Operation Hadal

Operation Hadal or Operation Leviathan (simplified Chinese: 蛟龙行动; traditional Chinese: 蛟龍行動; pinyin: Jiāolóng Xíngdòng; lit. 'Operation Jiaolong') is a 2025 Chinese action war film. It is a follow-up to the 2018 film Operation Red Sea. Differing from the previous film's above-water action set-pieces, this film is about a nuclear submarine and features mainly underwater action.^[3] The film was produced by Bona Film Group and directed by Dante Lam, and it stars Huang Xuan, Yu Shi, Zhang Hanyu, and Du Jiang.

Operation Hadal
Theatrical release poster
Traditional Chinese	蛟龍行動
Simplified Chinese	蛟龙行动
Hanyu Pinyin	Jiāolóng Xíngdòng
Directed by	Dante Lam
Written by	Dante Lam Zhi Yaqing
Produced by	Dante Lam Liang Fengying
Starring	Huang Xuan Yu Shi Zhang Hanyu Duan Yihong Wang Junkai Du Jiang Li Chen
Music by	Elliot Leung
Production companies	Bona Film Group Guizhou Radio & TV Media Group Star Dream Studio Media (Ning Bo) Co., Ltd. Huaxia Film Distribution
Distributed by	Bona Film Group Well Go USA Entertainment Distribution Workshop
Release date	January 29, 2025 (2025-01-29) (China)
Running time	146 minutes
Country	China
Language	Standard Chinese
Budget	1 billion RMB[1]
Box office	$53.75 million[2]

It was released in China on 29 January 2025 (Chinese New Year).^{[citation needed]} However, unlike Dante's previous two films, Operation Hadal was not a commercial success, as it faced criticisms over its weak character development, plot, and narrative and logical flaws.

Premise

In the near future, the Chinese Navy intercepts critical intelligence—an advanced super-submarine is secretly plotting a top-secret military operation against cities along China's southeastern coast. In response, China deploys its latest submarine, Longjing, to coordinate with the elite Jiaolong Squad in a high-stakes mission. The battlefield beneath the ocean is fraught with danger as the squad faces relentless traps, and the submarine engages in a series of intense confrontations with the enemy. As they maneuver through ambushes, they venture deep into the vast abyss filled with undersea volcanoes.

Cast

• Huang Xuan as Meng Chuang, Jiaolong platoon leader
• Yu Shi as Han Xiao, Jiaolong platoon member
• Zhang Hanyu as Zhao Qihang, Captain of the submarine Longjing
• Wang Junkai as Cao Honglang, Sonarman on the submarine Longjing
• Duan Yihong as Fang Yi, Chief of staff of a naval theater
• Du Jiang as Xu Hong, Jiaolong platoon second in command and dynamiter
• Li Chen as Zhou Peilin, Second in command of the submarine Longjing
• Wang Yanlin as Luo Xing, Sniper in Jiaolong platoon
• Jiang Luxia as Tong Li, Machine-gunner in Jiaolong platoon
• Elvis Han as Qin Dawei, Commando
• Li Jiuxiao [zh] as Ding Xikai, Commando
• Gao Ge as Ling Feng, Commando
• Sun Yi as Xing Lei, Commando
• Yu Zhen as Gao Jun, Commando
• Yuan Wenkang as Chen Chang'an, Commando
• Ye He as Zhai Huan, Commando

Production

Operation Hadal was filmed in Qingdao. Production used multiple models of naval vessels.^[4] It was filmed entirely with IMAX cameras.^[5]

Soundtrack

Release

It was released on 29 January 2025 (Chinese New Year).

Reception

See also

• Jiaolong (submersible), a real-life submersible named similarly to the film in Chinese
• Special Operations Brigade (PLA Navy Marine Corps), real-life commando unit known as the "Jiaolong Commandos"