Great films adapted from Chinese novels

Assembly (2007)

Directed by: Feng Xiaogang

Adapted from Lawsuit by Yang Jinyuan

Awards: Best Asian Film at 28th Hong Kong Film Awards

In 1948, Commander Gu Zidi accepted a tough task and agreed with his leaders to retreat only when he hears the order, a signal blown from a trumpet. He and his team fought hard on an abandoned kiln and Gu watched his team members die one by one. Da Peng, Gu's right handed man, said he heard the trumpet right before he died. Some members of Gu's team disagreed. Gu then discovers that most of other teams have retreated, and questions whether he's missed the trumpet signal or not. Covered with guilt and shock, he runs away alone, leaving the remaining team member to die. After the war, Gu learns that his team members were all erased from the registration and that his identity could not be proved. The 47 members of his team, who all died on the battleground, were now treated as missing persons. Several years later, Gu returns to the abandoned kiln, which was now used as a coal base. No one except Gu knows the truth or would believe that beneath the soil lay soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the country. Covered with guilt and anger against injustice, Gu digs through the coal with his bare hands to find the remains of his fellow soldiers.

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