The Captain; or, Into the Storm
Attention passengers, I am the purser of this flight. The pilot and flight attendants are trained day to day, in order to ensure everyone's safety. That is our purpose on-board this aircraft. Please trust our captain. We will go home together.
After Operation Mekong (2016), Operation Red Sea (2018), and The Bravest (2019), the Chinese cinema industry continues on with the series of epic tales about infallible servicemen. Andrew Lau’s The Captain is such a movie and it was inspired by a true story of the Sichuan Airlines flight 3U8633 incident.
After Operation Mekong (2016), Operation Red Sea (2018), and The Bravest (2019), the Chinese cinema industry continues on with the series of epic tales about infallible servicemen. Andrew Lau’s The Captain is such a movie and it was inspired by a true story of the Sichuan Airlines flight 3U8633 incident.
Release Info
Directed by: Andrew Lau Starring: Zhang Hanyu, Yuan Quan, Ou Hao, Du Jiang
Language: Mandarin Original Title: 中国机长 Runtime: 111 min
Synopsis
The story takes place on the 14th of May, 2018. Captain Liu
Chuanjian (Zhang Hanyu) prepares for a standard flight from Chongquing to Lhasa together with
his two co-pilots as well as the flight attendants supervised by a Chief Purser (Yuan Quan).
Passengers board an Airbus A319 plane and everything seems to be in order.
Forty minutes after take-off, on the altitude of 32,000 feet, the windshield
blows out, sucking one of the co-pilots halfway out of the cockpit. The plane
is now depressurized and with inoperative radio communication. To make matters
worse, the flight is cut off on the Tibetan Plateau from the nearest emergency
landing site because of the raging storm. The only hope for the survival of 119
passengers are Captain Liu Chuanjian and his crew.
Plane vs. Nature
The Captain is a fascinating disaster movie which, instead
of descending into slow-paced American procedural dramas like Flight (2012) or
Sully (2016), goes all action and throws callbacks to such memorable motion
pictures like Airport (1970) and Miracle Landing (1990). Even though Zhang
Hanyu dominates the screen with his charismatic presence, The Captain is not a
one-man show because it strives to faithfully retell the tragedy of Sichuan
Airlines flight. The movie goes to such an extent on this matter that it even
pays a beautiful tribute to the real heroes in the end credits.
The movie’s primary assets are awesome visuals, evidently
improved with decent CGI effects. In addition, elaborate action sequences will
certainly keep the viewers on the edge of their seats. However, some should
prepare for a little dose of clichés (flashbacks about loved ones, passengers
having panic attacks) and pathos (trusting the crew) which are, in a way, obligatory
for this kind of movie.
With regard to performances, Zhang Hanyu is obviously too
cool for school as the captain saving the day. Second best performer, and a
true highlight of this picture, is Yuan Quan as the Chief Purser. There are
also some really good performances from the actors and actresses playing the
passengers in distress.
Recommendations
If you have a chance, then get on board with The Captain,
fasten your seat belts, and experience the worst case scenario with a
miraculous ending. Apart from being an informative account of the crew’s
heroism, it is also one gripping story. The Captain will keep you entertained
from beginning to the end.
Overall score: 9/10
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