Following a fatal accident, a Chinese expatriate working for a mining company in Australia discovers that new technology developed by the company may be a health risk, and investigates a web of conspiracies in his search for the truth.
Written and directed by one of the top Chinese film directors, Xiaolu Xue, The Whistleblower is an Australian-Chinese co-production that was given a limited international release. Another attempt to break into the western media with pro-Chinese messages, The Whistleblower is a misstep, after the success of the last Chinese production, The Wandering Earth.
While the political leanings of the film are not immediately apparent, it does not take long before the Australian characters are readily tarred with the same brush as selfish, egomaniacal, capitalist villains; driven by profit. This is unlike the Chinese characters, who--no matter their transgressions--are the heroes and working in the effort of public safety. Similarities could be seen with the many films portraying relationships between the United States and Russia. Such films are clearly a sign of visual propaganda and prove to be a disappointing turn for the film when it started off rather unbiased (such as how it highlighted the "smog" issues in China, but twists events into a positive correction).
As far as the story goes, it is quite predictable from the very start. Every step is forecast well in advance, and it does reduce the tension being built up. On a positive note, however, the action that occurs in the film is well-grounded. There are no super-powered abilities on display, no unnatural feats of strength or powers. This does help make up for that reduction in tension from the predictable story, by still managing to put our protagonists into situations that aren't world-ending but are still potentially deadly situations for the characters. The tone of the film is inconsistent though, and in the final act, this crime drama turns into an Ocean's Eleven style heist with little set-up at all.
The main protagonists Mark (Jiayin Lei) and Zhou Siliang (Wei Tang) are an interesting choice in characters. Beyond their somewhat uncharacteristic drive to uncover the corporate conspiracies, there are very few redeeming characteristics for the characters at all. The family man that readily cheats on his wife while away at a work party, or the woman that readily cheats on her husband, is only concerned about money, and commits further worse transgressions and the film progresses. This is not a duo that the audience can readily empathise or relate with. The dialogue is not quite as over-the-top and cringeworthy as an Ip Man film, but the performances still come across as wooden and lack any real emotional power.
What the film highlights, is the complete difference in culture from the western and eastern perspectives. Improperly pronounced and spelt company names, constantly referring to the Chinese characters as the "Chinamen", or feeling the need to use blackface to break into ones own company premises. There are many instances where cultural sensitivity seems non-existent (let's not even talk about how Melbourne is portrayed in the film).
The Whistleblower is entertaining, but overall has a convoluted storyline that fails to have any depth to its vision. All of the expected tropes of an undercover conspiracy film are there, and the characters lack the necessary development to make the audience care. The locations are different from what is usually used, providing something slightly different from a visual perspective. From a narrative stance, The Whistleblower is mediocre at best.