On the eve of the release of "Manslaughter 2", I was invited to watch the film with the film director and creator at China Film Group and had a frank exchange.
The significance of this film, in my opinion, is not just a simple sequel, there are probably three aspects worth discussing.
First of all, the film inherits the first part, setting the background of the story in a "Chinatown" with ambiguity and ambiguity (which can be seen from the first cannon shot of the film), which makes the "Manslaughter" series in the "series of film universes" created by Chen Sicheng, like a considerable branch.
Whether it is visually, or in terms of character settings and storyline development, the "Manslaughter" series and the "Tang Detective" series have a unified, stylized, and accessible appearance.
This is still quite ambitious and characteristic in the creation of domestic filmmakers. If everyone is developing commercial IP, I believe that the integrity of this series led by Chen Sicheng may be the best.
At the end of the day, they have a smart, clear mind, and know what they want and how to do it through the construction of images.
Secondly, because of the visual image basis of "Chinatown" itself, "Manslaughter 2" clearly continues a mixed-race gene. Through a fictional time and geography setting, it reflects another unique commercial interest in a series of popular movies with "nationalism" as the core banner to stimulate enthusiasm for watching movies.
In the virtual kingdom presented in "Manslaughter 2", the characters in the story are mixed in five directions, playing the southern and northern tones, forming a "pan-Asian" appearance.
From the perspective of form and style, this deliberately created, mixed-race, cross-regional integration model may be conducive to the work going abroad and attracting a more diverse audience.
We always hope that our films will "go out", and the setting of "Manslaughter 2" naturally has a certain universality that is easy to promote.
Third, although the story takes place in an alternate context, the various topics discussed in the story are very current hot topics, so these topics are not overhead, but are generally concerned.
For example, about the manipulation of the media, the abuse of power, the contradiction between doctors and patients, etc., these elements can attract empathy.
On the surface, "Manslaughter 2" is not a Chinese thing, but it is also a core issue that Chinese audiences (including other audiences) are concerned about at the level of appreciation.
There is no doubt that this kind of film can be made, especially for the media's presentation of power supervision, or brave.
Interestingly, compared with the openness and ambiguity of the end of "Manslaughter 1", the choice of "Manslaughter 2" is more stable and mainstream.
"Manslaughter 1" when Qin Pei faces the camera with a meaningful smile, making the protagonist Xiao Yang's "controllable" and "out of control" of the development of the situation become complicated and ambiguous - this is also where the film surpasses the original in the remake.
In "Manslaughter 2", the film chooses to explore the most fundamental aspects of human nature in the discussion of various complex issues, and create the most intimate human topics - obviously, more secure and direct.
Leaving aside the complicated appearances, the core of Manslaughter 2 is still a story about a father and son. A few specific words on this point.
I was impressed by the first poster of "Manslaughter 2", and I still remember that there was only one piece of composition paper on it, the title of the essay was "My Daddy", and the main text was three big words "Bang Bang Bang".
After watching the movie, I interpreted these three words as: one is the sound of the child's heartbeat, the other is the sound of gunshots in this riot, and this is also a unique communication method between father and son.
The film's display of the emotions between Lin Zhilang and his son is still quite delicate.
Father's love is hidden in the details. The game in which the worms participated was not dominant at first, and their team even faced defeat. When Lin Zhilang rushed to the scene to cheer for his son, shouting words of encouragement and praise to the worm over and over again, the worm also gained strength from his father.
Bugs said that my dad was a superhero. In the end, The Worms' team won a medal, which was won by father and son.
Lin Rilang wore the medal on his body after the insect became seriously ill. Even when he went to hijack the hospital, he still wore this medal. At the scene, the SWAT officer fired a shot at Lin Rilang, who fell down in response, but he was safe and sound - it was the medal that helped him block the impact of the bullet. At the same time that Lin Zhilangshe risked his son's life, it was actually the son who preemptively saved his father's life.
Like Manslaughter 1, Manslaughter 2 also inherits a certain "shadow" element. This is an integral part of the film's fun, and it is also the driving force behind the film's narrative.
Lin Zhilang plays interactive games with his son Worm, because he is a screenwriter, good at crime type scripts, and playing small games with his son also plays the plot in the script.
Here, too, cinema becomes a medium for communicating father-son relationships.
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In addition, this down-and-out screenwriter in reality, his script can not be reused in any way, but he uses it for reality, directing a big drama that turns the river and the sea in reality, and people turn over on horses.
Therefore, the "Manslaughter" series is also a movie about movies, which has the filmmaker's self-referentiality, and the filmmaker's carnival of pushing the "fan spirit" and amplifying reality.
The film does some exploration in the portrayal of characters. For example, in addition to the confrontation and sympathy of the other protagonists starring Xiao Yang and Ren Dahua, there are also the main female characters - journalist Li Anqi. The film attempts to portray multiple aspects of the character, using a first-suppressed and then-ascended approach.
When she appeared on the scene, she was impersonal, arbitrary and utilitarian, and ambitious, and then went straight into the dangerous scene after the crime, reflecting her courage to pursue explosive news at all costs, and finally dared to fight with power and pursue the truth that was blinded.
Finally, heavy rain fell on the night of New Man, bringing a momentary fresh wash to this hot and dry city filled with scorching atmosphere. In addition to the truth that was washed out, there is also Anqi Lee's faded makeup.
At this moment, her plain face has a little perseverance, but it can win the recognition of the audience.
What Manslaughter 2 is trying to create is such a multi-faceted, layered woman.
Compared with the stereotyped performance of women in many previous market movies, the film has really made efforts, of course, whether you will like her or not is a matter of opinion.
Of course, there are still some imperfections in the film, which I have pointed out unabashedly in my exchanges with Dai Mo and other creators.
For example, about the narrative rhythm of the movie, there is still something worth polishing, the patient who wants to assassinate the doctor, mixed in the main plot, the narrative function is slightly insufficient.
In addition, some gags and jokes are a bit unclear in my perception, such as the kidnapped young man showing the comedy plot of being beaten by his girlfriend, which does not quite match the tragic tone of the main plot - this seems to be a self-deprecation of the public opinion controversy caused by Wang Baoqiang's punching female nurse in the elevator room of Chen Sicheng's "Tang Detective 3" - but we must not forget that he is in danger and kidnapped hostage!
All these shortcomings deserve careful exploration and continuous optimization by young creators.
As I said earlier, when Manslaughter 2 can be seen as a tributary of the development of the "cinematic universe," it has the potential to continue to be developed and created.
For example, the possibility of moving this film to the theater - because overall, "Manslaughter 2" is still a model of secret room reasoning, and its dramatic deduction setting gives it the possibility of some kind of life continuation.
Therefore, I can roughly conclude that the big-screen transformation of Manslaughter 2 is just the beginning, and if the market response is good, its future may contain more regenerative potential.
This is just like the surprise brought by the launch of the web series "Tang Detective", who would say that the "Manslaughter" series can't do it?