Based on a novel and patriotic opera set in 1946 China, The Taking of Tiger Mountain details the exploits of a small People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troop during the Chinese Civil War. Led by Captain 203 (Lin Gengxin), the brigade enters into conflict with an army of bandits who are working with the PLA’s true enemy, the Kuomintang (KMT) Nationalist army. The bandits are led by pointy-haired villain Lord Hawk (Tony Leung Ka-fai beneath tons of make-up), and operate out of a fortress in the Tiger Mountains that used to belong to the Japanese army. Meanwhile, the PLA hunkers down in the small village of Leather Creek, watching over the villagers and planning their next action. Liberating the fortress, stopping the bandits, thwarting the KMT and protecting the village – Captain 203 and company have plenty of work to do.
Luckily 203 has the help of crafty PLA scout Yang Zirong (Zhang Hanyu), who volunteers to infiltrate Lord Hawk’s gang to set up an assault on the fortress. There’s actually more at stake than protecting the village – the KMT and Lord Hawk possess or seek a number of maps that lead to hidden resources and even 10,000 catties of gold – but those objects are largely MacGuffins for a David vs. Goliath storyline of a smaller military force taking on a much larger one. Despite being based on a patriotic opera, Tiger Mountain is mostly apolitical, choosing to tell a rousing action-adventure tale pitting anointed good guys versus obvious bad ones. Even the film’s framing sequence, set in 2015 and involving a Chinese man (Han Geng) in New York travelling back to China, is more about family than PLA pride.
Instead of politics, the film concerns itself with smaller human stories and a large helping of espionage. On the human front, there’s a subplot involving Knotti (Su Yiming), a little boy who lost his parents and is taken in by the PLA. Meanwhile, Yang heads to the mountain fortress and entertainingly fools the bandits into thinking that he’s not a PLA spy. Multiple times, Yang runs rings around Lord Hawk’s army using his confident wit and bald-faced lies, and Tsui Hark milks each scene for delightful tension and humour. It’s even more entertaining since the bad guys are sneer-worthy types with character design (scars, moustaches, bad hair) that paints them as serial movie villains. With its commercial touches, aversion to politics and rousing tone, Tiger Mountain edges closer to an action-fantasy than a war movie. However, the action is still top-notch, with elaborate set-ups and gunplay, particularly during the third-quarter defence of Leather Creek.
Performances are engaging, led by Zhang Hanyu’s charismatic turn as the PLA hero, Tony Leung’s inscrutable take on a pulp magazine villain and Yu Nan’s sultry performance as Lord Hawk’s mysterious moll. Lin Gengxin provides able presence as the righteous captain, while costuming and personality types are used to differentiate the large cast of heroes and villains. Tiger Mountain also offers exemplary use of 3D technology. Besides the showy moments – such as knives and grenades flying towards the audience – Tsui uses 3D to create greater immersion and even suspense. Tsui Hark has always tinkered with new technologies – he famously employed visual effects in Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain (1983) – and here he delightfully mixes his new toys with his old tricks, creating a piñata of popcorn movie goodness that should be enjoyed and appreciated. Tsui Hark is sometimes called “The Master”, and The Taking of Tiger Mountain is proof-positive why.