Wolf Pack tries to provide the high-adrenaline action experience, and it revolves around a special forces group whose mission is to fight terrorist threats and defend the Chinese energy interests overseas. The plot of the film, with undercover operations and mercenaries in general, appeals to the modern geopolitical phobia, as it seems topical and enough. The characters, and more so the stoic leader played by Zhang are played with a cool, professional touch keeping the story going, the action sequences are incessant in a bid to excite with its pacey editing and stunts. Although these aspects exist, the storyline is predictable, and the undefined terrorists and unnatural goals easily destroy the reality of tension and saturation.
The secret message of the movie that struck the most was its theme of loyalty, sacrifice and the complicated system of contemporary geopolitics. It touched a feeling of patriotism toward the gallant men and women who put all they have to do to ensure the national interests are not compromised and it also made me feel inspired and disappointed at the same time. The plot based on cliches and some over-the-top tropes, including simplified mission assignments and villains, does not allow the story to attain the higher emotional or narrative levels. The tone swings a clumsy balance between the real patriotism and too much action, so it is somehow shallow, though its intentions are serious.
On the visual level, the movie, Wolf Pack, presents typical genre stuff, including decent stunt work, fast editing, and lack of creativity in using cinematography that would be pushing the creative boundaries. The score highlights the urgency but does not take the narrative much deeper than that. And in the end, even though the movie is effective in giving me the speed fuelled fun, it lacks a bit of intricacy and logical flow, so I felt that it could have been so much more. It is a film that will quench the action desires but will not present a memorable or intellectually stimulating film.
