Operation Red Sea

2018 2h 18m ZH

👍

7.4

SOLID

★7.4TMDB · 448

ActionThrillerWarAdventure

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A squad of the Jiaolong Commando Unit - Sea Dragon, a spec ops team of the Chinese Navy, carries out a hostage rescue operation in the nation of Yewaire, on the Arabian Peninsula, and fiercely fights against local rebel groups and Zaka, a terrorist organization.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Zhang Yi
Yang Rui
Johnny Huang
Gu Shun
Hai Qing
Xia Nan
Du Jiang
Xu Hong
Zhang Hanyu
Gao Yun
Jiang Luxia
Tong Li
Wang Yutian
Zhang 'Rocky' Tiande
Yin Fang
Li Dong

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Dante Lam Chiu-yin
Writers: Dante Lam Chiu-yin, Chen Zhuzhu, Eric Lin Ming-Chie
Languages: Arabic, Mandarin, English
Countries: China, Hong Kong, Morocco

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $70M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 8.3× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 8 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Arabic, Mandarin, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: China, Hong Kong, Morocco.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Part of the "Operation Red Sea Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Dante Lam Chiu-yin, shot by Edmond Fung Yuen-Man. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Elliot Leung. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Dante Lam Chiu-yin directs. Edmond Fung Yuen-Man behind the camera. Elliot Leung scores. Chi-Hung Choi cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in China, Hong Kong, Morocco. Dialogue in Arabic, Mandarin, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Mid-budget at $70M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
2Made its money back 8.3× over at the box office.
3Released 8 years ago.
4Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Arabic, Mandarin, English.
5International production across 3 countries: China, Hong Kong, Morocco.
6Part of the "Operation Red Sea Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
7Directed by Dante Lam Chiu-yin, shot by Edmond Fung Yuen-Man. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
8Original score by Elliot Leung. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
9Editor Chi-Hung Choi shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
10Zhang Yi and Johnny Huang and Hai Qing carry the top of the cast.
11IMDB entry: tt6878882 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Classified under 8 themes, including "red sea", "historical fiction", "desert", "hostage situation".

The technical file

Cinematography: Edmond Fung Yuen-Man
Original score: Elliot Leung
Editing: Chi-Hung Choi
Costume design: Huang Wen-ying
Makeup / hair: Chris Lyons
Sound: Sarunyu Nurnsai
Runtime: 138 min · 2h 18m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $70,000,000
Box office: $579,330,426
Return: 828% of budget
Original language: ZH
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Operation Red Sea (2018)

Awards

Huabiao Award for Outstanding Film
Hundred Flowers Award for Best Picture

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Part of

Operation Red Sea Collection

A collection of action films focused on commandos of the Chinese Navy.

Also by

Dante Lam Chiu-yin

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Dr Nostromo2025-09-23
69/100 Wow! This was exciting!! Chinese film loosely based on a rescue mission during the Yemen civil war (in this case, the country is Yewaire) in 2015. But, that really doesn't matter because once things get going, the warfare is non-stop and the little bits of drama it does have do more to get in the way then actually presenting us with a story to get serious about. The action, however, is stylish, sometimes brutally realistic, and intensely exciting including some choice gags that elicited a "Whoa!" out of me a few times. High tech warfare at it's best. Great entertainment. -- DrNostromo.com

Production companies