Mountain Patrol (2004)

A moving true story about volunteers protecting antelope against poachers in the severe mountains of Tibet.

Director:

Chuan Lu

Writer:

Chuan Lu

Stars:

Duobujie, Lei Zhang, Dao Qi

22 wins & 22 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview:
Duobujie	...	Ri Tai (as Bujie Duo)
Lei Zhang	...	Ga Yu
Dao Qi	...	Liu Dong (as Liang Qi)
Xueying Zhao	...	Leng Xue
Zhanlin Ma	...	Old Ma

Storyline

The Tibetan Mountain Patrol, a self-sponsored outcast regimen established to eliminate illegal slaughtering of endangered Tibetan Antelopes by impoverished local and out-of-province peasants, intimately engages with a half-Tibetan journalist from Beijing in a desolate depiction of human nature in the outskirts of Kekexili.

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Plot Keywords:

antelope | volunteer | journalist | tibet | poacher | 

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Taglines:

One man will risk everything to save innocence

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Genres:

Action | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for violence and disturbing images, brief sexuality and language

Details

Official Sites:

Axiom Films International National Geographic

Country:

China Hong Kong

Language:

Mandarin Tibetan

Release Date:

1 October 2004 (China)

Also Known As:

Mountain Patrol

Filming Locations:

China

Box Office

Budget:

CNY10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$16,915, 16 April 2006

Gross USA:

$143,383

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$185,920

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Huayi Brothers Media, National Geographic World Films

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Red-robed monks would be members of the Nyingma sect of Tibetan Buddhism. DIstinct from the yellow-robed followers of the Dalai Lama.

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Quotes

Ga Yu: I'm a reporter from Beijing.
Ri Tai: I don't have the time.
Ga Yu: Wait a second. You want this place to be declared as a nature reserve. Maybe I can help.

User Reviews

Great portrayal of fascinating characters, and an unusual view of Tibet

I've been waiting for the screening of this movie for a very long time, and I guess I was really lucky that I was able to watch it at all, since there are only four copies being rotated in Germany. Considering the international approval of the movie, this seems quite ridiculous to me.

Apart from that, I don't have to add much to the other users' comments, but it can't be said often enough how much energy this film gains, first from the not-telling-but-showing technique of the portrayal of its characters; and second, from the way nature is depicted as it breaks the will even of these strong characters. They become even more realistic because of the strong inner conflict which is aroused by the necessity of selling some of the confiscated antelope skins. All in all, the movie (re-)presents existential, universal questions at least as successful as the best westerns that I have seen.

Adding to this, Kekexili is certainly also a must-see for anybody interested in the "Tibetan Question", as it shows life in the Tibetan highlands from a very uncommon angle: It's a Chinese view of "Shangri-La", torn between admiration of its spirituality and humanity and, on the other side, shocked amazement by its harshness and inhumanity. Generally, it's a universal approach independent of ideology, and that's never to be taken for granted whenever Tibet is involved (needless to say that this concerns the American or European image of Tibet as well).