It's 1948 in northeast China. Communist Captain Gu Zidi leads his men in a battle against Nationalist troops. When his political officer is brutally killed, he orders his men to kill the captured enemies. His men refuse and he is reprimand by his superior. His group is assigned to the trenches next to a mine and ordered not to retreat until they hear the bugler call for assembly. Gu Zidi is the only survivor after a final battle and he has fight bureaucracy for the honor of the men who are simply declared MIA.
The first half has lots of war action. Some of it is not particularly realistic but there are tons of explosive action. The second half is mostly about Gu Zidi's struggle for recognition for his lost men. There is a lot of melodrama and fake emotions except for one amazing moment. It is the pinnacle of this movie and I would prefer it as the climax. When the men started to claim they hear the bugle, I sat up a little and paid more attention. It is probably the only moment where the emotions match the drama. Honestly, the movie needs to cut out about 30 minutes from the second half of the movie. The only compelling part in the second half is him digging in the coal pile by himself. It's very poetic but not compelling enough to justify the very long and winding story.
The first half has lots of war action. Some of it is not particularly realistic but there are tons of explosive action. The second half is mostly about Gu Zidi's struggle for recognition for his lost men. There is a lot of melodrama and fake emotions except for one amazing moment. It is the pinnacle of this movie and I would prefer it as the climax. When the men started to claim they hear the bugle, I sat up a little and paid more attention. It is probably the only moment where the emotions match the drama. Honestly, the movie needs to cut out about 30 minutes from the second half of the movie. The only compelling part in the second half is him digging in the coal pile by himself. It's very poetic but not compelling enough to justify the very long and winding story.