Synopsis
“High-concept idea in the drama seemingly inspired by the tragedy of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.”
Shubei town, southeast China, the present day. Five years after he fled with RMB 800,000 from a bank robbery, Liu Chuan returns incognito to the town. Policeman Wang Laoshi, who was on duty at the time of the robbery and was demoted for letting Liu escape, is working in the same district police station to which he was transferred after the robbery and still keeps an eye on Liu. By chance, Liu stays in some small lodgings in Wang's district where Qin Xiaosong, a psychology graduate who's run away from her domineering parents, is staying. Next day, Wang spots Liu in the street and gives chase, finally handcuffing him in a deserted warehouse. At that moment, the town is devastated by an earthquake and the building collapses. Wang is knocked unconscious and Liu steals his uniform. After rescuing Qin, Liu finds himself roped into saving other townspeople and becomes a hero in the locals' eyes. Meanwhile, Wang recovers and sets out to hunt down Liu.
Other Titles From Beijing Gallop Horse Film & TV Production
Action + Drama in China
129 China titles in our catalog blend the Action and Drama genres. Below: the top-rated of them (excluding Fallen City itself).
The 2010–2012 China Window
Fallen City holds position #44 of 98 China films in the 2010–2012 window, below highlighted by audience rating.
The 2010s China Landscape
Catalog density by release year across the 2010s in China, 515 titles in total. Highlighted year (yellow) is when Fallen City premiered alongside 39 others.
Position in Catalog
Released alongside 39 other China films in 2011.
The 254th China title from China we index (earliest catalogued entry: 1935).
Our China catalog contains 946 titles in total (747 films).
Audience Engagement
17 audience reviews — more than 34% of China films in our index.
Popularity sits at the 2th percentile among China films.
Thematic Fingerprint
Tags on Fallen City, grouped by how common each theme is across the full Asian catalog. Rare tags are more distinctive signals.
- criminal past · 4
- sichuan · 2
- rural area · 26
- robbery · 20
- earthquake · 14
Reception Benchmarks
Ranked #598 of 946 China films indexed here (37th percentile by TMDB audience score).
Rating is -0.3 points below the China average of 6.7/10.
Among China Action productions specifically: #184 of 319 (top 58%).
Production Details
| Primary Country | China |
|---|---|
| Original Language | Chinese |
| Production Companies | Beijing Gallop Horse Film & TV Production, Chang Ying Group |
| Runtime | 1h 32m |
| Release Date | May 9, 2011 |
| IMDb | tt2835556 |

















