 1998, around the fictitious Meng City. The area has been pummeled with rain for quite some time, and the emergency services have their hands full trying to prevent disaster both from landslides in the mountainous parts of the area and from floods that have been taking place all around. Even worse, the possibility of a nearby dam overflowing becomes bigger and bigger. At the same time, a rather well-organized group of drug traffickers led by Boss Wang, are preparing to ship drugs in the area in anti-flood sandbags. The police have set roadblocks trying to prevent any illegal activity, but it is during one that the first “attack” and the first victim emerge.
Meanwhile, the anti-narcotics team finds out about the drug operation and Border Defense's Battalion 8077 is pressed into action, through a plan of ambushing the traffickers in a mountainous area close by. At the same time, a gang of forest-dwelling thieves who have their eyes on the contraband, are also about to take action. Expectedly, the weather and the three opposing factions eventually clash, in a truly explosive mix.
Herman Yay wastes little time with introducing his main characters, but still some of them get more meaty parts. Sun Ji, the leader of the group has a sister who is the girlfriend of another member, Erlai, while Wu Zhi Feng, the son of the director of the emergency services is also included in the group. Lastly, Yao Yao, the sole female member of the team also plays a crucial part in the story.
Check the interview with the director
Eventually though, and perhaps with the exception of Yao Yao, the characters fade in front of the action, with the fact that all of them are utterly muddied adding to this sense. As such, and quite expectedly, the focus here is on the action, which mostly follows the HK style of the genre. In that fashion, the villains receive at least as much as they get from the good guys, and the victims start piling up from the beginning. Apart from that, which definitely adds to the agony and unpredictability the movie emits, the combination of natural disasters of epic proportions, fights between the three groups, the rather brutal one-on-ones, and the battles in the drowned areas, are definitely a treat to the eye.
The CGI of the disasters are particularly well-done but during the battles the quality deteriorates a bit. Thankfully, Yau and his editor pass by these scenes in thunderous speed, even faster than the frantic pace that is implemented throughout. The succession of three different points of focus, which, apart from 8077 includes the events of the command center and the relatives of the members of the group who have been gathered in shelter also works well for the movie, adding a bit of depth to the overall, non-stop action. The cinematography is also impressive, even if rather artificial, with the panoramic shots in particular definitely staying in mind.
On the other hand, the few moments where the narrative moves towards melodramatic paths, which are frequently accompanied by jingoistic elements, the whole thing definitely falters, with the quality deteriorating significantly. Thankfully, these are but a few and barely visible. On the other hand, the nonsensicality almost always found in HK action films is here once more, in an element, nevertheless, that can be appreciated on occasion.
“Raid on the Lethal Zone” is a genuine action movie, which means the miniscule context is here just to service the fights. With its impressive visuals, though, and the fact that it becomes evident that the protagonists are far from invincible, the film will definitely satisfy fans of non-stop, thunderous action.
