Post Description

Kekexili: Mountain Patrol(2004) NTSC  
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Plot :
 Kekexili is based on actual events. From Mainland China, the film tells the story of 
Ga Yu, a reporter from Beijing who in 1996 travels to the eponymous region on the border 
of Tibet, where some local men have organized a civilian patrol to fight the poachers who 
are decimating the region’s endangered population of Tibetan antelopes, prized for their pelts, 
which are then exported, to be sold as (once trendy) shahtoosh shawls. As Ga Yu arrives in 
a remote town, a member of the patrol has recently been coldly executed by the poachers,
and the taciturn leader, Ritai (Tibetan actor Duobuji), is heading out on another patrol, 
determined to find those responsible. Ga Yu convinces Ritai to let him tag along by suggesting 
that a story in a Beijing newspaper might spur the Chinese government to take more forceful action
 to protect the antelopes.

The group leaves on their perilous, high altitude journey. From the film’s opening, with the 
aforementioned murder, it’s a harrowing trip. Beautifully photographed by cinematographer
Cao Yu, and naturalistically performed by a mostly nonprofessional cast, Kekexili captures 
the deprivation and danger of this harsh land, and the necessary ruggedness of the people 
who live there, with impeccable clarity. Filmmaker Lu tells his story visually, for the most 
part, with exemplary economy. He doesn’t spend any more time than needed on characterization. 
He leaves it to his audience to figure out what motivates Ritai and his team to risk their lives in 
order to protect the animals. Whatever it is, it’s clear that it goes beyond a mere concern for the 
environment. Ritai ends up completely possessed with finding the gunmen who slaughtered the 
most recent herd of antelope. He puts his own and many other lives at risk in this pursuit. At the 
film’s midpoint, Ritai and his men capture a group of poachers, including a kindly old man who
 tells the patrolmen that he used to be a shepherd, and was pushed into a life of criminality by 
hard times. The filmmaker doesn’t judge these characters, any more than he does the film’s 
would-be heroes. It’s clear that on a thematic level, Lu’s primary interest is human, rather than 
environmental. 




 IMDb Link......: imdb.com/title/tt0386651/
 Other Links...: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kekexili:_Mountain_Patrol
                           nationalgeographic.com/mountainpatrol/

 Genre............: Docu-Drama
 Distributor......: Sony Pictures (Japanese Rental)
 Year.............: 2004
 Country..........: Tibet / China / Hong Kong
 Director.........: Lu Chuan

 Source...........: DVD5 Rental
 DVD Format.......: NTSC
 DVD Size.........: Untouched but only 4.14 GB
 Programs used....: MacTheRipper to make Region Free
 Screen Format....: Widescreen
 Audio Language...: Mandarin & Tibetan, Japanese
 Audio Format.....: DD 5.1
 Subtitles........: English, Japanese

 Menu.............: [x] Untouched, intact.

 Video............: [x] Untouched, intact.

 DVD Extras.......: [x] Untouched, intact.
                                 The only extras are some other Sony Picture Trailers.
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All credits go to danana@ADC!!
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Enjoy:-)
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Loggie