The Hunter Reviews

The more impressive the original concept, the more ridiculous the drama. The audiovisual quality is on par with that of "Red Spider" from 20 years ago. What's funny is that they actually inserted dialogue into the opening credits.
What kind of brilliant idea is that? Are they treating the opening credits like a trailer? And the dialogue and storytelling are even more humorous. One moment they're asking if someone has ever done drugs, and the next line is about preferring a female.
What kind of thought process is that? I hope Zhang Song Wen got paid well for this, because his skill in polishing this turd is the only redeeming aspect of the drama. Princess Two, please stick to filming ancient puppetry with young pretty boys in the future.
At least that won't be as awkwardly presented.

The script is well-written, especially the parts featuring Zhang Song Wen. It can be compared to the intense and compelling storyline of "Furious Surge". The presence of the prototype Liu Zhaohua truly allows Gao Qunshu to explore the essence of the character.
The level of intensity is just right, combining elements of "Breaking Bad" and "Drug Sweep". The flaw, however, lies in the weak portrayal of the police characters. They lack the courage and spirit of taking responsibility and facing challenges.
Additionally, some of the dialogue is just plain foolish.

We can criticize acting skills, but can we please refrain from criticizing appearances? This character is a police officer who came from the military. Isn't it more appropriate for them to have a rough and tough appearance? Should we only let so-called "beauty goddesses" play these roles?
Can the aesthetics in the entertainment industry become more diverse? We really need to learn from Europe and America in this regard. In film and television productions, and even in concerts, we see dancers of different heights, sizes, and shapes.
Appearance doesn't affect the ability to radiate personal charisma at all.

Gu Ailing mentioned that her classmates never retouched their photos. Retouching photos indicates a lack of confidence in oneself. Yao Anna, with her non-fair, non-slim, non-childlike appearance, with a face that isn't pointed and eyes that aren't big, represents you, me, and her.
When will women no longer be enslaved by their looks? I hope that the second and third generations of the wealthy can send more of their "less attractive" children into the entertainment industry and rectify the monotonous aesthetic culture in the entertainment industry.

To be honest, I also watched the first episode with skepticism, but then I binge-watched five episodes in one go. If someone gives it a one-star rating within a few minutes or solely because of the second princess, I can only say it's a very low behavior...
Watching this drama makes me miss the crime investigation dramas from around 2000, like "Special Crime Investigation Team," "Black Ice," "Black Hole," and so on. Those dramas had a sense of simplicity but had solid scripts.
I hope this series can continue to deliver consistently, as it brings back a sense of nostalgia for me.

Considering that this drama was filmed before Zhang Song Wen's rise to fame and is a low-budget production, I think it's still pretty good. But it definitely can't compare to the big-budget productions that Zhang Song Wen is currently involved in.
Small-scale productions do have their fair share of issues, and it has a similar style to the crime dramas from around the year 2000.

Zhang Song Wen's performance is as solid as ever.
I don't understand why some people in the comments are being so harsh on Yao An Na. As someone from a wealthy background, it's quite a challenge for her to take on this kind of role in a drama.
But she quietly works in the entertainment industry without causing trouble or taking advantage of her status, which is commendable. Isn't that much better than relying solely on fancy sets, lighting, and filters to portray love in ancient settings, like those heavily promoted influencers who can't act at all?

I mainly watched it for Zhang Song Wen! I have to say, Zhang Lingwen effortlessly portrays this character. It's light and natural. Before watching, I thought he might resemble Gao Qiqiang, but Zhang Song Wen handles it very well.
There's a distinct difference from Gao Qiqiang, they are completely different individuals. Huang Zong Wei is a born scoundrel, especially arrogant. Zhang Song Wen's attention to small details, like snapping his fingers when he's pleased, humming a song instead of lighting a cigarette when praying to Buddha, claiming to be superstitious but having no fear hiding in a coffin...
These little nuances bring the character to life!

Just watched the latest episode, and Zhang Song Wen's appearance was spot on. He perfectly embodies the character with a kind face, dark heart, and sophisticated demeanor. He's currently unrivaled in his role.
As for the female lead, her character image is fitting, but her acting skills are really lacking... When she first appeared, her expressions while facing the enemy made me think she was just an extra, and I burst into laughter.
She should learn from Teacher Song Wen's performance. Another hilarious aspect is how Song Wen's wife could choose Bao Wen Jing. It's so out of character and funny, haha!

I couldn't stick with it after two episodes... I also read the director's Weibo post seriously, where they mentioned choosing the female lead because they liked amateurs without professional acting training, which would fit the image of a police officer...
But she is uglier and worse at acting than random people on the street. Many people like to use the phrase "If you think you can do better, then go ahead," but in the face of Yao An Na's performance, I genuinely feel like I could do better...
And there are many amateurs who could outperform her... I can see the efforts of the second princess, but if you don't have talent, you simply don't have talent, and if your appearance and posture are poor, then they are poor.

I watched this drama because of Zhang Song Wen's performance (and the legendary story behind the character he portrays), but the female lead really ruins the immersion. Personally, I think the low-budget production can be seen in the overall lack of refinement.
The background settings, environment, and props might be lacking, and the acting skills of the cast may vary. However, that doesn't excuse the sloppy and careless character development of the female lead (let's not even mention the supporting roles).
So, let's not blame all the problems on the budget alone; it's ultimately the director's responsibility (since the female lead didn't bring financial backing to the production, why didn't the director take the responsible approach to train and guide her properly?
).

It's not just the worst anti-drug drama of the year, but the worst I've ever seen among all the domestic and foreign anti-drug films in my life. Hand grenades explode without causing any damage within a range of one to two meters, shotgun shots within one to two meters are also ineffective, and a pile of rifles can't match two pistols.
Two rookie cops can apprehend seasoned drug lords just as easily as they catch small-time offenders. The undercover agent knows everything and keeps leaking intelligence, without even attempting to escape or change safe houses. They don't even alter their drug trafficking routes.
The entire professional anti-drug team's analysis of the case is inferior to that of a rookie female officer who hasn't even been officially certified. A bunch of specialized investigation officers can't even find footprints after filming for half a day, and even the cyber police need this female officer to guide them on how to chat with drug dealers.
It's all nonsensical plotlines. If it weren't for Zhang Song Wen, I really wouldn't want to watch it.

This drama truly tests the audience's patience and perseverance. Patience is required for that policewoman (I didn't recognize her at first and wondered who she was and why she was there; turns out she's a comedic element thrown in for fun.
After researching, I understood the power of capital), while perseverance is needed to see how much you love Teacher Zhang Song Wen. I've been watching through all the ups and downs, eagerly waiting for updates. When it comes to Teacher Zhang's scenes, I watch attentively and carefully, but for others' scenes, I casually watch as background noise.
As for Yao An Na's scenes, I skip them directly!

This drama is extremely poor. After watching it, I realized that the acting itself is not the main issue. It's just mediocre, considering the low level of acting skills.
The biggest problem lies in the script. The director even admitted that the script was reviewed by the platform, and they said it needed changes. However, this group of people decided to shoot it as is, creating a bunch of enthusiastic amateurs.
The director probably thought, "Well, it was like this before, and we still won the Golden Horse Award in the end." But the fact is, they messed it up this time.
If it weren't for Zhang Song Wen, who would have watched the final episode? The whole story is fragmented, especially the part involving the police. It's filled with inconsistencies throughout.
I genuinely feel that writing it this way is somewhat insulting to the audience's intelligence. It's not that crime-solving cannot be portrayed, and most viewers are happy to see justice prevail.
But it should be logical and reasonable. Directors and screenwriters shouldn't just make things up randomly.

It seems that Gao Qiqiang, who played Gao Qiqiang in "Kuangbiao," showed some restraint there, but here he completely lets loose! Although the drama never mentioned "The Art of War," there's definitely a lot of strategic thinking involved!
If he were just someone who knows how to make ice, he would probably be nothing more than a supporting character!

It feels like this drama was filmed during the time when "Kuangbiao" wasn't popular yet.
Gao Qiqiang has gained countless fans, and even before its release, this drama was highly anticipated. Of course, there's no doubt about Gao Qiqiang's acting skills.

But on the other hand, I didn't expect so many people to criticize the so-called "Huawei Princess," Yao An Na.
At first, I was confused, wondering who they were referring to. After checking, I realized it was the female lead. I first noticed her in "Where the Wind Settles," where she played the innocent girl who followed Ah Yao.
My impression of her was quite good. In this drama, I thought she performed well in the first few episodes, but later on, it felt a bit off, like she was trying too hard and forcefully became the female lead.

I just want to say that personal growth takes time. It's not something that happens overnight. Just think about how many bitter experiences Gao Qiqiang went through when he first became popular.
Let's be more understanding.

After watching the entire series, I realized that it wasn't as bad as I thought. The storyline involving the antagonist was quite exciting, and the rebellious characters were portrayed well.
Zhang Song Wen's acting skills are truly impressive! However, the roles of A Mei and the female police officer were the biggest flaws. The way they captured the drug dealer relied solely on forced stupidity and supernatural abilities, which was really frustrating...
It's disheartening to see the entire comment section cheering and rooting for the antagonist. The final episode left me angry.

Cheating Witch Detective Chronicles" - I suggest that the princess should consider acting in some anti-Japanese supernatural dramas next time, since they are all fantastical dramas that don't require much thinking.
It's hard to tell how hard and difficult the police uncle worked. However, I can see that the princess made a commendable effort in her portrayal, which is admirable. Perhaps the direction needs some adjustments.
For every hour the princess is on screen less, the rating might increase by one point. Additionally, I couldn't understand why the husband at the end borrowed a gun from the military police; maybe I'm just uninformed.
Two stars for Han Geng hugging Zhang Song Wen and drinking angelica wine.

Looking at this rating, I finally understand the saying "one rat dropping spoils the whole pot of soup." The main responsibility lies with Yao Anna. Being a rich second-generation with poor acting skills, isn't she inviting criticism?
It would be better if she could improve her acting skills before taking on the lead role. However, we cannot deny the dedication and efforts of Zhang Songwen and other actors. The most important thing is that, living in a time of peace, we should deeply appreciate the hard-won peace.
I almost couldn't hold back my tears when the undercover agent made the ultimate sacrifice. In the eyes of drug traffickers, money is not money, and human lives are not lives. Let's pay tribute and express gratitude to the anti-drug heroes.

The Northeastern guys are brave but lack strategy and their unity feels fake. The Southern family's ancestral temple culture is admirable. Chinese police might lack technical skills, but they have perseverance.
After all, the iron rice bowl guarantees they won't give up, while the drug traffickers engage in ruthless dog-eat-dog games.

The undercover operation is too obvious, lacking thrilling experiences, and getting exposed too easily.
Zhao You Nan, who can do 200 push-ups, shouldn't be lacking muscles. Rookie actors can have raw acting skills, but they shouldn't treat the audience as blind. A Mei has too few close-up shots, too few lines, and her exit feels rushed.