The Eight Hundred

The Eight Hundred is a 2020 Chinese historical war drama film directed by and co-written by Guan Hu, and starring Huang Zhizhong, Oho Ou, Jiang Wu, Zhang Yi, Wang Qianyuan, Du Chun, Vision Wei, Li Chen, Yu Haoming, Tang Yixin, and Zheng Kai. The film is based on real life events: the defense of Sihang Warehouse in 1937 Shanghai by Chinese NRA troops during the Battle of Shanghai and the Second Sino-Japanese War. Originally scheduled for release in July 2019, the premiere and the release was moved to August 21, 2020, nationwide release. The film was a critical and commercial success, grossing $461 million worldwide, making it the second highest-grossing film of 2020. Plot During the early days of the Second Sino-Japanese War, and on a greater scale World War II, the Imperial Japanese Army invaded Shanghai in what became known as the Battle of Shanghai. After holding back the Japanese for over 3 months, and suffering heavy losses, the Chinese army was forced to retreat due to the danger of being encircled. Lieutenant Colonel Xie Jinyuan of the 524th Regiment of the under-equipped 88th Division of the National Revolutionary Army, led 452 young officers and soldiers to defend Sihang Warehouse against the 3rd Imperial Japanese Division consisting of around 20,000 troops on a heroic suicidal last stand against the Japanese under an order by Generalissimo of Nationalist China, Chiang Kai-shek. The decision was made to provide a morale boost to the Chinese people after the losses of Beijing and Shanghai, and helped spur support from the Western powers, who were in full view of the battle from the International Settlement in Shanghai just across the Suzhou Creek. Cast Huang Zhizhong as Lao Hulu Zhang Junyi as Xiao Hubei Oho Ou as Duan Wu Du Chun as Lieutenant Colonel Xie Jinyuan Zhang Cheng as company commander Lei Xiong Wang Qianyuan as Yang Guai Jiang Wu as Lao Tie, Zhang Yi as Lao Suanpan Zhang Youhao as Xiao Qiyue Vision Wei as Zhu Shengzhong Tang Yixin as Yang Huimin Hideo Nakaizumi as Colonel Konoe Isao Li Jiuxiao as Dao Zi Hou Yong as the professor Liang Jing as the professor's wife Li Chen as a soldier Xu Jiawen (Augusta Xu-Holland) as Eva Yu Kailei as Luo Yangchan Xin Baiqing as Fang Xingwen Cao Weiyu as Yu Hongjun Yu Haoming as Shangguan Zhibiao, company commander Liu Xiaoqing as Sister Rong Yao Chen as He Xiangning Zheng Kai as Chen Shusheng, deputy squad leader Huang Xiaoming