DramaHistoryWar

On Wings of Eagles

Eric Liddell - China's first gold medalist and one of Scotland's greatest athletes - returns to war-torn China.

Release Date : 2016-06-17

Language :EnglishJapaneseMandarin

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : MGK MultimediaBeijing Forbidden City FilmInnowave LimitedGoodland PicturesBondIt

Production Country : ChinaHong KongUnited States of America

Alternative Titles : The Last Race

Cast

Character Name : Eric Liddell

Original Name : Joseph Fiennes

Gender : Male

Character Name : Xu Niu

Original Name : 竇驍

Gender : Male

Character Name : Florence Liddell

Original Name : Elizabeth Arends

Gender : Female

Character Name : Dr. Hubbard

Original Name : Richard Sanderson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Gentleman

Original Name : Darren Grosvenor

Gender : Male

Character Name : Chen Quan

Original Name : Simon Twu

Gender : Male

Character Name : Catherine Standish

Original Name : Augusta Xu-Holland

Gender : Female

Character Name : Louis Klein

Original Name : Patrice Poujol

Gender : Male

Character Name : Yoshinori Yumoto

Original Name : 小林成男

Gender : Male

Character Name : David Marshall

Original Name : 左右

Gender : Male

Character Name : Heather Liddell

Original Name : Asta Friis Lodahl

Gender : Male

Character Name : Patricia Liddell

Original Name : Laura Justine Friis Lodahl

Gender : Male

Character Name : Hugh Johnson

Original Name : Jesse Kove

Gender : Male

Character Name : Old Xu Niu (voice)

Original Name : Bruce Locke

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Asano Nagahide

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : 張國柱

Gender : Male

Reviews

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

2022-09-03

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.