English promotional poster with original release date
The Eight Hundred is a 2020 mainland Chinese historical war drama film directed by and co-written by Guan Hu, and starring Huang Zhizhong, Oho Ou, Jiang Wu, Zhang Yi, Wang Qianyuan, Du Chun, Vision Wei, Li Chen, Yu Haoming, Tang Yixin, and Zheng Kai.The story is about the epic defence of the Sihang Warehouse in the Battle of Shanghai during the second Japanese invasion of China.
It's a rather loose remake of Eight Hundred Heroes, a film from the 1980s based on the same premise.
Originally scheduled for release in 7 July 2019, the premiere and the release was moved to 21 August 2020 nationwide release due to controversial censorship reasons.
The film provides examples of the following tropes:
- Action Bomb: During a fierce Japanese assault on the West Wall, several teams of IJA sappers under armoured shields slowly make their way over to the wall and begin planting satchel charges to make an opening for the rest of the assault group. Unable to shoot or accurately toss grenades to stop the shielded formations, several desperate Chinese soldiers strap on bombs, then hurl themselves over the West Wall in order to stop the sappers.
- Ain't Too Proud to Beg: One of the Japanese prisoners of war tries to make a futile plea for his life before his execution.
- Badass Army: The 88th Division of the National Revolutionary Army.
- Badass Bystander: By Day 2 of the battle, civilians from the International Settlement begin to actively get involved by helping the NRA defenders in any way they can. When an attempt to deliver a radio wire goes awry for the German delegation, a line of runners volunteer themselves to dash across the bridge to recover the wire loop to bring it to the other side. The casino manager's assistant who is the last one to attempt this is successful, but at the cost of his own life.
- Based on a True Story: The film is based on the Nationalist Revolutionary Army's 524th Regiment's last stand in the Sihang Warehouse during the Battle of Shanghai.
- Belated Injury Realization: Duan Wu triumphantly looks upon his friends after shooting at the Japanese fighter plane, to only be met with looks of horror on their faces. Cue the camera panning down to see a gaping hole where his right kidney used to be.
- Boom, Headshot!: Frequently occurs throughout the movie thanks to the deadly skill of Japanese snipers.
- Buzzing the Deck: A Japanese attack plane constantly buzz past the foreign observer's blimp while strafing the roof of the Sihang Warehouse.
- Chekhov's Gun: Lao Tie at the beginning of the movie mentions that he was part of an artillery unit before his charges of desertion landed him in the penal squad. During the 3rd day, he uses his knowledge of cannons to help clear the jam on the unit's rooftop Anti-Air Flak gun.
- Child Soldiers: Several are seen amongst the NRA defenders. Three extremely naïve schoolchildren from the International Settlement sneak in on the second day after witnessing the defenders bravado on the first day of fighting. To the soldiers credit, they try to assign them lesser tasks to keep them away from the fighting; not that it spares any of them from getting killed in various gruesome ways.
- Commanding Coolness: Lieutenant Colonel Xie Jinyuan of the 524th Regiment of the 88th Division of the National Revolutionary Army.
- Cool Airship: Some foreign observers in the Shanghai International Settlement use a blimp to witness the battle from a safe distance. The Japanese forces also deploys at least three spherical balloons in the areas of Shanghai they control as surveillance and propaganda platforms.
- Cold Sniper: In one scene a ruthless Japanese sniper fires at several civilians attempting to deliver a radio wire spool.
- Cool Helmet: As a Chinese unit trained by German military advisors, the 88th Division of the National Revolutionary Army wore Stahlhelms as their primary issued helmet. At least two Chinese soldiers are also seen wearing Brodie helmets.
- Combat Pragmatist: Truth in Television, the Japanese troops fake defeat and being dead to perform sudden surprise attacks, continuously yell propaganda through a loudspeaker day and night at the Chinese troops to demoralize them and inflict psychological damage, conduct marine and night raids, have snipers pick off any soldier or civilian who dares to walk out into the open, deploy chemical weapons like mustard gas, and use overwhelmingly powerful weapons of war such as fighter planes, tanks, and excavators against a ragtag group of Chinese defenders. Downplayed in the sense that the Chinese respond in turn, looting Japanese equipment from their dead, creating new pigeon holes to shoot from by breaking down their own building, performing their own suicide attacks, using flamethrowers and propane canisters as improvised explosives, and performing a night raid of their own to even the playing field.
- David Versus Goliath: The featured characters of the film are a crew of deserters and surviving KMT soldiers who had either been separated or avoided the slaughter of their main units, conscripted into a bruised but still combat capable German trained 88th division of the Nationalist army, who are the only major pocket of resistance in urban Shanghai during the Second World War. Their opponents are several divisions of the Imperial Japanese Army, who have access to greater troop numbers, better weapons, more experienced snipers and officers, calvary units, modern tanks, infamous A-5M fighter planes, Navy artillery support, and higher morale and discipline. It was all but stated that the only reason the small ragtag group of Chinese resistance does not capitulate within the first two days is due to Japanese high command wanting to avoid any collateral damage that could be dealt to the neutral international districts adjacent to the warehouse that the KMT had holed up in, and none of the Chinese officers are foolish enough to believe that they are capable of winning the battle. The major debate of the movie instead is centered around whether the Chinese troops should stay to perform a glorious Last Stand or flee to fight another day.
- Deadly Gas: In the first day, the Japanese launch canisters filled with mustard gas into the warehouse. The Chinese soldiers then scramble to don gas masks or improvise by using facecloth soaked in their own pee.note Some of the gas leaks out of the building and into the International Settlement causing a public panic and people racing to get indoors away from the deadly gas cloud. This sparks outrage from the international community forcing the Japanese to never use gas again for the rest of the battle.
- Deconstruction: Of the Epic Movie and war films in a surprising contrast to typical nationalistic-driven ones that recent Chinese movies are known for.
- Desertion may seem cowardly and unheroic by standards set by most media, but here it is seen as a natural human reaction to the immense amount of death and destruction happening around them. Many of the soldiers are conscripts who had very little idea on what they were about to face. Later when Duan Wu tries to shoot Old Abacus for attempting to desert one last time the latter tearfully points out that his injuries makes him unable to shoot nor even hold a gun properly making his presence in the warehouse more than useless.
- Honor Before Reason is also thoroughly debunked. Given a timeframe of two more days to hold out, they try to boost morale to themselves and the Chinese people by raising the Nationalist ROC flag as well as giving the proverbial middle-finger to the Japanese. This only serves to provoke the IJA and their next attacks become increasingly fiercer in response to such a provocation resulting in heavier casualties. Had they kept the flag to themselves, they would not have been subject to the Disproportionate Retribution as seen in the film.
- Defensive Feint Trap: The Chinese soldiers springs one upon the first wave of Japanese soldiers who try to enter the Sihang Warehouse.
- Defiant to the End: Most of the Japanese prisoners of war in the Sihang Warehouse spent their last moments yelling defiance and goading their Chinese captors into executing them.
- The Empire: The Empire of Japan, whose soldiers are the antagonists of this film.
- Eye Scream: One Chinese soldier gets glass shrapnel embedded into his left eye, but he pulls it out and continues to give cover fire by aiming with his remaining good eye.
- Fatal Family Photo: A soldier in the midst of battle is seen tearfully looking at one before getting shot in the chest by a random stray bullet.
- Fingore: Old Abacus's fingers gets shot off as he tries to pull a wounded Lao Tie to safety. It is noted that he was a accountant before the war and has therefore lost both his main source of income as well as the ability to properly wield a weapon, making him now even more useless to the war effort than before.
- Gas Mask Mooks: Some of the Japanese soldiers who are the first to enter the Sihang Warehouse wore gas masks.
- Good Republic, Evil Empire: The Kuomintang-controlled Republic of China vs the Empire of Japan. Although calling the Republic 'Good' may be a stretch.
- Hopeless War: In the end, the Generalissimo's envoy relays his depressing conclusion to Colonel Xie Jinyuan that the NRA's fight with the Japanese is doomed to be one for the Chinese people; not even a Pyrrhic Victory is in sight against the onslaught of the Imperial Japanese. In reality, Chiang Kai-shek knew holding the warehouse would amount to nothing in preventing the Japanese from occupying Shang-Hai. Nonetheless, the Generalissimo intended to put on a 'performance' for the International Settlement in order to garner Western support.
- I Just Shot Marvin in the Face: During the chaos of battle, a random soldier attempting to reload misfires his rifle while errantly pointing it at another wounded comrade's face.
- Kill It with Fire: At least one Chinese soldier uses a flamethrower to fight against Japanese soldiers.
- Last Stand: Defied. On the final day of the battle, a NRA representative from Chiang Kai Shek himself issues orders to Colonel Xie Jinyuan for him to retreat over to the International Settlement. Citing the lack of international backing, mounting casualties from all other fronts and losing pretty much the rest of Shanghai to the invaders, a final stand would practically prove futile, even if it spurs the spirit of the rest of the Chinese people. Eventually they both concede that survival is more important that going out in a blaze of glory.
- Neutral No Longer: The people and overseas forces in the International Settlement start off as unconcerned for the Chinese forces in the warehouse, content to go about their daily lives knowing that the Japanese wouldn't dare intrude as long as they remain neutral. As the battle goes on, both domestic and foreign citizens are spurred by the bravery and tenacity of the Chinese forces holding out that they begin assisting the defenders in any way they can.
- During the Japanese sneak attack on the warehouse on the first night, a deserting Duan Wu and Old Abacus alert Settlement civilians to the infiltration force. In response, both Settlement civilians as well as the British garrison turn their spotlights and alarms to wake the NRA troops up.
- By the end of the second day it becomes clear to everyone that the international community clearly favour the local Chinese forces while not actually engaging in direct acts of war against the invading Japanese to maintain the sanctity of the zone by raising money and donating supplies to the war effort. They also catapulting supplies across the river and providing radios and wired communication to the building while under sniper fire.
- Upon seeing the massacre that is the NRA soldiers trying to retreat over The Neutral Zone's bridge, the frustrated university professor picks up his hunting double-barrel rifle and blindly fires at Japanese positions from his balcony. A lone British soldier on the bridge also angrily curses at the Japanese and fires his Lee-Enfield rifle once (technically violating his country's neutrality).
- The Neutral Zone: The Shanghai International Settlement is a section of the city that is staffed with foreign citizens and soldiers of Western countries such as Britain, France and Belgium. While refugees are allowed to enter, all Chinese-uniformed personnel are restricted from crossing in as it may provoke the Japanese into invading the zone.
- Oh, Crap!: The reactions of the Japanese military scouts when the Chinese forces closed and locked the warehouse roller door behind them and began slaughtering them to a man.
- Run for the Border: The finale of the film climaxes with this: The Chinese NRA troops have finally been granted safe passage through the International Settlement, however they still have about 50 metres of open ground, including half the bridge, in full view (and jurisdiction) for the Japanese to fire on them.
- Scenery Gorn: The film showed scenes of devastation in areas of Shanghai not controlled by the International Settlement.
- Shield-Bearing Mook: Japanese sappers attempting to destroy the warehouse with demolition explosives use metal shields to protect themselves from Chinese gunfire and grenades.
- Stunned Silence: The scene of Chinese soldiers strapped with grenades willingly tossing themselves over to the Japanese sappers renders the spectators over at the International Settlement completely speechless. Even the foreign observers who are supposed to be reporting their findings live on radio are also left dumbstruck and keep silent out of respect for those who committed themselves to the highest form of self-sacrifice.
- Suicide Attack: Many Chinese soldiers leap into Japanese sapper formations with explosives strapped on them with the intent on taking the formations down with them.
