Mountain Patrol: Kekexili poster & wallpaper
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Duobuji, Zhang Lei, Qi Liang, Zhao Xueying, Duo Bujie ... see more see more... , Ma Zhanlin

Filmmaker Lu Chuan, who wrote and directed The Missing Gun, traveled to the remote border of China, Tibet, and Uygur, to make his next feature, Kekexili. Lu based the film on a true story about a repo... read more read more...rter from Beijing, Ga Yu (Qi Liang), who traveled to the barren, frigid, high altitude region of the movie's title. Ga Yu had heard about volunteer patrols that were trying to protect the endangered Tibetan antelope from the poachers who were selling their pelts to be made into expensive, fashionable shawls. The cold-blooded murder of one of the patrol members at the hands of the well-armed poachers draws Ga Yu to a small village, where the leader of the patrol unit, Ritai (Tibetan actor Duobuji), agrees to take him out on a patrol, in the hopes that a story in the paper will spur the Chinese government to take stronger action to protect the animals. Ritai is determined to find the gunman responsible for slaughtering the animals, and for killing his comrade. His determination gradually becomes a deadly obsession. Lu shot his movie on location under dangerous conditions, with a cast of mostly nonprofessional actors. Though the film is from Mainland China, it won Hong Kong's Golden Horse Awards for Best Cinematography (Cao Yu) and Best Picture. It was also shown by Subway Cinema as part of the 2005 New York Asian Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

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87% liked it

3,523 ratings

Critics

98% liked it

49 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 29 min.

Directed by: Lu Chuan, Chuan Lu

Release Date: April 14, 2006

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DVD Release Date: August 29, 2006

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Stats: 229 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (229)

  • skactopus
    July 30, 2009
    skactopus
    Kekexili: Mountain Patrol is inspired by the true story of a group of volunteers patrolling the mountains of Tibet against antelope poachers.

    Director Chuan Lu does a good job at capturing the realism of this story, however the entertainment factor is quite low. It is n

    ... read moreot that this movie is poorly put together. In fact, it is far from that. It is just that the story is slow and depressing. The run time is just under 90 minutes, but it seems much longer than that, especially when the ending isn't all that satisfying.

    The setting may be plain and barren, however the camerawork is able to capture some good shots, which alone is worthy of note. The film also does a nice job at setting up the so-called heroes, by having the viewer watch them go through all these difficult obstacles as they track down their target.

    The acting is pretty impressive. Much like everything else in this picture, it is extremely realistic and believable. Duobuji stands out and carries this picture.

    Kekexili: Mountain Patrol uses its inspiring story and realistic approach to impress viewers. However, fans of slow dramas and realism will enjoy it even more.
  • gator681
    April 30, 2006
    gator681
    [font=Century Gothic]"Mountain Patrol: Kekexili" takes place on the remote Tibetan Plateau, the Kekexili, four miles above sea level where there is a voluntary mountain patrol employed to keep poachers away from the diminishing Tibetan Antelope population.(Said antelopes are kil... read moreled for their wool which is sold overseas.) One night in 1996, a member of the patrol is killed by poachers. A reporter(Zhang Lei) arrives from Beijing to write a story on the escalating conflict and to interview the patrol captain, Ritai(Duo Bujie), a retired Tibetan military officer.[/font]
    [font=Century Gothic][/font]
    [font=Century Gothic]Inspired by a true story, "Mountain Patrol: Kekexili" uses its unique setting to its best advantage to tell a story about men serving out of a sense of duty in trying to preserve the Tibetan Antelope. There is not that much that they are entitled to do(they can fine and confiscate but not arrest) with little or no funding but also very little oversight on the harsh terrain. [/font]
  • TecmoSmokaBowl
    July 25, 2011
    TecmoSmokaBowl
    A startling look into the true-life tale of the Mountain Patrol of Tibet who went through many hardships to protect the endangered Tibetan Antelope. Shot on location using mostly non-actors, Lu Chuan's film has a very realistic feel to it; almost documentary-like. While the film... read more suffers from some problems structurally, the message and cinematography shine above these issues.
  • sportsphenom1
    October 21, 2008
    sportsphenom1
    A resounding, noble story of the affair of poaching, majestically shot across the beautiful landscapes of Tibet. This amazing journey of honor and sacrifice is based on a true story, one that needs to be witnessed by the world.
  • WrellikW
    July 15, 2008
    WrellikW
    Foreign, Chinese. A very good movie! Based on a true story. Beautiful scenery; the film was done well. About a group of men, patrolling the Tibetan mountains, to protect the dimenishing antelope herds and the poachers that they encounter. I liked this film and highly recomme... read morend it.
  • columbiatch
    May 5, 2007
    columbiatch
    Kekexili is an astonishing environmentalist western shot in the nearly uninhabitable Hoh Kil region between China and Tibet at the height of 5 km above sea level. The majestic and harsh landscapes of this film almost dwarfs this compelling and morally ambiguious drama (based on ... read morea true story) about a group of volunteers who risk their lives to protect an endangered species from poachers. Employing mostly nonprofessional actors and shot in a documentary-like fashion, director Chuan Lu gives his western a powerful sense of realism and honesty that is not found in the works of Sergio Leone. The film is never preachy about its subject. There are neither glorified heros nor despicable villains in the film, but rather ordinary people struggling for survival in their bleak surroundings. The stunning cinematography full captures the breathtaking scenery. This is easily my favorite western.
  • SDphotoggirl
    November 5, 2006
    SDphotoggirl
    This was a pretty good film. To see that a group that tried so hard to protect an endangered species had to become corrupt to carry on with their work...which was not recognized...was a very interesting, and real, story.

View All Mountain Patrol: Kekexili Reviews

Critic Reviews

Steven Rea
May 26, 2006
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

Breathtakingly beautiful, breathtakingly brutal and simply breathtaking.

Robert Denerstein
May 19, 2006
Robert Denerstein, Denver Rocky Mountain News

Much of the time, the movie plays like a catalog of challenges sprawled over terrain so forbidding that you can't watch it without feeling a steep measure of awe.

Colin Covert
May 18, 2006
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

An epic story of white-knuckle tension in a setting of harsh, unearthly beauty, it's the kind of story Hemingway might have told if he'd made it to the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Full Review

Bruce Westbrook
May 12, 2006
Bruce Westbrook, Houston Chronicle

Instead of a laudable ecological crusade, the film feels more like a futile Captain Ahab obsession, with patrol leader Ri Tai (Duobujie) vainly chasing a poaching kingpin through the harsh, windy wild... Full Review

Roger Ebert
May 5, 2006
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

What is remarkable is that this film is based on a true story, and filmed on the actual locations. Full Review

Michael Phillips
May 4, 2006
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune

A nomadic life-and-death struggle evoking classic Hollywood western themes of dogged honor and rugged idealism. Full Review

Richard James Havis
May 2, 2006
Richard James Havis, Hollywood Reporter

This second film by Chinese director Lu Chuan is a solid and atmospheric drama.

Stanley Kauffmann
May 2, 2006
Stanley Kauffmann, New Republic

Despite the far-off locale, we soon feel surprisingly comfortable, merely because of the film's shape.

Wesley Morris
April 28, 2006
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe

Never has a movie so soberingly made the fight to save life and the struggle to hold on to it seem so futile. Full Review

G. Allen Johnson
April 21, 2006
G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle

Other than raising awareness for endangered wildlife, Mountain Patrol: Kekexili doesn't have anything profound to say, but it has a lot to show. Full Review

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