The Lonely Warrior Reviews

Just finished watching it, the best of the year. It has a documentary-style narrative that feels as real as water. It has moments that ignite, moments that make you laugh, moments that bring tears, and moments of explosive intensity. It's both real and tragic, handsome and intense.
Oh, by the way, they invited many policemen to the set, and there was one young detective from the Serious Crime Unit who couldn't help but speak up in addition to the prepared speeches. I really liked him after watching it, I was so thrilled.
To be honest, I was too, but the fact that even the police approve of it shows that the realism is truly on point.

Is it really the same film that people are talking about when they say the plot is thrilling and dramatic? Apart from the relatively engaging beginning, the middle and later parts of this film are incredibly dull and even make me wonder if it's a new generation of road movies.
Each stop, one less person— the departures follow a predictable and homogenized pattern, perhaps serving the main purpose of pushing the male lead to let go. One could argue that this kind of treatment builds up repression, leading to an explosive ending or a message of "justice will prevail." However, it's truly agonizing to watch.
Coupled with the tedious pacing and uninteresting cinematography, the whole progression feels like a laborious and watered-down TV drama. The line, "Can a case be solved without a confession?
" is probably the epitome of this film accomplishing its mission. #Wanda

My dad is a retiring veteran police officer, and after watching [the show], I was quite moved. He said every police station has that one "stubborn and cowardly" officer, and he genuinely admires them, but most people couldn't become Cheng Bing.
I've seen many comments saying "too much dad vibes" or "middle-aged male fantasies"... but why can't we take a moment to acknowledge the police officers in our own lives?
When they take off their uniforms, they are just ordinary people. Especially the character Cai Bin, which police station doesn't have a few uncles like him? In my dad's daily life, he also discusses Buddhism, drinks tea while contemplating enlightenment, and during department gatherings, after a few drinks, they would sing "The Youthful Aspirations Don't Speak of Sorrow" together...
Don't just accept the cool and elite appearance of them apprehending criminals. Most of them spend their time checking surveillance footage until their eyes are sore, visiting key households until their feet blister, and earning a decent salary while doing a challenging job as ordinary people.
And this group of middle-aged individuals, whose figures may not be great and whose qualifications may not be particularly high, has been the backbone of maintaining national and social security for nearly twenty years.

It's quite challenging to take a story with such a solid foundation and make it completely unappetizing. The director seems to have focused all their visual and auditory pursuits on making each shot as long as possible.
However, this approach doesn't enhance the inherent power of the narrative and only serves to slow down the pace and magnify the flaws in the actors' performances.
It's evident that Chen Sicheng wanted to step out of his comfort zone, but unfortunately, he only managed to do so superficially, while the content remains the same old formula.
The extreme mismatch between form and content makes one feel that he would have been better off sticking to his original style—building up spectacles, ramping up the pace, and making the characters more intense.
Now it's a classic case of not leaning towards either end—lacking depth and entertainment value.

One detail that deeply resonated with me is at the end when Cheng Bing asks, "Can you still convict someone without a confession?

Cheng Bing spent 12 years chasing the killer, while the world moved forward, leaving him trapped as a prisoner of fate, forever confined to the year 2002.
In this time, he is even unaware of the advancements in forensic technology and the law.

So, he has long had nothing else. Advising him to let go of his obsession with catching the killer is equivalent to depriving him of his purpose for existence.
I hesitate to call him a lone hero; I prefer to see him as a stubbornly good person. The latter is reality and the reason it struck a chord with me.

It's quite solid, thanks to a well-crafted story based on real-life prototypes. It already possesses enough tension from the start. Additionally, a significant portion of the narrative is dedicated to character development, capturing a sense of authenticity and depicting a diverse group of individuals.
Each person's fate takes a turn due to an unexpected event, revealing the capriciousness of destiny and the helplessness of individuals. Apart from depicting good and evil, the drama also explores the gray areas of human nature, which is precisely what resonates with viewers.
Despite being a story with a strong emphasis on personal heroism, it avoids deliberate melodrama and excessive glorification. Instead, it focuses on realistically portraying the determination, commitments to each other, frustrations, and resilience of ordinary people throughout the process.
It is genuinely moving. I particularly liked the final scene where, after completing the mission, Cheng Bing stands at the crossroads, losing his life's purpose and direction. While others may have moved on, his personal journey, or rather, his struggles, have only just begun.

20231103@Golden Rooster Film Festival, also known as the Chinese premiere, rated 8.5/10. It's incredibly impactful, a film that leaves you needing time to settle your emotions. The level of craftsmanship is remarkable, presenting a sense of reality with an almost brutal realism: imperfect, often falling short of expectations, yet incredibly resilient and profound.
Zhang Ji skillfully adds flesh and blood to the originally concise documentary literature with his mastery of realism, while Zhang Yi infuses Cheng Bing with spirit and soul through his superb acting, authentically portraying the character's "roughness" and "imperfections." Dong Jin song's nearly documentary-like cinematography and color palette complement the overall tone and texture of the film perfectly.
Director Dai Mo has delivered a response that far exceeds expectations, and Chen Sicheng can finally prove that he also has artistic pursuits. It's worth mentioning that almost every character that appears on screen is portrayed with depth and realism, with the entire cast delivering outstanding performances.
The surprise ending song sung by Liu Huan is truly delightful, especially as it echoes the youthful aspirations depicted in the film. The original writer Deep Blue is from Shandong, and this line from Jiaxuan's lyrics perfectly captures my emotions after watching: "I pity you, dancing in the midnight, saying 'A man's heart is as firm as iron until death.'" A remarkable debut, mending the torn sky.

Press conference scene. How many years has this film been on hold? Otherwise, how could we still see such a greasy all-male cast on the big screen in 2023? The whole film is nothing but a narcissistic self-indulgence of a delusional young actor, shouting and going mad throughout.
Chen Sicheng, you truly live up to your reputation. Of course, the director must be proud when watching his own press conference. It's been a long time since I've seen a film that could squeeze out so much oil from its director and actors.
How did they manage to turn a crime thriller into this mess? The highest praise for women in the entire film is "She's a good wife." Just a few days ago, I watched Zhang Yi's priceless treasure press conference, and at that time, I made some criticisms.
But now, compared to Zhang Yi in that priceless treasure film, he can be considered a breath of fresh air. Zhang Yi, if you keep choosing scripts like this, you're not far from hitting rock bottom.

Honestly, "The Great Squad" is the best domestic film I've seen this year, and it completely caught me by surprise. It's precisely because the narrative doesn't seem to have those typical "ups and downs" that I believe it's an adaptation of documentary literature.

Indeed, the trajectory of life is linear and irreversible, but Cheng Bing didn't choose to look forward; instead, he looked back against the current. Regardless of how reality changes, his belief in pursuing the real culprit remains unwavering.
However, I understand him. Only by "looking back" can he truly move forward and break free from the year 2002.

Once I saw the Third Squad being released from prison and reassembling, I knew this story was ruined. The uniqueness of the original story lies in a former police officer's four-year, thousand-mile journey to pursue a fugitive.
It's a battle of solitary conviction, and the struggles he experiences, both physically and mentally, are the charm of this simple story. Writing such a solitary performance is challenging, but instead, they gather a bunch of rough men together, endlessly babbling, drinking, and singing.
The dialogue is too dense, and it really kills time. It takes about half an hour for the four individuals to join and then leave the team separately, and in 132 minutes, there's no time to establish a complete female character.
The best part of the entire film is the last 20 minutes where they apprehend the culprit. This segment remains faithful to the original work, with only Zhang Yi left. I'll give an extra star for the art direction; the sense of era and the atmosphere of the bustling streets are quite good.

Impressive! It's very moving. I believe one important reason for achieving such an effect is that the drama provides ample space for each character to express themselves, and the actors have done a great job in portraying their roles, making each character vivid.
The narrative pace is also well-balanced, neither dragging nor rushing. There's a clever design element as well, involving "mirrors." Cheng Bing, played by Zhang Yi, learns about Ah Zhe's death and walks on the street where he sees several broken mirrors.
When he looks at himself through the mirror, he sees his own aged and weary appearance, triggering a heartbreaking moment of his emotional breakdown. This scene is particularly poignant as it allows the characters to express their emotions effectively.

The incredibly convoluted and bizarre story was filmed like a mess. Did the director and screenwriter have any respect for the original protagonist?

1. The portrayal of the wife and daughter characters was extremely poor. The scenes depicting the protagonist's return home after being released from prison and the farewell with his daughter were terribly executed, lacking authenticity and rationality.
There was no genuine emotion captured.

2. The malicious treatment of female characters is evident. The original victim, aged 17, was changed to 14, and the suspect was made to utter vulgar remarks like "touching." Is the director simply satisfying their own dark desires?

3. The focus on describing Wang Eryong was limited to his anti-detection abilities and sexual prowess. The scene with the prostitute praising his performance was truly vulgar and debased!

4. The plot was extremely illogical. Instead of emphasizing the "thousand-mile pursuit," there were irrelevant elements such as tangents about combating human trafficking and portraying thieves with a sense of righteousness.
It felt disjointed. If the director enjoys making gangster films, they don't need to compromise their artistic integrity.

In conclusion, those who lack faith in filmmaking cannot produce good movies. The Chinese-language artistic community faces significant problems, and their aesthetic sense is extremely poor!
The script was just terrible.

Rating: 3.0/10. This time, we didn't get to see Chen Sicheng's cunning and crafty nature, but that's about it. The script prioritized emotions, resulting in an overly saturated atmosphere that managed to move the director (and the audience), reaching the emotional climax within the first 20 minutes.
As expected, it gradually plummeted from there. Despite being a story filled with tragedy, the ease with which characters would leave when changing locations undermined the spirit of the Third Squad. How did they undergo such a transformation? The psychological portrayal was completely lacking, and the characters were mostly cookie-cutter molds—accurate, but boring.
The clearly defined roles didn't allow for vibrant personalities to shine through; instead, it felt like a mechanical process of clocking out on time after finishing a boxed meal. Zhang Yi should really reconsider taking on such roles of deep resentment (three films in a month).
Every time there's a close-up shot, it signals the arrival of another "performance moment." We know you're great, but then what? A movie cannot solely rely on the actors to achieve success.

The Great Squad" in my opinion, the biggest highlight is its authenticity. In "The Great Squad," everyone is true to their nature.

The entire drama, from beginning to end, is portrayed with a relatively calm lens, telling the story of a former policeman who is unwilling to let go and relentlessly pursues justice.

Watching Cheng Bing's once upright figure gradually hunching over and his graying hair growing year after year, one can feel the prolonged torment.

Throughout the movie, everyone advises Cheng Bing to let go, to give up.
But Cheng Bing cannot persuade himself to abandon the path. He is determined to tread on the soles of his worn-out shoes and see the pursuit of justice through to the end.
"I want a world where everything is governed by laws, and I want all the principles of this world to be under the heavens," this is the epitome of Cheng Bing's innermost thoughts.

The Great Squad" is adapted from the documentary literature on Netease Renjian. It's a story with a predetermined ending, and what was I expecting while watching it? I can't speak for others, but I know I was anticipating that moment of "I want to see it for myself" and the genuine understanding that follows.
"I want all the paths in the world to be under the blue sky, and I want the ghosts with troubled hearts to find justice." It resounds with conviction. However, this is not an idealistic story. When a long battle comes to an end, each person's reaction carries its own flavor.
In this journey of life, we seek constancy and a clear conscience. Cheng Bing-like characters may be "rare," but they are "necessary" for society. It's truly rare for an ordinary person to hold onto what they believe in their hearts and strive for it wholeheartedly.

I want to curse Chen Sicheng to death. He took such a good story and turned it into this mess. During the adaptation, he completely missed the focus. With the near absence of a specific antagonist, the continuous surveillance scenes were just a waste of time.
The core of the original work lies in the characters' internal struggles and torment, the shattering of their pride as police officers and the dignity of their humanity. But now, it has been transformed into a constant chanting of slogans, a spiritual drain, which fails to resonate with the audience.
Furthermore, Chen Sicheng truly despises women. He finally found an opportunity to marginalize women to the fullest in a male-dominated drama.

It's actually a very classical film. The story bears a striking resemblance to the myth of Sisyphus, with the metaphor of Shi Tou's relentless pursuit. The calamity of imprisonment is not the true punishment; the true punishment is an endless chase.
Everyone else can move forward, except Sisyphus. When Sisyphus finally becomes exhausted and decides to look forward and accept his fate, miracles begin to happen. The ending, with its sense of resolution, weakens the impact of the groundwork laid by the narrative, and it lacks a certain sense of longing, reminiscent of the unattainable in memories of a murder.

Based on the foundation of documentary literature, Zhang Ji's adaptation is quite solid. The story has a clear logical progression, and the narrative style is a classic ensemble portrayal, with the characters' personalities written all over their faces.
From the setbacks encountered by the Third Squad, to the gathering of companions, and the pursuit of the culprit by a lone individual, Cheng Bing's dedication to solving the case is unwavering, and one cannot remain detached.
The handling of the ending is also impeccable, offering a new perspective on the changing course of history, leaving an imprint of the era, and vividly depicting the fate of individuals with a lofty and tragic tone.

Women are either treated as objects to be manipulated, used as burdensome plot devices, or they serve as wives and daughters who bear the burden for male protagonists.
Men can always forgive themselves and forgive other men conveniently. The only female police officer in the entire film is seen comforting the mother of a victim, but then the camera cuts to the male protagonist saying to the victim's father, "Go back and rest, wait for the results.

It's unbelievable that in 2023, such a crude and offensive drama, with a strong stench of mediocrity and oiliness, can still be promoted and showcased on screens.
The only thing they seemed to enjoy filming from start to finish was their drinking sessions, and they even dared to mention the barbecue incident in a disrespectful manner.

In the dead of winter, the first thing that comes out is "Three Squads." You are truly remarkable.

In recent years, the formulaic nature of crime films has become somewhat aesthetically fatiguing. Many times, I've wondered why we can't make a film that explores both the case and the inner world. I had no expectations when I watched "The Third Squad," but the first scene of the movie surprised me.
Through atmosphere, cinematography, color grading, and music, the director instantly created the atmosphere of a "crime documentary" that I had been anticipating. The following story didn't rely on contrived plot twists or mystification.
Instead, it honestly and realistically told a story of a 12-year pursuit, 12-year redemption, and 12-year transformations. Additionally, the film had a subtle detail that many viewers might not notice. In the initial stages, the director used a regular font for the subtitles, reflecting stability and orderliness.
However, after the Third Squad's release from prison, the subtitles transformed into calligraphic fonts, symbolizing the wavering direction of the story and the characters' fates in the realm of the underworld...

The storytelling in this drama is full of paternalistic sentiments, with scenes and dialogue that are self-indulgent. It feels like going back to the day when I was disgusted by Part 2 of the assassination.
The narrative tries to create ups and downs, but ends up making several old police officers appear intellectually challenged. The actors look familiar, and the story is somewhat decent, but it's a unique skill of CSC (China Mainland entertainment) to make something so visually unappealing.

The scenes where the guys drink and boast, making vows to each other, are so suffocating that it feels like a pile of excrement when they gather, and scattered stars when they separate.
The actors deserve 1 point for their efforts, while the rest goes to the spa girl, as she gives the least awkward performance.

At the end of the film, as the crowd surges past Cheng Bing, a glimpse of the world unfolds before him, and he seems to experience the fiery essence of life for the first time.
Pursuing the killer for twelve years, sacrificing his career and family, Cheng Bing has long been left behind by the times. But for what? To give the girl an explanation, to give his mentor a resolution, for the honor of the Three Teams, for the destiny of all those whose lives have been changed, and above all, for fairness and justice.
His belief is like a guiding light, illuminating his path ahead. This world needs courageous individuals, perhaps not you or me, but there will always be someone marching forward with unwavering determination.

Although it belongs to the genre of realism, there is a faint trace of old-school martial arts spirit. For the sake of a cause, a truth, a sense of righteousness, they never give up, never repent, braving the wind, frost, rain, and snow, unafraid of long distances and hardships.

For twelve years of pursuit, only the Third Division remains. In the portrayal of this character by Zhang Yi, we see a "pivot," a seemingly anachronistic yet precious essence about obsession, perseverance, stubbornness, belief, mission, and a way of life.

Some say, "Look forward, don't look back," but it tells you that I understand what it means to go against the current, what it means to have unwavering determination, and what it means to be truly sincere.
In an era where everyone lives casually and loosely, it is profoundly valuable.

The original story had great potential in terms of genre, such as crime, suspense, road trip, action, and more. It also had rich emotional space. However, it seems that the creators wasted that potential. For example, they relied on the emotional drive of a middle-aged man instead of leveraging the genre itself.
The exaggerated typography ruined the road trip element in the story. The director seemed to be not consistent throughout, lacking coherence and lacking any authorial voice. The female characters were all stereotypical.
The theme catered to a collective dependency syndrome—when they come together, you feel passionate, and when they leave, you feel sad. The entire film couldn't even match the effort of a single song by Liu Huan.
It's a typical case of musicians working harder than the filmmakers.

In fact, based on the situation at the time when the Third Brigade dealt with the criminal suspects and the actual circumstances of the suspects, it would be highly unlikely for the entire brigade to be completely wiped out.
At most, there would be disciplinary action within the party (referring to the Lei Y case). In the worst-case scenario, they would simply find a scapegoat to take the blame. Especially considering that the suspect who was beaten to death was essentially a criminal who deserved the death penalty, and he had already been injured from being beaten by the crowd.
It's difficult to say who actually killed him (perhaps the internal injuries from the previous beating eventually took effect in the police station?). The reason why the entire brigade was wiped out and received such severe sentences (adding up to around thirty years) is probably due to a certain political and legal university in Chongqing (associated with the anti-death penalty camp and procedural law camp, key phrase: a certain advisor surnamed Zhao), as well as the ideological wave at the time of "safeguarding the human rights of criminals" (intensely opposing the Chongqing campaign against organized crime and corruption), plus the unspoken struggles within the Party and the influence that lasted until 2012, profoundly changing the current situation in China.
As a result, the entire brigade was turned into a typical case, serving as a deterrent. So, in essence, this is a story of "a speck of dust in an era, and a mountain of destiny.

The acting is superb, without any flaws. When I saw Zhang Benyu in the police station, my jaw was trembling just like Zhang Yi's. So many years have passed, from the 2002 incident to his release in 2009, and the pursuit until around 2014, it's been five or six years.
They've aged 20 years, that's their life. If Shifu hadn't lied about being hit to avoid admitting he's getting old, if Xiaoyudian hadn't put the big sticker on her father's phone, if there weren't so many "ifs," what would the outcome have been?
There were several moments when my eyes turned red, and if it weren't for my friend being next to me, I would have discreetly wiped away my tears with my sleeve. The ending song is really beautiful, Liu Huan is amazing.
You've got the top 10 Mandarin films of the year!

Yesterday was a joyful day. My sisters came to stay at my place for the weekend, and this time the three of us prepared Christmas gifts in advance and exchanged them.
The next day, we slept in until we naturally woke up, ordered takeout, and then lazily chatted while lying in bed. In the afternoon, we quickly tidied up and went shopping for clothes, followed by watching a movie and enjoying our favorite Hunan cuisine.
We took a taxi back home, where the warm air conditioning was on, so it wasn't cold. When my boyfriend came back, we cooked and enjoyed a late-night snack together.
Today the weather is also great, and we're happily shopping with my sisters by my side, everything is going smoothly. I'm very grateful for this.