Filmmaker Lu Chuan, who wrote and directed The Missing Gun, traveled to the remote border of China, Tibet, and Uygur, to make his next feature, Kekexili. Lu based the film on a true story about a reporter from Beijing, Ga Yu (Qi Liang), who traveled to the barren, frigid, high altitude region of the movie's title. Ga Yu had heard about volunteer patrols that were trying to protect the endangered Tibetan antelope from the poachers who were selling their pelts to be made into expensive,
fashionable shawls. The cold-blooded murder of one of the patrol members at the hands of the well-armed poachers draws Ga Yu to a small village, where the leader of the patrol unit, Ritai (Tibetan actor Duobuji), agrees to take him out on a patrol, in the hopes that a story in the paper will spur the Chinese government to take stronger action to protect the animals. Ritai is determined to find the gunman responsible for slaughtering the animals, and for killing his comrade. His determination gradually becomes a deadly obsession. Lu shot his movie on location under dangerous conditions, with a cast of mostly nonprofessional actors. Though the film is from Mainland China, it won Hong Kong's Golden Horse Awards for Best Cinematography (Cao Yu) and Best Picture. It was also shown by Subway Cinema as part of the 2005 New York Asian Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi
Much of the time, the movie plays like a catalog of challenges sprawled over terrain so forbidding that you can't watch it without feeling a steep measure of awe.
An epic story of white-knuckle tension in a setting of harsh, unearthly beauty, it's the kind of story Hemingway might have told if he'd made it to the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
Instead of a laudable ecological crusade, the film feels more like a futile Captain Ahab obsession, with patrol leader Ri Tai (Duobujie) vainly chasing a poaching kingpin through the harsh, windy wilderness.
One of the best films of the year is also one of the best looking. This DVD edition honors the film's vibrant aesthetic even if it is sadly without extras.
One of those films that opens eyes to distant lands and problems and yet carries a sense of drama and a humane moral tone that conveys an appeal that's simultaneously exotic and universal.
The film's most memorable visual spectacle, of a man getting sucked into a pool of quicksand, is also the most resonant. Man may think he rules over nature, but it can take him back at any moment.
A strange and sometimes compelling film that absolutely transports you to a remote corner of the world but doesn't quite do enough to make you feel steady on your feet once you get there.
Kekexili: Mountain Patrol is inspired by the true story of a group of volunteers patrolling the mountains of Tibet against antelope poachers.Director Chuan Lu does a good job at capturing the realism of this story, however the entertainment factor is quite low. It is not that this movie is poorly put together. In
fact, it is far from that. It is just that the story is slow and depressing. The run time is just under 90 minutes, but it seems much longer than that, especially when the ending isn't all that satisfying.The setting may be plain and barren, however the camerawork is able to capture some good shots, which alone is worthy of note. The film also does a nice job at setting up the so-called heroes, by having the viewer watch them go through all these difficult obstacles as they track down their target.The acting is pretty impressive. Much like everything else in this picture, it is extremely realistic and believable. Duobuji stands out and carries this picture.Kekexili: Mountain Patrol uses its inspiring story and realistic approach to impress viewers. However, fans of slow dramas and realism will enjoy it even more.
July 30, 2009
Justin Y
Super Reviewer
"Mountain Patrol: Kekexili" takes place on the remote Tibetan Plateau, the Kekexili, four miles above sea level where there is a voluntary mountain patrol employed to keep poachers away from the diminishing Tibetan Antelope population.(Said antelopes are killed for their wool which is sold overseas.) One night in
1996, a member of the patrol is killed by poachers. A reporter(Zhang Lei) arrives from Beijing to write a story on the escalating conflict and to interview the patrol captain, Ritai(Duo Bujie), a retired Tibetan military officer. Inspired by a true story, "Mountain Patrol: Kekexili" uses its unique setting to its best advantage to tell a story about men serving out of a sense of duty in trying to preserve the Tibetan Antelope. There is not that much that they are entitled to do(they can fine and confiscate but not arrest) with little or no funding but also very little oversight on the harsh terrain.
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