I think different people will take different things from this movie. On one level, it's just a good thriller with twists and turns. On another level, it's a commentary on corruption with a bit of not-too-intrusive propaganda that it's being fought by the Chinese government and the Communist Party. But for me, the characters make the movie.
And even with the characters, some reviews focus on the vice mayor and the businessman and dismiss the police lead. But I disagree. We all bring our life experiences to whatever we're reading or watching. Jianming and his two other bespectacled partners in the police, his wanting to be a "true policeman for the people," that's the role model of the kind of society of I want to live in. I'm a nerdy guy with glasses myself. I don't need Hollywood's macho police, the police force that breaks rules, or a bunch of violence and guns, although this movie has a gun at the end and some violence.
I also related to the importance of family ties in the movie.
I'm a little hazy on the timeline of the murder victim, and think a repeat viewing at some point would improve my understanding.
A welcome movie set in modern-day China from Zhang Yimou. Loved it.
And even with the characters, some reviews focus on the vice mayor and the businessman and dismiss the police lead. But I disagree. We all bring our life experiences to whatever we're reading or watching. Jianming and his two other bespectacled partners in the police, his wanting to be a "true policeman for the people," that's the role model of the kind of society of I want to live in. I'm a nerdy guy with glasses myself. I don't need Hollywood's macho police, the police force that breaks rules, or a bunch of violence and guns, although this movie has a gun at the end and some violence.
I also related to the importance of family ties in the movie.
I'm a little hazy on the timeline of the murder victim, and think a repeat viewing at some point would improve my understanding.
A welcome movie set in modern-day China from Zhang Yimou. Loved it.