InCinemas SG

Opening Date

23 Oct 2025

Rating

NC16 Violence

Runtime

133 mins

Language

Mandarin with English & Chinese subtitles

Genre

Action, Drama, War

Director

Guan Hu, Fei Zhenxiang

Cast

Zhu Yilong, Wu Lei, Ni Ni, William Franklyn-Miller, Yang Haoyu, Chen Minghao, Ni Dahong

Synopsis

Based on a true event, Dongji Rescue unveils a long-buried maritime massacre and honors an extraordinary act of civilian heroism that shook the world 83 years ago. In 1942, Japanese ship Lisbon Maru with British POWs was torpedoed. On Dongji Island, a group of Chinese fishermen risk everything to sail into the chaos. Driven by raw courage and deep humanity, they embark on a daring mission to rescue strangers from a foreign land—defying death, the enemy, and history itself.

Reviews

By InCinemas 27 Oct 2025

Fans of historical war action drama will not be disappointed.

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Dongji Rescue is a 2-hour 14 minutes long Chinese historical war action film inspired by the actual incident of the sinking of Lisbon Maru, a Japanese cargo liner, carrying about 1,800 British and Scottish prisoners of war (POWs) after it was torpedoed by a US submarine in the East China Sea during world war II in 1942.

Produced with a budget of $80 million and filmed in IMAX at the actual location where the Lisbon Maru sank, this lavish blockbuster is the visionary work of co-directors Guan Hu (Black Dog, Cannes prize winner in 2024) and Fei Zhen Xiang. Their meticulous research spanned over six years, involving interviews with survivors and their families across multiple countries, lending authenticity and depth to this cinematic tribute.

The film masterfully blends fiction with historical facts to tell a riveting story about heroism, brotherhood, and resilience set against the backdrop of wartime hardship. The narrative centers on two brothers and the villagers of Dongji Island, starring a strong cast of Zhu Yi Long, Wu Lei, Ni Ni, Yang Hao Yu, Chen Ming Hao, Ni Da Hong, Wang Yi Quan and a talented ensemble of international actors like Kevin Lee, William Franklyn-Miller Tommy Shanahan, Austin Hunza and Elaija Chekhov.

The film opens with a serene yet breathtaking landscape of Dongji Island and the expansive ocean, almost resembling a documentary. As Japanese control tightens, the island is divided into North and South. A close-knit community of 263 people from 58 families, mostly fishermen, endure a bleak three-year occupation with silent acceptance. Restricted from fishing, their boats locked up, the villagers live under constant surveillance from lookout towers. Although discontented, they endure this 3-year occupation with grim acceptance.

The north of the island is home to two orphaned brothers, Ah Bi (Zhu) and Ah Dang (Wu Lei), marginalised as “pirates” and barred from entering the southern village where their community resides. The brothers spend their days exploring treacherous waters to recover treasures from sunken ships, embodying youthful defiance and resilience.

A key figure is Ah Hua (Ni Ni), a spirited young girl adopted and raised by the island patriarch Wu Wan Shou (Ni) and the love interest for Ah Bi. She longs for the ocean’s freedom, yet local customs forbid women from sailing. Cowardly, eccentric and alcohol loving Chen Zhu Seng (Chen) teaches the young local children on the island, provides comic relief as he inadvertently helps translate for a wounded British POW, Thomas Newman (Franklyn-Miller).

The film takes a dramatic turn when the USS Grouper, a US submarine torpedoes the Lisbon Maru. Amidst chaos, Ah Dang encounters the injured Newman in the sea blown off the ship by the explosion and, despite cultural barriers, offers shelter to the injured man. Their cooperation—facilitated by Chen—provides rare moments of humour amid the tension. Despite his limited English vocabulary, Chen realises that Newman is from the Allies and worth helping.

The Japanese troops land in the village for their search and holds the entire village culpable when they cannot locate the missing POW. Villagers are rounded in the main square and the ruthless young second lieutenant, Wada Hideo (Nakaizumi), is not convinced when he is told that the villagers have searched but there is no westerner on the island. He brutally slaughters the villagers in the main square to force the truth. Newman unable to bear the loss of innocent lives surrenders, saying the villagers are blameless. Hideo is still unconvinced that the villagers have no part in sheltering Newman and brutally kills Wu who confesses that he is the only one who has knowledge of the POW to save the remaining villagers. Eventually a few villagers including Ah Dang are taken onboard the sinking Lisbon Maru as hostages and put in No. 3 hold along with hundreds of British and Scottish POWs.

Before Newman is beheaded on deck, he tells Ah Dang that he still has hope to return home but he will not be able to do so. Yano Yoshitoshi (Soji), commander of the warship that has arrived on the scene, orders the holds containing the POWs to be sealed, and instructs Wada Hideo to stay on the ship with a handful of men until it sinks and then to kill everyone on Dongji Island to prevent any news getting out.

At this juncture, we fully comprehend the atrocity of war where men play God to mete out punishment and forcefully take human lives, simply because they are on the opposing side. Ah Bi, the reluctant saviour with a renewed conscience, decides to rescue his brother and others from the sinking vessel. Ah Hua’s ultimate act of defiance—breaking the wall to unveil the ancestral tablets to rally the villagers—symbolises a refusal to hide from the truth and her resolve to set sail and save lives at any cost, including breaking the taboo prohibiting women to sail the sea.

The film’s visuals are stunning, capturing the fury of the raging sea and the chaos of the sinking, emphasising the profound message that every life is precious. The real-life testimonies of survivors—shown during the credits—add emotional weight, reminding viewers of history’s enduring human cost. Fans of historical war action drama will not be disappointed.

Dongji Rescue is a deeply human story about courage, hope, and sacrifice amid one of the Second World War’s most tragic maritime incidents. It underscores a timeless lesson: “A life is a life,” and all lives deserve to be saved, regardless of nationality. It is a powerful reminder that humanity’s capacity for compassion must prevail over the horrors of war—a lesson that remains relevant in today’s world.

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Dongji Rescue
东极岛

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Get Showtimes

Dongji Rescue东极岛

Opening Date

Rating

Runtime

Language

Genre

Director

Cast

Synopsis

Reviews

Trailers / Videos

Dongji Rescue
东极岛