A hometown hero returns — but the real enemy might be the neighbors he's trying to save.
During the Anti-Japanese War, Eighth Route Army officer Ma Ying returns to his hometown to mobilize resistance against Japanese forces and traitors. As enemies plot to turn villagers against each other, Ma Ying must rally the people to prevent a devastating massacre.
Acting
Hu Jun's exhausted charisma anchors every scene.
Direction
He Qun makes propaganda feel uncomfortably human.
Director
He Qun
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Part of China's 'main melody' films, yet subverts heroic tropes by showing villagers as flawed and fearful, not uniformly noble.
Hu Jun later became a nationalist icon in Assembly (2007); this earlier role shows his range in morally gray territory.
CN
