''For the BBC schools' programme, see Sky Hunter (Look and Read)'' ''Sky Hunter'' is a Chinese

war film War film is a film genre concerned with warfare, typically about navy, naval, air force, air, or army, land battles, with combat scenes central to the drama. It has been strongly associated with the 20th century. The fateful nature of battle s ...

directed by Li Chen. It is Li's directorial debut. The film is produced in collaboration with the

People's Liberation Army Air Force The People's Liberation Army Air Force, also referred to as the Chinese Air Force () or the People's Air Force (), is the primary aerial warfare service of the People's Liberation Army. The PLAAF controls most of the PLA's air assets, includi ...

and is

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

's first

aerial warfare Aerial warfare is the use of military aircraft and other flying machines in warfare. Aerial warfare includes bombers attacking tactical bombing, enemy installations or a concentration of enemy troops or Strategic bombing, strategic targets; fi ...

film. It was released on 29 September 2017.

Synopsis

The plot centers on an elite group of Chinese soldiers whose mission is to thwart a terrorist plot and to resolve a hostage crisis.

Cast

* Li Chen *

Fan Bingbing Fan Bingbing (, born 16 September 1981) is a Chinese actress. After gaining recognition for the costume drama '' My Fair Princess'' (1998–1999), Fan's breakthrough came with Feng Xiaogang's blockbuster '' Cell Phone'' (2003), which won her th ...

Wang Qianyuan Wang Qianyuan is a Chinese actor who graduated from the Central Academy of Drama. He won Best Actor at the 23rd Tokyo International Film Festival The is a film festival established in 1985. The event was held biennially from 1985 to 1991 a ...

Li Jiahang Li Jiahang (; born March 8, 1987) is a Chinese actor. Life and career Li Jiahang was born in Anshan, Liaoning. He graduated from Shanghai Theatre Academy in 2010. In '' New My Fair Princess'', he played the role of Fu Erkang. He then starred in ...

Leon Lee Leon Lee (born December 4, 1952) is an American former professional baseball player and manager, primarily known for his career in Japan. He played first base, third base, and catcher during his career, batting and throwing right-handed. Lee had a ...

*Guo Mingyu *Ye Liu *

Wu Xiubo Wu Xiubo ( , born 5 September 1968), is a Chinese actor, musician and producer. He rose to prominence for his role in the television drama ''Before the Dawn (2009)'', followed by a series of hit shows such as ''Angel Heart'' (2012), ''Divorce Law ...

Wang Xueqi Wang Xueqi (; born 19 March 1946) is a Chinese film actor whose career has spanned over 25 years. He was often cast in early Fifth Generation films, such as Chen Kaige's ''Yellow Earth'' (1984) and '' The Big Parade'' (1986), Huang Jianxin's '' ...

*AJ Donnelly

Production

The film had the full support of the

(PLAAF), with it being the first time that a film crew was allowed access to the military bases by the

for shooting. Military experts and trainers serve as advisers for the movie's script, which is primarily written by air force Lieutenant Colonel Zhang Li.

Filming

The film features various front line combat aircraft, including the

Y-20 Y20 may refer to: Train stations * Ato Station, in Kure, Hiroshima, Japan * Kasumigaoka Station (Nara), in Ikoma, Nara, Japan * Kitakagaya Station, in Suminoe-ku, Osaka, Japan * New Taipei Industrial Park metro station, in Taipei, Taiwan * Shinto ...

airlifter, the J-20 stealth fighter, the J-11, the H-6, and the J-10 multirole combat aircraft. Scenes were shot in various parts of China and

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...

Casting

Director Li’s then-girlfriend and top Chinese actress

was cast as the female lead, playing a PLA pilot. Fan reportedly received no wage for her appearance.

Music

The score was composed by Andrew Kawczynski and recorded at

Synchron Stage Vienna Synchron Stage Vienna is a recording facility specializing in recording large orchestras and Film score, film music. The landmark protected building, formerly "Synchronhalle" ("Hall 6") of the historic film lot "Film City Vienna" in the Austrian c ...

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

Hans Zimmer Hans Florian Zimmer (; born 12 September 1957) is a German film score composer and music producer. He has won two Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, five Grammy Awards, and has been nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards, Emmy Awards and a Tony ...

served as the executive music producer. Chinese singer and actor

Lu Han Lu Han (; born April 20, 1990), also known mononymously as Luhan, is a Chinese singer, actor, and dancer. He was a member of the South Korean-Chinese boy group Exo and its sub-group Exo-M, before leaving the group in October 2014. That year, ...

lent his vocals for the film's ending theme song "Chasing Dream With Childlike Heart".

Awards and nominations

References

2017 films 2017 action films Chinese aviation films Chinese war films Chinese action thriller films Films about terrorism in Asia 2010s Mandarin-language films {{2010s-China-film-stub