In the wartime action drama Gezhi Town, set in a remote mountainous region of China, a group of desperate commoners and untrained soldiers band together to fend off a platoon of heavily armed Japanese forces .

By championing the heroism and sacrifices of ordinary civilians, and shifting focus away from patriotic rhetoric to intimate character dynamics, the film proves surprisingly entertaining.

The increasingly ubiquitous Peng Yuchang, who can also be seen on Hong Kong screens right now in Unexpected Family and The Fire Raven, stars as Xiao Yan, a young platoon leader in charge of a Swiss-made anti-aircraft gun.

Read my full South China Morning Post review here