On Wings of Eagles (2016)
Overview
Eric Liddell - China's first gold medalist and one of Scotland's greatest athletes - returns to war-torn China.
Cast
Joseph Fiennes
Eric Liddell
Shawn Dou
Xu Niu
Elizabeth Arends
Florence Liddell
Richard Sanderson
Dr. Hubbard
Darren Grosvenor
Gentleman
Augusta Xu-Holland
Catherine Standish
Shigeo Kobayashi
Yoshinori Yumoto
Zach Ireland
David Marshall
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CinemaSerf
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.
