China’s latest box office draw: spy thriller backed by state espionage agency

A spy thriller backed by a Chinese intelligence agency has become one of the biggest box office hits of the Lunar New Year. Scare Out, directed by Zhang Yimou, who is best known internationally for films such as Raise the Red Lantern and House of Flying Daggers, was produced under the direct supervision of the Ministry of State Security, which said the film was based on real-life cases. The film features a tense game of cat and mouse as counter-espionage agents track down a researcher who leaked...

By Alyssa Chen