Wu Jing’s second film as a director and action star showcases him as one willing to take on risks in order to get the shots he wanted on camera. While “Wolf Warrior” is an exciting popcorn action film, just don’t expect anything too deep or realistic.
TITLE: Wolf Warrior
FILM RELEASE: 2015
DURATION: 91 Minutes
BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition, 16:9, Mandarin 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Subtitles: English
COMPANY: Well Go USA Entertainment
RATED: NR
Release Date: September 1, 2015
Directed by Wu Jing
Producer: Lv Jinamin
Starring:
Wu Jing as Sgt. Leng Feng
Scott Adkins as Tom Cat
Yu Nan as Lt. Col. Long Xiaoyun
Ni Dahong as Ming Deng
Kevin Lee as Crazy Bull
Kyle Shapiro as Monkey
An Elite Squad of Mercenaries Just Met Their Deadliest Target. Sergeant Leng Feng (Wu Jing), top marksman of the Chinese Special Forces, is jailed under court martial for disobeying orders. But he’s just the kind of fighter the Wolf Warriors are looking for. Silent. Stealthy. Deadly. The Wolves bring Feng into their pack, honing his skills to a knife’s edge. But another team has Feng on their radar: a group of corrupt blades-for-hire, seeking revenge for the drug lord’s murder.
From martial arts actor Wu Jing (“Tai Chi II”, “The Mummy”, “Shaolin”, “SPL: Kill Zone”) comes his second film “Wolf Warriors” in which he directs and also has the starring role.
The 2015 film will be released on Blu-ray and DVD in Sept. 2015 courtesy of Well Go USA.
The film revolves around Sergeant Leng Feng (portrayed by Wu Jing), a Chinese Special Forces marksman who is facing a court martial because he didn’t follow orders in the field.
During a mission, in order to save his fellow soldiers, Feng took out a drug leader, when his order was to stand down.
But because of his skill, he is assigned to the Tier 1 elite Chinese Special Forces Unit known as “War Wolf”, thanks to Lt. Col. Long Xiaoyun (portrayed by Yu Nan), a Commander of the Chinese Special Forces Unit.
Meanwhile, the drug leader’s older brother, the drug lord known as Ming Deng (portrayed by Ni Dahong), has hired ex-US Navy Seal “Tom Cat” (portrayed by Scott Adkins, “Zero Dark Thirty”, “The Bourne Ultimatum”, “The Expendables 2”) and several top mercenaries to kill Sgt. Leng Feng as revenge for murdering his brother.
And on the day that War Wolf is on a practice mission, they are attacked.
VIDEO:
“Wolf Warrior” is presented in 1080p High Definition and presented in 2:38:1 aspect ratio. It’s important to note that the film was presented in 3D at theaters, the version on Blu-ray is 2D. Picture quality is very good, with a good amount of detail. The CG is probably is a little problematic as it doesn’t look realistic. Especially a scene against wolves, which the CG sequence would fit a fantasy adventure film than a war film.
AUDIO & SUBTITLES:
“Wolf Warrior” is presented in Mandarin 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. Dialogue is crystal clear through the front channels but also the action sequences which utilize the surround channels and LFE well. The film is not super immersive but sounds very good on Blu-ray!
SPECIAL FEATURES
“Wolf Warrior” comes with theatrical trailer.
 
Many countries have their nationalistic war films and while most films are focused on actual war or some sort of skirmish from that country’s history, “Wolf Warrior” tries to showcase their special force within their special forces, an elite brigade known as the Wolves.
But “Wolf Warrior” is an interesting action film as a hellbent drugdealer hiring foreign mercenaries to take out the Wolves and pitting action star Wu Jing as Sgt. Feng as the martial arts hero/excellent marksman in a role that I found almost reminiscent of ’80s American action war films but of course, a Chinese setting, martial arts and technology.
As an popcorn action film, the film works in the manner of wanting to see how Sgt. Feng and company are able to bring down the elite foreign mercenaries but there are some major missteps.
For one, one scene has Feng and company taking on giant wolves. The wolves look to CG and while they would work for fantasy films, it seems so out of place in this film.
But when they focus on the action, that is when the movie is most effective. No CG, just straight up war action and the camaraderie story of brothers fighting for their country and proud to defend their country.
But Wu Jing and staff really sacrificed a lot to get this movie made. As you can see by the ending reel, many people were injured in the making of this film and action scenes looking authentic were priority.
As for the Blu-ray release, close-up details are well-done and the fact that the majority of the film is shot outdoors, colors are well-produced, but each time they go back to the headquarter scenes that were shot on green screen, it just doesn’t look as effective. Lossless audio is well-done, not entirely immersive but it does sound good in HD. Unfortunately, there are no special features but a theatrical trailer.
Overall, Wu Jing’s second film as a director and action star showcases him as one willing to take on risks in order to get the shots he wanted on camera. While “Wolf Warrior” is an exciting popcorn action film, just don’t expect anything too deep or realistic.
