‘Once Upon a Time in the Middle East’ is China’s Anti-Imperialist Answer to the Iraq War Film

What immediately sets Once Upon A Time in the Middle East apart from a plethora of war dramas that deal with Southwest Asian conflicts is that not only is this from the Chinese perspective but that the villains are not the “jihadist terrorists” the western media had us fearing for decades. Instead, the villains are the U.S. military itself and with it, the ever-present claws of U.S. imperialism.

Seeking a fresh start, chef Xu Fu travels to the Middle East to support his family and repay his debts. Alongside restaurant manager Ma Junsheng, he transforms the struggling Dragon Restaurant into a thriving business. But when war engulfs the city, their hard-won success is shattered and the restaurant becomes a refuge for those caught in the conflict. As danger closes in, Xu Fu must risk everything to protect his newfound community and preserve a small beacon of hope amid the devastation.

I must say, I unfortunately have a terrible bias when it comes to most Chinese dramas as I either find them excessively maudlin, a thin creative excuse to plaster state propaganda (although to be fair, the U.S. is no better when it comes to their need to showcase their military prowess), or just plain bad. But when I saw the trailer to this film directed by Muye Yen, I could not help but feel floored by its presentation and what actually looked like the villains of the film being the U.S. military itself.

It must have struck a gigantic chord with the mainland Chinese audience as Once Upon a Time in the Middle East achieved #1 at the Chinese box office for six consecutive weeks after it was released on August 11, 2026. Due to its depiction of the U.S. military as villains, I actually wondered if a film such as this would even see North American distribution but Well Go USA saw the most obvious potential in this film and as such, will be distributing for its U.S. release on October 9.

Despite the obvious parallels to the 2003 Iraq War, director Muye Yen did not want to label the country outright as he wanted to make this film as universal as possible, perhaps tying with its immediate relevancy to the current Iran war as well as the genocide of the Palestinian people still happening now. And though there is one rather outlandish prison break action sequence, the violence depicted in the film is often brutal and unforgiving. At its heart though are some beautifully conveyed characters from its main lead Xu Fu (Sheng Tseng), his manager partner Ma Junsheng (Jiang Qiming), Fu’s protege Seif (Omar Sherif), local governmental official Zaid (Sherif Sabry), and Chinese American U.S. soldier Tony Wang (Aarif Rahman).

Despite the film’s depiction of suicide bombers and child soldiers that easily could have teetered this film into heavy Arab stereotypes, Yen along with co-writers Lang Qunli and Wei Zhong are more interested in showing that the people only became the “terrorists” the U.S. military labels them as because violent resistance was the only way to defend themselves.

This is most evident in the tragic journey the character of Zaid goes through as there is one scene in particular for Zaid that I could not help but weep tremendously for his pain. It is in that moment, this Chinese film dares to show the humanity and motivation of how someone who at first wanted to stay neutral transform into a hardened freedom fighter. We see that complete journey with Zaid and we also see the roots of resistance being formed in the young Seif that Xu Fu tries desperately to avert with his love for cooking. Because despite this being a war film, at its very core is food and my goodness, there is so much of it on display (the lead character after all is a chef). While the numerous scenes of cooking are absolutely mouth-watering, it is not shown merely for food porn purposes but rather the humanity of its characters. There are so many gorgeous moments depicted throughout the film so major kudos must go to Yen and his cinematographer Wang Boxue.

My one big main criticism for this film is that Once Upon a Time in the Middle East starts to veer into a “both sides” and slight foreign savior (a slight take on white but since the main lead is Chinese) trope territory. This is most evident in its third act where the heroes are taken in by an extremist resistance faction that relies on children for suicide bombers. While there is no doubt that children were indeed used for such purposes, it leans so hard into this story device that it almost undermines its own anti-imperialist message. But I imagine they did this so that it could end with a written plea at the end that there are organizations out there to help children out of these situations (this is where the state propaganda subtly inserts itself by specifically saying that the Chinese government is also part of this initiative).

When it comes to Eastern Asian films, there is often the accusation that the emotions depicted in their films can feel over the top or even maudlin and I wouldn’t be surprised many Western audience-goers would feel the same way while watching this one. But I daresay that the events that transpire in this film justify such displays of emotion because it is a heavy, heavy film that runs at almost two hours and 20 minutes.

While there is a light at the end of the tunnel and moments of humor and levity sprinkled throughout, you cannot help but feel the weight of the characters’ plight bearing down on you. But if you stay throughout, you will be rewarded in this most epic journey. In a political moment where U.S. foreign policy is once again under scrutiny, a Chinese blockbuster that frames American military intervention as the villain feels bracingly timely.

Once Upon a Time in the Middle East opens October 9 — check if it’s playing near you.