Country: China
Genre: Drama
Year of Production: 2004
Format: 35mm
Running Time: 85 minutes
Certificate: 15
Theatrical Release date: 29th September 2006
Kekexili, the largest animal reserve in China, is home to many rare species, including the Tibetan antelope. Prized for its skin that is used in making luxurious, albeit illegal, shatoosh scarves, the antelope's numbers have been dwindling drastically in the past twenty years as poachers slaughter the animals, often hundreds at a time. In the 1990's local Tibetans formed a volunteer patrol to try to stop the illegal poaching - sometimes at the cost of their own lives. KEKEXILI: MOUNTAIN PATROL chronicles the life-and-death struggle between these volunteers and the poachers, and takes place in the 5,000-meter high Kekexili on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.
When Ga Yu, a journalist from Beijing, arrives at the camp of the Kekexili Mountain Patrol, he witnesses Tibetan funeral rights and a village in mourning. Ga Yu is determined to uncover the real story behind the mysterious disappearance of patrol volunteers, the cruel slaughtering of Tibetan antelopes, and the rumor that the Mountain Patrol cooperates with the illegal hunters.
Ga Yu joins the patrol headed for 40,000 square kilometers of wilderness. The illegal hunters are like phantoms in the uninhabited land, hiding in every cave, waiting for the right moment to execute their fatal attack... the patrolmen have become the hunted.
Despite the severe natural environment, the patrol led by Ri Tai , risk their lives in the fight against the brutal hunters. At first an observer, distanced by the lens of his camera, Ga Yu slowly becomes personally involved in the struggle. To the patrol members, Kekexili is their homeland as well as that of the Tibetan antelopes. In the transmigration of life, they will always guard their homeland... Through the eyes of patrol leader Ri Tai and the other patrolmen, Ga Yu witnesses the real beauty of life: faith.
"awesome... Reality and art merge in the mirage of memorable moviemaking." (5 STARS)Nigel Andrews, FINANCIAL TIMES"engrossing... one of the movie discoveries of the year... grips like an Oriental version of The French Connection... bold, exciting and truly adventurous" (4 STARS)SUNDAY TELEGRAPH"compelling... awesome... unforgettable... a work of art"Philip French THE OBSERVER"An astonishing film... to be cherished... Tremendously impressive." No. 1 CRITICS' CHOICE
(4 STARS)Derek Malcolm, EVENING STANDARD"terrific... majestically beautiful and begs to be seen on the big screen"DAILY TELEGRAPHPick of the WeekTHE GUARDIAN GUIDE
“An astonishing achievement - one that calmly and quietly blows most Hollywood inventions out of the water” (4 STARS)FILM REVIEW"stunning mountainous backdrops... epic... thrilling action sequences" (4 STARS)TOTAL FILM"Truly unique... spectacular... tense and harrowing... this is an incredible film" (4 STARS)HOT DOG"there will be few more powerful films made this year" (4 STARS)DAILY MAIL
“Best Film of the London Film Festival…a sober, gripping action drama…achieves emotional impact through affecting individual performance and vividly applied ethical dilemmas…The locations are stunning and the local colour, from air burials to quicksand, vivid.” (4 STARS)
TIME OUT"This year, few films have been as beautiful and exciting... astonishing" (4 STARS)METRO"The sheer power and majesty of Lu Chuan's images command attention."Peter Bradshaw, THE GUARDIAN"Stunning... Tense, moving and sometimes disturbing, Mountain Patrol is that rare thing: a window on an utterly foreign world."THE HERALD"uncompromisingly compelling"EMPIRE"extraordinary... all muscle and no flab"SIGHT AND SOUND"Thoroughly compelling"INDEPENDENT"exciting and beautiful"Jason Solomons, MAIL ON SUNDAY"impressive... breathtaking" (4 STARS)SKY MOVIES"patrol leader Ri Tai... a fascinating character brought to life with electrifying verve by Duo. That performance, like this movie, is a marvel." (4 STARS)BBC MOVIES "One of the very best films of the 2005 London Film Festival, Mountain Patrol (aka Kekexili) defies expectations in the most thrilling way... Spectacularly shot, and acted with understated conviction. Mountain Patrol is a rarity: a thrilling action drama with a message." (4 STARS)CHANNEL4.COM"breathtaking" (4 STARS)CAMDEN GAZETTE"A compelling action film with plenty of tension and nail-biting chase scenes... director Lu Chuan effortlessly captures the brutal beauty of the Himalaya"WANDERLUST“A blood boiling environmental thriller with a dash of Sergio Leone… this is the kind of film that invites you in with beauty, only to surprise and even shock you with a sudden burst of violence… a work of creative imagination… it draws you in again and again.”NEW YORK TIMES“brutally beautiful… the landscapes alone are worth the price of admission… a one-of-a-kind action flick: a tale of triumph tinged at every moment with tragedy.”David Ansen, NEWSWEEK“A gorgeous, engrossing epic reminiscent of Kurosawa.” John Hartl, SEATTLE TIMES“Exquisite to behold and with a stimulating storyline that mixes guns with ecological consciousness… appeals to the same audience captivated by ‘Himalaya’.”Russell Edwards, VARIETY “gripping…formidable.”CHICAGO TRIBUNE“Mountain Patrol is breathtakingly beautiful, breathtakingly brutal and simply breathtaking.”PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER“consistently compelling.”PREMIERE"a near masterpiece...a powerful, engrossing, visceral experience." (5 STARS)FIRECRACKER MAGAZINEFOR PRESS NOTES CLICK HERE
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