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This review may contain spoilers
This military drama killed it, as did Yang Yang
Glory of Special Forces opens with a bang with a team of 7 elite soldiers mounting an assault on a drug lord’s stronghold. Bullets and grenades are flying fast and furious in all directions as the soldiers’ attack are met with fierce opposition. The scene cuts to protagonist Yan Po Yue [YPY] as he takes a hit and plummets into the water. The sequence ends; the next time we meet YPY again he is entering the military academy as a recruit. The bulk of the drama charts YPY’s journey as an arrogant, selfish man-child who transforms into a first-rate soldier through grit and determination.
From the onset, drama creates a military training setup that is expansive, realistic and gritty — the sense of being in a war zone and getting caught in cross-fire gave viewers those ‘oh-sh**’ moments. As for the training that the soldiers must undergo, there is no let-up in pacing as the soldiers are relentlessly challenged and tested. Only the best, in terms of physicality and aptitude are accepted; and of course, that includes not pissing off your commanding officer. And that’s where YPY finds himself, constantly at odds with his superiors.
About Yang Yang who plays YPY. In here, he’s shed his pretty boy image, and turned in a performance that’s committed, believable, even psychotic at one point. No easy task since this role appears to be more emotionally and physically demanding than his previous ones. Seeing him scaled walls, traversed hard terrains, and dodged bullets made viewers cheered him on. We wanted him to succeed however hard the tasks were, and however much he was side-lined by his superiors.
The world of YPY would have been one dimensional if the director had just trained the spotlight on Yang Yang. Accompanying him is a supporting cast that’s strong and effective in adding layers to the story and YPY’s character. The perfect foil for the stiff and stubborn YPY is platoon mate Wu Xiao Tian, played by actor Jiang Long. Previously seen in The King’s Avatar as funny motormouth Huang Shao Tian, Wu Xiao Tian is wonderfully irreverent, cowardly and in the end, a much-needed catalyst that transformed YPY. Actress Jiang Lu Xia’s turn as sharpshooter Guo Xiao Xiao is brilliant and her pain become ours as we watched her struggle to accept her friend’s death. Unfortunately, lead actress Li Yi Tong’s role as Captain Ai Qian Xue is less effective, and didn’t come across as being relevant to the plot. At best, she’s an attractive injection in a testosterone-filled military environment.
As with most military genre, jingoism as subtext is inevitable. But the director has deftly tempered it with powerful action sequences and tight storytelling. Its annoyance quotient is nothing compared to watching non-Chinese actors bombed at carrying out a simple English dialogue. Perhaps they've run out of budget to hire someone to edit those lines.
Overall, this is a rare instance where I didn’t fast-forward a 40-odd episode drama to catch the best moments. I stayed throughout to watch a protagonist’s simple quest to be the best, and the love of brotherhood that helped him achieve that quest. And yes, those ‘oh-sh**’ action sequences were one of the best hooks in TV-drama land.
From the onset, drama creates a military training setup that is expansive, realistic and gritty — the sense of being in a war zone and getting caught in cross-fire gave viewers those ‘oh-sh**’ moments. As for the training that the soldiers must undergo, there is no let-up in pacing as the soldiers are relentlessly challenged and tested. Only the best, in terms of physicality and aptitude are accepted; and of course, that includes not pissing off your commanding officer. And that’s where YPY finds himself, constantly at odds with his superiors.
About Yang Yang who plays YPY. In here, he’s shed his pretty boy image, and turned in a performance that’s committed, believable, even psychotic at one point. No easy task since this role appears to be more emotionally and physically demanding than his previous ones. Seeing him scaled walls, traversed hard terrains, and dodged bullets made viewers cheered him on. We wanted him to succeed however hard the tasks were, and however much he was side-lined by his superiors.
The world of YPY would have been one dimensional if the director had just trained the spotlight on Yang Yang. Accompanying him is a supporting cast that’s strong and effective in adding layers to the story and YPY’s character. The perfect foil for the stiff and stubborn YPY is platoon mate Wu Xiao Tian, played by actor Jiang Long. Previously seen in The King’s Avatar as funny motormouth Huang Shao Tian, Wu Xiao Tian is wonderfully irreverent, cowardly and in the end, a much-needed catalyst that transformed YPY. Actress Jiang Lu Xia’s turn as sharpshooter Guo Xiao Xiao is brilliant and her pain become ours as we watched her struggle to accept her friend’s death. Unfortunately, lead actress Li Yi Tong’s role as Captain Ai Qian Xue is less effective, and didn’t come across as being relevant to the plot. At best, she’s an attractive injection in a testosterone-filled military environment.
As with most military genre, jingoism as subtext is inevitable. But the director has deftly tempered it with powerful action sequences and tight storytelling. Its annoyance quotient is nothing compared to watching non-Chinese actors bombed at carrying out a simple English dialogue. Perhaps they've run out of budget to hire someone to edit those lines.
Overall, this is a rare instance where I didn’t fast-forward a 40-odd episode drama to catch the best moments. I stayed throughout to watch a protagonist’s simple quest to be the best, and the love of brotherhood that helped him achieve that quest. And yes, those ‘oh-sh**’ action sequences were one of the best hooks in TV-drama land.
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