Have you had more than your fill of fake sports?
Looking for some real sweaty action that doesn’t involve judges?
And… you’re a history buff?
Then you might be interested in Assembly (Ji Jie Hao). It’s a new movie, based on the story of a captain in the Chinese Army (PLA side). It takes place during the Chinese civil war (specifically the last major battle in the Northern campaign) as well as some skirmishing in Northern Korea.
If you liked Letters from Iwo Jima (the Japanese-side of the conflict directed by Clint Eastwood; which was also well-done), then you’ll probably like this, as it provides a more humanistic look through the eyes of a non-politicized soldier.
My only beef with the action sequences is during the main artillery bombardment at the beginning, none of make-shift mortar or machine-gun emplacements were destroyed. Super realistic, eh?
Verdict: 4 out of 5 stars. Definitely worth grabbing at the video store. Or if you grab a torrent, there are plenty of websites that provide subtitles to it.