If you are interested in a fair war movie with tons of action, lots of interesting military equipment, and some gore, this is for you.

There is a pretty huge cast of characters, and since most wear drab clothing or military uniforms it is not always easy to keep them separate, but on the other hand you can just remember Chinese = Good and keep it straight.

The Chinese military is portrayed as high tech which I guess is fair, because this isn't their military as a whole but a small elite group. Special effects are quite good and some aspects of warfare are gotten right, which are often bungled by western war movies. For instance, a mortar attack is portrayed as the consuming terror that it is rather than a bunch of bloodless explosions.

The gore is pretty shocking when it occurs (limbs blown off, etc.) but it is also not focused on. I quite enjoyed it.

It's 2015 in the Gulf of Aden. Pirates have captured a Chinese merchant ship and the Chinese navy goes into action. A Chinese sniper is crippled while trying to arrest an escaping pirate. Reporter Xia Nan pursuing a terrorist and yellowcake uranium story is almost killed in a car bombing. After a coup in Yewaire, a naval task group and special forces are sent to evacuate civilians.

There are a few concepts combined in this Chinese movie. The best one is the Black Hawk Down military movie. They obviously invested a lot military hardware. It's a patriotic affair and proud of it. Morocco makes for a solid devastated city backdrop. There is plenty of big explosions. Other than a few Matrix bullet time fantasy scenes, it works quite well as a semi-real action packed thrill ride. The characters have no particular charisma or individuality. It's just action and military hardware. It's not high-minded, and I have no problem with that. The reporter's story is probably trying to inject some political nuance which is unnecessary. She's a good character but it would make more sense if she's a Chinese super spy Jane Bond. She could lead the soldiers with intel to rescue the civilians and take down a terrorist group. Overall, this is a functional action movie. The lack of a lead protagonist does hold it back some. More time early on spent on the Captain would help.

OPERATION RED SEA is the follow-up to the slightly disappointing OPERATION MEKONG and another feather in the cap of director Dante Lam. Just like WOLF WARRIOR II improved over the original, this film is far superior and one of the most enjoyable movies I've watched from the Chinese mainland. It's a simple story of soldiers vs. terrorists, shot in Morocco, with a big budget and lengthy running time. All but the most basic characterisation is bypassed and the plot whittled down to join-the-dots scripting between one massive battle scene and another. Imagine a Chinese BLACK HAWK DOWN, with the occasional nod to the likes of MAD MAX: FURY ROAD, and you'll get the idea. It's intense and bloody, very well shot throughout, and even the CGI explosions aren't too shabby. I had a ball with it.