On the Breakthrough and Innovation of Lin Chaoxian’s “Action Trilogy” in Chinese Military Films

论林超贤“行动三部曲”在中国军事电影中的突破与创新

The “Action Trilogy” directed by Lin Chaoxian—Operation Mekong (2016), Operation Red Sea (2018) and The Rescue (2020), has promoted the innovation of Chinese military films through genre-based practices. This article focuses on the breakthroughs of the films in audio-visual language, narrative structure, and value expression, revealing their practical significance for the industrial aesthetics of Chinese cinema. The research finds that the trilogy, through the integration of “documentary aesthetics” and “digital technology spectacle,” reconstructs the visual grammar of military action films, creating immersive war scenes with multi-camera scheduling and high-intensity editing. On the narrative level, it breaks through the traditional mode of individual heroism and constructs a “collective action network,” presenting the collaborative efficiency of modern military systems through multi-threaded storytelling. In cultural expression, it uses “civilianized heroes” and “professional beliefs” to dissolve the didactic color of main melody films, and achieves the soft transmission of national discourse through human choices in crisis situations. From the industrial dimension, the films establish standardized production processes and cross-regional collaboration models. Their experience in technology development, process control, and international resource integration provides a replicable operational model for the industrialization of Chinese cinema. The research shows that the trilogy, through the organic integration of genre narrative and mainstream values, not only expands the creative boundaries of military films but also provides methodological inspiration for Chinese films to participate in global market competition.

林超贤导演的“行动三部曲”《湄公河行动》（2016）、《红海行动》（2018）、《紧急救援》（2020）以类型化实践推动了中国军事电影的革新。本文聚焦影片在视听语言、叙事架构与价值表达层面的突破，揭示其对中国电影工业美学的实践意义。研究发现，三部曲通过“纪实美学”与“数字技术奇观”的融合，重新构建了军事动作片的视觉语法，以多机位调度与高强度剪辑塑造沉浸式战争场景；在叙事层面，突破传统个人英雄主义模式，构建“集体行动网络”，通过多线程叙事展现了现代化军事体系的协同效能。在文化表达上，以“平民化英雄”与“职业信仰”消解主旋律电影的宣教色彩，通过危机情境下的人性抉择实现国家话语的软性传递。从产业维度看，影片建立了标准化制片流程与跨地域协作模式，其技术研发、流程管控与国际资源整合经验，为中国电影工业化提供了可复制的操作模型。研究表明，三部曲通过类型叙事与主流价值的有机缝合，不仅拓展了军事电影的创作边界，更为中国电影参与全球市场竞争提供了方法论启示。