“Chinese fishermen broke through the torpedo blockade.”
That's the line. One quiet subtitle mid-trailer. And yet it lands like a freight train. In the age of bombastic blockbusters and CGI-stuffed spectacle, Dongji Rescue—a Chinese WWII thriller directed by Hu Guan and Fei Zhenxiang—pulls off the rare feat of feeling both ancient and immediate. The second official U.S. trailer just dropped via Well Go USA, and it's not just powerful—it's damn near operatic.
Let's get one thing out of the way: this isn't some jingoistic war flick. It's a high-stakes, saltwater-soaked story about ordinary civilians stepping into a geopolitical nightmare. Based on the real-life Lisbon Maru Sinking Incident in 1942, the film follows a group of Dongji Island fishermen who risk their lives to save over 300 British POWs after their Japanese transport ship is torpedoed by an American submarine. And yeah, that's the kind of international tangle Hollywood would normally fumble. But here? It's treated with tension, dignity, and a gut-punch sense of scale.
Visually? Think Mad Max: Fury Road on the sea. There's sweat. Salt. Smoke. Everyone's covered in grime. You can practically taste the rusted metal and gasoline fumes. The action doesn't look sleek—it looks dangerous. Desperate. Human. And there's something in Zhu Yilong's eyes in one particular shot—clutching a wounded soldier, half-submerged in murky waters—that just wrecked me. Is he terrified? Furious? Freezing? All of it. None of it. Whatever it is, it's alive.
The story behind the story deserves its own stage. In the fall of 1942, the Lisbon Maru—carrying more than 1,800 British prisoners—was struck by U.S. torpedoes off the Zhoushan Islands. Japanese forces tried to seal off escape routes. When the ship began to sink, they reportedly fired on survivors. And still, local fishermen defied the chaos, maneuvering through debris and bullets to rescue who they could. It's one of those episodes war history books mention in a footnote—until now.
Hu Guan (who delivered the blistering Black Dog last year) teams up with Fei Zhenxiang (Love Like the Galaxy) to co-direct, and it's clear this was a labor of passion. The supporting cast—Ni Ni, Wu Lei, Yang Haoyu, William Franklyn-Miller, and Ni Dahong—doesn't just decorate the background. Each of them looks like they've been through hell and clawed their way back to shore. You believe the grit. You feel the stakes.
And yes—before you ask—this is based on a true story, not some embellished myth. No Marvel origin arcs here. No villain monologues. Just survival. Humanity. And a kind of patriotism that feels earned, not screamed through a bullhorn.
Well Go USA will release Dongji Rescue in select U.S. theaters starting August 22, 2025. It's already made waves in China where it opened earlier this July, drawing praise for its authenticity and production values. Expect it to make a splash on the fall international festival circuit—especially if a distributor wants to push it for awards in categories like Foreign Language Feature or Cinematography. It deserves that level of attention.
And honestly? I'm just glad it exists.
We spend so much time (rightly) dissecting war's politics, its grotesque power plays. But Dongji Rescue reminds us that sometimes, heroism isn't about the bigger picture—it's about the hands pulling someone else from the wreckage.
5 Things That Make ‘Dongji Rescue' Unmissable
Unheard Heroism from WWII
This isn't a retread of D-Day or Dunkirk—it's an untold chapter from Asia's side of the war that finally gets cinematic justice.
Aesthetic Brutality Meets Emotional Grace
The trailer blends ragged handheld intensity with poetic water imagery. Visceral, yet hauntingly beautiful.
Zhu Yilong's Star Turn
One of China's finest actors anchors the film with raw physicality and silent emotional weight. Expect international eyes on him.
Directorial Firepower
Hu Guan and Fei Zhenxiang bring real pedigree. Their past films balanced spectacle with soul—this one feels no different.
It Hits Hard—Without Shouting
No cheap sentimentality. No rah-rah. Just choices, consequences, and sacrifice under fire.
Your Turn:
Have we overlooked too many Eastern front stories in our WWII movie canon? Or is Dongji Rescue exactly the kind of film we need more of?
Tell me what you think.
