The counterespionage thriller was the first Chinese film to receive the backing of an intelligence agency

Washington — Dodging glass-walled skyscrapers, a drone joins the high-octane chase as a spy tries to track down the agents. In moments, an unmanned aircraft knocks him down. The drama took place in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen and was watched by millions at home and abroad, including in the United States.

But that was not true. This is one of the scenes from the recently released Chinese movie “Scare Out,” the first movie approved by China’s secretive and powerful Ministry of State Security.

A movie about a mole inside an intelligence agency isn’t new in many countries, but it is in China, where officials — especially those with security links — are used to keeping tight control over what’s shared.

Directed by Oscar-nominated Zhang Yimou, “Scare Out” is presented as “led and created” by MSS, which hopes the film will help people protect the country from any threats. It opened in theaters on February 17, Chinese New Year’s Day.

Publicizing it on social media, the MSS said in a statement that it aims to “strengthen the defense line of the people” and “resonate the need of the hour for national security education”.

Although it did not support the film before, the MSS has become more open about its work, opening up some of its underground operations and engaging more with the public. In its first online post nearly two years ago on WeChat, China’s largest social media platform, it said: “The response requires the mobilization of the entire society.”

Since then, the ministry has been posting daily and some of the messages are about real cases. For example, one travel blogger asked a college student to take pictures of a military base, another about a military buff who bought four books on military secrets at the neighborhood recycling center for under $1.

It also publishes comics, short videos and mini movies.

“Scare Out,” starring acclaimed actors Jackson Yee and Zhu Yilong, tells the story of the hunt for a mole inside China’s intelligence service who leaks classified information about a new fighter jet.

“Spice is all around you,” said director Zhang in the trailer released by MSS.

For some security experts, the MSS is looking to not only make its work visible, but also to encourage people’s participation in reporting what they see as suspicious.

“It wants to build public and popular support to encourage people to share information,” said Sheena Greitens, an associate professor at the University of Texas at Austin.

“(It’s) a sophisticated effort to mobilize Chinese citizens and support national security through entertainment and fun,” he said.

Writing in an op-ed for the People’s Daily, the flagship newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party and the country’s largest national newspaper, Zhang said: “State security officials were with us during the entire filming process to ensure the film was close to reality.”

The director is known for his films “Ju Dou,” “Raise the Red Lantern,” and “Hero,” all of which received Oscar nominations.

Rumors on social media claim that the film’s plot is based on a real-life case of a researcher who leaked information about China’s J-35 fighter jet abroad.

MSS did not respond to The Associated Press’ request for comment.

Since its release, the film has been showing in the US, Canada and Australia. Its box office reached 1.1 billion yuan ($160 million) in two weeks.

Alice Jin, 28, who works in e-commerce in Washington, said she watched the movie with the hope that she would “not fall asleep.” But it was “better than I expected,” he said: “I didn’t know what it (MSS) was before.”

Wang Lehong, a 25-year-old student, said: “I like watching movies, so a movie about patriotic education definitely works well for me.” He said it was better than a lecture.

For decades, other countries have had spy movies. The first James Bond film was released six decades ago.

The CIA, which has also been depicted in films and TV shows such as the Jason Bourne franchise, works with Hollywood to shape the agency’s entertainment industry image.

Western movies talk a lot about “where the trouble is coming from,” but China is “highlighting to people internally that the West is not on their side,” said Liam McLoughlin, a senior lecturer in politics at Edge Hill University in northwest England.

The release of “Scare Out” comes as the CIA is sharing recruitment videos on social media aimed at turning Chinese officials into spies for the US.

“Do you have information on top Chinese leaders? Are you a military officer or do you work with the military?” The latest video says in Mandarin. “Please contact us. We want to understand the truth.”

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticized the attempt to recruit potential spies, saying it would take all necessary measures to avoid any infiltration.

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Castillo reports from Beijing.