Joseph Fiennes
Eric Liddell
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War
Eric Liddell - China's first gold medalist and one of Scotland's greatest athletes - returns to war-torn China.
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| Homepage | https://onwingsofeaglesfilm.wordpress.com/ |
|---|---|
| Release Date | 2016-06-17 |
| Runtime | 1h 36m |
| Directors | Stephen Shin, Cheng Siu-keung, Michael Parker |
| Producers | Braden Bowen, Mark Bacino, Patrick DePeters, Daniel Lawrence Abrams, Stephen Shin, Stephen Lam Bing-Kwan, Jim Green, Yu Xiaoying, Luke Taylor, Newlson Tang Kin Ming, Michael Thomas Slifkin, Corby Pons, James Ryan Parker, Henry Mu, Brandon Millan, Scott Martin, Gilbert Hung Wan Hoi, Gregory Hotz, Ken Heung, Matthew Helderman, Stephen Fan, Ryan Parker |
| Writers | Michael Parker, Rubby Xu, Christopher C. Chan, Stephen Shin |
This film picks up where "Chariots of Fire" (1981) leaves off with the Olympic champion Eric Liddell (Joseph Fiennes) now a missionary in the land of his birth - now war-torn - China. When the Japanese invade, he is initially fêted - well fed and looked after, but that is all part of the ultimate game of humiliation as he is basically being groomed for a race against "Xu Niu" (Shawn Dou). This is quite an interesting depiction of just how this man's Christian faith and sense of decency were pitched against the ruthlessness of his captors who used both physical and psychological methods to reduce their captives to jelly. Whilst this certainly hints at those atrocities, the whole look and feel of the film is just a little sterile and Fiennes isn't really up to much in the lead. Somehow his strength of faith and purpose is lost in a really mediocre production that never quite gets going properly. Based in fact, it does offer us a truth about the truly shameful ending for this man of principle, but perhaps a remake with a better cast, writing and more vision from a director who understands how to better deliver a story of a complex individual would leave us feeling better fulfilled. Watchable, but forgettable I am afraid.
— CinemaSerf