"Once Upon a Time in the Middle East" Review: Hope Served Under Fire
The films Well Go USA sends my way fall into the action or martial arts lane, so I welcomed the lighter touch of the restaurant scenes in “Once Upon a Time in the Middle East.” With war looming, that breather only lasts so long. There is something refreshing about following people whose skills involve feeding a room instead of fighting their way through one.
Director Wen Muye, who co-writes with Lang Qunli and Zhong Wei, sets the story in a fictional Middle Eastern country during the early 2000s. Chef Xu Fu (Shen Teng) arrives hoping to support his family and repay his debts. Alongside restaurant manager Ma Junsheng, he helps transform the struggling Dragon Restaurant into a thriving business. When war overtakes the city, their restaurant becomes a refuge for workers and residents caught in the conflict.
What I liked is that these people came looking for a paycheck and a fresh start. They did not sign up to become heroes. Most folks are just trying to handle their responsibilities and make it home. Putting those everyday concerns at the center gives the story an accessible perspective on circumstances most of us hope never to experience.
The food angle helps establish that connection. Elaborate dishes, kitchen rhythms and restaurant humor introduce a place built around serving others. As the danger grows, that purpose changes without disappearing. Feeding people becomes part of protecting them, and the skills that promised security take on an immediate importance.
That shift is where the premise pulls hardest. A restaurant depends on routine, but war offers no guarantee that tomorrow will resemble today. The contrast gives the familiar business of preparing a meal a different weight. Keeping people fed means preserving a piece of normal life when everything outside threatens to erase it.
For me, the civilian perspective is the selling point. Xu Fu has obligations to his family before the restaurant becomes a sanctuary. His desire to help carries a difficult question: How much can you risk for others when people back home are counting on you?
I liked spending time with a story that finds value in those ordinary responsibilities. “Once Upon a Time in the Middle East” offers a welcome change of pace from my Well Go USA viewing, with a human premise that gives its wartime stakes something worth protecting. Sometimes, keeping the kitchen open matters.
Final Grade: B
