# Operation Mekong

Operation Mekong (Chinese: 湄公河行动) is a 2016 Chinese-Hong Kong crime action film directed by Dante Lam and starring Zhang Hanyu and Eddie Peng. The film is based on the 2011 Mekong River massacre. It was released in China on 30 September 2016 and became one of the highest-grossing films in China.

## Plot

In the Golden Triangle region of the Mekong River, there is a section known as the "Gate of Hell." Two Chinese merchant ships were attacked by unidentified assailants while passing through this area. The Thai military later held a press conference, accusing the merchant ships of being involved in drug trafficking. Although it was claimed that all crew members had escaped, the bodies of 13 Chinese crew members were soon discovered, all brutally murdered. This shocking incident garnered significant attention from Chinese police. Gao Gang (played by Zhang Hanyu), the captain of the Anti-Narcotics Unit of the Yunnan Provincial Public Security Department, was assigned to lead a task force to Thailand. There, he teamed up with intelligence officer Fang Xinwu (played by Eddie Peng) to investigate. According to intelligence, the case was orchestrated by the notorious Golden Triangle drug lord, Naw Khar. Greedy and ruthless, Naw Khar posed a major threat to the safety of transportation in the Mekong River region. To bring him to justice, China, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand launched joint patrols. While focusing efforts on dismantling Naw Khar's drug production bases, Gao Gang and his team ventured into dangerous territory, engaging in a fierce battle against the inhuman drug traffickers...
The film is based on the real-life Mekong River massacre.

## Cast

* Zhang Hanyu as Gao Gang
* Eddie Peng as Fang Xinwu
* Feng Wenjuan as Guo Bing "Aphrodite"
* Sun Chun as Yu Ping
* Chen Baoguo as Minister of Public Security Jiang Haifeng
* Liu Xianda as Xie Wenfeng "Icarus" (哪吒 meaning Nezha)
* Jonathan Wu Linkai as Kuai Yitong "Hermes"
* Zhao Jian as Guo Xu "Poseidon"
* Zhan Liguo as Fu Baowei "Panoptes" (二郎 meaning Erlangshen)
* Shi Zhanjie s Jiang Xing "Ares" (木星 meaning Jupiter)
* Wu Xudong as Wild Bull Team Leader
* Carl Ng as Pierre
* Pawalit Mongkolpisit as Naw Khar
* Vithaya Pansringarm as P'Som
* Ken Lo as Xing Deng
* Ron Weaver as Puja
* Ganesh Acharya as Mr Zar
* Mandy Wei as Fang Xinwu's girlfriend (cameo)
The members of the operation have aliases: in the Chinese version they are named after deities in Chinese folk religion, while in the English versions the names are changed to deities in Greek mythology.

## Production

Principal photography began on 13 September 2015, and wrapped on 31 January 2016. Shooting locations include China (Beijing and Yunnan), Myanmar, and Thailand (Bangkok), but a few scene include HQ task force and another place in Penang, Cameron Highlands Pahang and Perak.

## Release

Operation Mekong was released on 30 September 2016. It concerns an incident that occurred in Chiang Saen District of Chiang Rai Province on 5 October 2011 when 13 Chinese crew members from two cargo ships were murdered by a Myanmar drug-trafficking ring.
Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, responding to news of the film's imminent release, said that the film would be banned in Thailand if it was found to "damage" the country. "I have ordered authorities to check the content of Operation Mekong. If it is damaging, it will be banned," Gen Prayut said. Some believe that the reason for his government's nervousness is that Thai troops, the "elite" anti-drug Pa Muang Task Force, were known to have been at the scene of the massacre. Nine soldiers were arrested, but "...have since disappeared from the justice system." Naw Kham, a Golden Triangle drug kingpin, and his gang were found guilty of attacking the two Chinese cargo ships in collusion with Thai soldiers. He was executed in March 2013 in China along with three accomplices, including a Thai national.

## Reception

The film has grossed CN¥1.17 billion at the Chinese box office.
Jessica Kiang of Variety stated that Operation Mekong "hurtles by in an enjoyably giddy, propulsive rush right until the final titles, which dedicate the film to the dead fishermen and detail the fate of the real Naw Kham." Kiang stated that the sense of escapism in the film may be interfered with by the references to real life tragedies.

## Awards and nominations
### Accolades

| Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
| 34th Hundred Flowers Awards | Best Director | Dante Lam | Nominated |
| 34th Hundred Flowers Awards | Best Writing | Dante Lam, Zhu Jingqi, Liu Xiaoqun, Tan Huixian, Lin Mingjie | Nominated |
| 34th Hundred Flowers Awards | Best Actor | Zhang Hanyu | Nominated |
| 34th Hundred Flowers Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Feng Wenjuan | Nominated |
| 31st Golden Rooster Awards | Best Picture | Operation Mekong | Won |
| 31st Golden Rooster Awards | Best Art Director | Li Jianwei | Nominated |
| 12th Chinese American Film Festival | Golden Angel Award Film | Operation Mekong | Won |
| 12th Chinese American Film Festival | Best Actor | Zhang Hanyu | Won |
| 12th Chinese American Film Festival | Best Producer | | Won |
| 13th Guangzhou Student Film Festival | Most Popular Film | Operation Mekong | Won |
| 24th Beijing College Student Film Festival | Best Actor | Zhang Hanyu | Nominated |
| 24th Beijing College Student Film Festival | Best Actor | Eddie Peng | Nominated |
| 24th Beijing College Student Film Festival | Best Visual Effects | | Nominated |
| 24th Beijing College Student Film Festival | Favorite Film | Operation Mekong | Won |
| 24th Beijing College Student Film Festival | Favorite Actor | Zhang Hanyu | Won |