If there’s one known characteristic about U.S. military pilots, it’s that their egos are unparalleled. Thanks to Chinese filmmakers, that self-perception has, perhaps inadvertently, been inflated even further.
In a scene circulating on Twitter, which comes courtesy of a movie called “The Sacrifice” (2020), an American pilot dive-bombs a Chinese People’s Volunteer Army in a Corsair during the final days of the Korean War. And he happens to look like Indiana Jones — hat and all.
“In 1953, the Korean War is entering the final stage,” the film’s synopsis reads. “The People’s Volunteer Army of China has launched the last major battle in Kumsong. In order to arrive at the battleground on time and deliver enough force to the Kumsong front line, the soldiers have to defend themselves against the never ending bombing of enemy bombers and race with time to repair bridges.”
Despite assertions from Twitter users that the movie is Chinese propaganda, the film doesn’t seemingly disparage the American pilots. In fact, it paints them as killer sky cowboys who fearlessly face death head on — even if it means dying in a blaze of glory.
As one viewer noted, “China makes us look way cooler than we are.”
Sarah Sicard is a Senior Editor with Military Times. She previously served as the Digitial Editor of Military Times and the Army Times Editor. Other work can be found at National Defense Magazine, Task & Purpose, and Defense News.