Shortly after the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War, a unit of the People’s Liberation Army takes aim at the bandits that have ravaged the snow-covered mountains in northeast China. The steadfast military men (and a woman) must find a way to breakthrough the impenetrable fortress ruled by the villainous warlord Hawk. To do so, Yang Zirong disguises as a bandit and infiltrates the ranks of the outlaws.

Based on the story and revolutionary opera of the same name, Tsui Hark’s military blockbuster showcases his exceptional ability in designing and executing action set pieces. Like some of his most memorable films, Tsui amuses with yet another storytelling conceit by introducing Jimmy, a Silicon Valley-bound Chinese university graduate in 2015, as a character to frame this historic story. The master filmmaker reinterprets the aesthetics of propaganda, elevating it to a truly operatic level.

Tsui Hark (b. 1951, Vietnam) spent his early years in Vietnam before moving to Hong Kong, where he completed his high school education. He then moved to the United States where he graduated from the film programme at the University of Texas at Austin. After a short spell of work in the US, he returned to Hong Kong and became a director at TVB. Later, during a brief stint at Commercial Television, he directed The Gold Dagger Romance (1978). The Butterfly Murders (1979), Tsui’s feature film directorial debut, was hailed as one of the early examples of the Hong Kong New Wave. Dangerous Encounters of the First Kind (1980) faced censorship from the colonial government for its uncompromising vision. Tsui would break ground with Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain (1983) by introducing Hollywood special effects to the wuxia genre. For much of the 1980s, Tsui was one of the creative masterminds behind the hitmakers Cinema City.

In 1984, he and Nansun Shi founded Film Workshop, which launched with the critically acclaimed Shanghai Blues. Tsui and his company found much success in several popular long-running film series, including A Chinese Ghost Story (1987), The Swordsman (1990), and Once Upon a Time in China (1991). In a career spanning over four decades, Tsui has not stopped finding new ways to reinvent himself as a director, writer, and producer. His take on the wuxia genre has continued to evolve in The Blade (1995) and the Detective Dee series. His Chinese war epic, The Taking of Tiger Mountain (2014), impressed audiences in China and abroad for his creative storytelling and eye for spectacle.