Scare Out

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Scare Out

Feb 2026

1h 44m

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

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9 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

A major breach of China's classified intelligence triggers an urgent response from a national security unit, determined to expose the traitor behind it. However, successive arrest missions suffer severe setbacks, driving tensions ever higher. As the investigation deepens, suspicion unexpectedly turns inward--toward members of the task force itself. Caught in a vortex of trust and betrayal, a silent struggle quietly unfolds.

Keith Uhlich

(All (Parentheses)) (Substack)

Feb 21

It often feels like Zhang is being yanked between rah!-rah! copagandistic affection and vomitous moral revulsion…holding a mammoth, Munch-ian howl at bay.

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Leslie Felperin

Guardian

Feb 19

3/5

Scare Out doesn’t have the psychological depth of the first, immaculate Infernal Affairs film, but Zhu is tremendously watchable as a spymaster with secrets of his own/

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Simon Abrams

RogerEbert.com

Feb 18

2/4

The film alienates and confronts viewers and then reassures us that all that formulaic pressure was actually for a greater purpose. This time, I disagree.

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James Marsh

South China Morning Post

Mar 4

2/5

While this nifty premise sets up a series of absorbing set pieces, the screenplay proves convoluted and confusing, frequently mistaking a lack of information for mystery and intrigue.

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Maxance Vincent

InSession Film

Feb 25

F

There may never be a better example of the sentence "when you find out your goat washed" than in watching Zhang Yimou’s Scare Out.

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Carla Hay

Culture Mix

Feb 21

Scare Out uses a lot of familiar plot developments in this thriller about a government security agency experiencing an internal investigation to expose a traitor. The engaging acting performances outweigh the movie's flaws.

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Alina

Feb 27

Smooth plot excellent acting. Very interesting story.

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t W

Feb 22

Was initially put off by the manic camera work, choppy editing, and repetitive drone shots. But get past that, and there’s a solid, twisty spy caper at the center. The focus on the central characters kept me intrigued enough to ignore all the camera/editing nonsense.

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Mar 4

The worldwide gross is $192,860,000.00.

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Moody C

@MoodyC Feb 26

Famed Chinese director going for more style than substance with overlong scenes & pumping pop music. It’s a nice looking movie but feels in need of more editing. Some scenes are long & boring. Script is sparse from opening scene to finish & devoid of any humor. Not even a chuckle? C’mon. Story is not overly complicated just find mole which is not much of mystery but just tacked on for shock value. There is no real ending so we left wondering wat happens next.

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L

Feb 19

It’s a classic Zhang Yimou film, fast-paced and gripping from start to finish. The plot is tight and exciting, and Liu Yaowen as Jianhao is seriously charismatic and handsome.

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Yimou Zhang

Director

Jackson Yee

Actor

Yilong Zhu

Actor

Song Jia

Actor

Jiayin Lei

Actor

Mi Yang

Actor

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Synopsis

A major breach of China's classified intelligence triggers an urgent response from a national security unit, determined to expose the traitor behind it. However, successive arrest missions suffer severe setbacks, driving tensions ever higher. As the investigation deepens, suspicion unexpectedly turns inward--toward members of the task force itself. Caught in a vortex of trust and betrayal, a silent struggle quietly unfolds.

Director: Yimou Zhang
Screenwriter: Liang Chen
Distributor: CMC Pictures
Production Co: Alibaba Pictures Group, DaiMai Entertainment
Genre: Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: Chinese
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 17, 2026, Limited
Runtime: 1h 44m