Mel Gibson teamed up with Bruce Willis and Adrien Brody for a $65 million WWII epic that promised action, drama, and heart—until it all went up in flames. Air Strike, or The Bombing, was supposed to be a cinematic salute to wartime resilience. Instead, it got buried under tax scandals, overblown budgets, and canceled screenings. It was like a blockbuster that self-destructed before even hitting the runway.
The film, directed by Xiao Feng, dove into Chongqing’s courageous stand against nonstop Japanese air raids during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Starring Liu Ye, Nicholas Tse, and even a cameo from Fan Bingbing, it had all the makings of a war drama knockout. The star power was off the charts with Mel Gibson as the production designer. But behind the camera? Chaos.
Production began in May 2015 and wrapped up by November of the same year, but the journey could have been smoother. The budget ballooned amidst delays, scrapped 3D plans, and behind-the-scenes headaches. Yet, the nail in the coffin was the tax evasion scandal involving Fan Bingbing, one of the film’s guest stars. Chinese television host Cui Yongyuan exposed the debacle, shaking the entertainment industry and dragging Air Strike down.
Scheduled for release on October 26, 2018, to align with a global debut, the film’s Chinese screening plans were abruptly canceled. While the controversy raged in China, the film quietly crept onto U.S. streaming services and Blu-ray in an all-English dubbed version.
Despite its troubled production, Air Strike tried to tell an essential story of wartime heroism and sacrifice. However, its legacy became more about scandals and setbacks than its ambitious narrative. From Mel Gibson’s creative contributions to the tax evasion drama, the movie became a case study of how even star power and a hefty budget can’t save a project riddled with chaos.
So, while Air Strike remains accessible in certain corners of the world, it reminds us that not all cinematic dreams take off—sometimes, they crash before they ever leave the runway.
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