I think it is safe to say that Dante Lam is one of the best action directors currently working today. Considering he has been behind several bonafide classics, with crackers like Beast Cops (1998), Beast Stalker (2008) and The Stool Pigeon (2010) being prime examples of his work.
To say that I was looking forward to his latest, Operation Hadal (2025), would be an understatement. Being the third part in a trilogy he kicked off with Operation Mekong (2016) and followed up with the action masterpiece Operation Red Sea (2018), I couldn’t wait to see how he would cap the trilogy off.
Considering that I think Operation Red Sea is one of the best action films of the last 25 years, Lam already had his work cut out for him to try to surpass that classic. Still, I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, as he has continued to helm quality action fare since, with The Rescue (2020) and Bursting Point (2023) being clear stand outs. Even both The Battle at Lake Changjin movies had excellent action scenes, even if the propaganda embedded throughout derailed them from being truly exceptional war movies.
Opening with the re-introduction of the elite Jiaolong Unit a.k.a. Sea Dragons, as they are quickly thrown into action when they attempt to rescue an overtaken oil rig from a group of armed mercenaries. After a violent encounter, the surviving mercenaries manage to escape in a submarine. To capture the mercenaries, the Chinese Navy appoints Zhao Qihang (Zhang Hanyu) to captain super sub Longjing to chase them down.
Accompanying him is Cao Honglang (Wang Junkai), a sonar operator who has almost mutant levels of hearing as well as the Jialong Unit which includes Meng Chuang (Huang Xuan) and Han Xiao (Yu Shi).
Unbeknownst to our heroes, the attack on the oil rig was only the beginning of the mercenaries’ plan. Led by disgruntled Admiral Walter (Bryan Larkin), the mercenaries have overtaken Shadow Class submarine the Abyss which they are planning to use to infiltrate an underwater base. As expected, chaos ensues in what ultimately feels like an R rated G.I. Joe movie.
I already had concerns within the first five minutes of Operation Hadal. Unlike the first two entries of the series which Lam kept fairly grounded, this time he has decided to go full sci-fi, with our heroes from the Jialong Unit using jet packs as they attempt to stop the group of foreign mercenaries who have overtaken the Chinese oil rig. The inclusion of the jet packs stretches credibility but Lam makes up for it with a tense action scene between our heroes and the terrorist, showing Lam hasn’t lost his talent for staging close quarter shootouts.
Unfortunately, while Lam hasn’t lost his talent for action, his talent for writing complex characters and plots as shown in the likes of Unbeatable (2013) and That Demon Within (2014) is mostly absent here. Even with a dedicated cast, the characters here are so thinly drawn that you will find it hard to really care about them when the bullets begin to fly.
Unlike the first two movies, where the action mostly takes place above ground, the majority of Operation Hadal takes place underwater. It is a bold move to make the third entry a submarine movie, and with some better writing, Lam most certainly would have pulled it off. The submarine battles are particularly tense and well staged, and although there is the odd bit of poor CGI, for the most part the effects are well incorporated into the action.
Setting the film in the near future may have seemed a good idea at the writing stage, allowing Lam and co-writer Zhi Yaqing to heighten the stakes and drama, with them including several hi-tech machines into the action. Unfortunately, the implementation of said hi-tech machinery comes off as ridiculously over the top and seriously undermines the seriousness of the situation our heroes find themselves in. I was willing to accept the jet packs, but when the heavily weaponized robotic dogs showed up in the third act I fought hard to stifle my laughter.
Miraculously, Lam still manages to make the action engaging, even when facing off against a mechanical mutt, but this is far removed from the blood and grit action of the previous two entries. Saying that, there is still a fair amount of blood letting throughout, with Lam never being one to shy away from showing the extremities of combat. There’s numerous limbs being blown off, people being disintegrated by bombs and countless bullet holes as we journey throughout the film. Considering the issues with the script, if it is violent action you have shown up for, there is no shortage of it in Operation Hadal.
The majority of the cast are made up of newcomers to the franchise, with a few carry overs like Jiang Luxia and Zhang Hanyu, once again playing a different role from the previous two entries. Much of the focus of the film is on Huang Xuan’s Meng Chuang and Yu Shi’s Han Xiao, both of who are Jiaolong platoon leaders. There is an attempt to add some drama between them but there isn’t much for either performer to get their teeth into. Still, both do what they can and apply themselves well during the more action orientated sections of the film.
Zhang Hanyu brings his usual gravitas to proceedings, injecting a good deal of personality into his performance that clearly wasn’t in the script. Whilst he’s not the lead, he gets a good deal more screen time here than his extended cameo in Operation Red Sea.
Considering that Jiang Luxia was one of the standouts in Operation Red Sea, she is mostly sidelined here. What action she does get to take part in is suitably solid, but anyone hoping for lengthy displays of her martial arts skills will come away disappointed.
Villain duties are left to Brain Larkin, himself no stranger to Hong Kong films, with one of his most notable roles being corrupt police officer Ernest Hunt in Chasing the Dragon (2017). I suppose the filmmakers should at least be commended for casting a proper actor. Back in the 80s and 90s, it would seem that any white guy would do for a Hong Kong movie. The role may not stretch him much but Larkin has fun chewing the scenery as the evil Admiral Walter.
Overall, Operation Hadal is an enjoyable, albeit underwhelming actioner that seriously pales in comparison to the other two films in the series. Perhaps if Dante Lam hadn’t raised the bar so high, Operation Hadal wouldn’t feel such a disappointment. I would still recommend it to fans of the first two movies, but I would lower my expectations.
Operation Hadal is now available digitally by the good people at Well Go USA. For lovers of physical media, they will be able to get their hands on Blu Ray and DVD copies exclusively through Amazon on the September 29th.
Plot: 2.5/5
Acting: 3/5
Action: 3.5/5
Overall: 3/5
