"New Shaolin Temple" of "Water and Soil"

In 2011, the film "New Shaolin Temple" led by Hong Kong director Chen Musheng invested 200 million yuan, the box office was about 400 million yuan, and the final income was 216 million yuan (data from Douban Network), overall, this movie is a big production, before there were tens of thousands of empty alleys of "Shaolin Temple" IP drainage, there was a huge investment guarantee, and then There were Andy Lau and Jackie Chan starring in the finale. However, this drama did not have the expected popularity, but just did not owe.

"Unsatisfactory water and soil" is the real reason for the failure of this film, and it is also the fundamental reason for the failure of many Hong Kong directors in the mainland.

In the context of the warlord melee, the story of seeking Buddha enlightenment was interpreted as a love-hate entanglement in gang armed struggles, and without showing the magnificent momentum in the warlord melee in the Central Plains, the armed struggle of several Mao Mao soldiers hastily ended the power change within the warlords of tens of thousands of mercenaries; the Buddha's enlightenment path became a one-sided way to put down the revenge of killing children, embrace the enemy, and expound the Dharma Buddha's fate too one-sidedly and narrowly. Specific manifestations are in the following aspects.

1. The background of the main character relationship is too thin

What is the relationship between the main background characters of this drama, Song Hu and Hou Jie (played by Andy Lau), not clearly explained, only that they were once good brothers, what level of characters is Song Hu? How many people did he have? None of this was explained, Hou Jie (Andy Lau) dared to kill Song Hu, there was no other balance of power, casually killed a mercenary self-respecting warlord leader, and tens of thousands of people under him were afraid that Hou Jie (Andy Lau) and his troops would be surrounded and annihilated.

The warlord war of hundreds of thousands of people is not a gangster fight of hundreds and ten people, and if the head of the other side is destroyed, the other side will scatter. Referring to the Fact that the Japanese killed Zhang Zuolin, the Northeast Army did not collapse and eventually fell to Chiang Kai-shek completely. If the Japanese did not have the strength of the Northeast Army, they would have been beaten into slag by Zhang Xueliang long ago. Hou Jie (Andy Lau) assassinated Song Hu at the dinner table, which is generally called "Hongmen Banquet" in history, which is used by the strong side against the weak side, and the strength cannot eat the other party, but the Hongmen Banquet is used against the other party, typical of self-digging graves.

2. Cao Qi's (Nicholas Tse) background and power are more chaotic

From the beginning of the play, Cao Qi (Played by Nicholas Tse) should be a general under Hou Jie (Andy Lau) with heavy soldiers in his hands. However, in the play, Cao Qi (played by Nicholas Tse) clearly plays the role of Hou Jie (Played by Andy Lau) as an aide-de-camp. The director obviously did not fully understand and elaborate the position of adjutant, the adjutant was a clerk, that is, the director of the office, who could command at most a few guards around the warlord (the guards were mostly pro-soldiers, that is, the warlord's own direct and collateral relatives, most of whom were related by blood), it was impossible to master a combat unit, generally set up a Hongmen banquet to arrange other combat units in the army to organize ambushes, and the main task of the guards in the Hongmen banquet was to protect the warlord leader from harm.

If Cao Qi (Xie Tingfeng) controls the command of the guards, then he cannot control the guards to fight back against Hou Jie (Andy Lau); if Cao Qi (Xie Tingfeng) is a general who controls the combat unit, then the counterattack of the two guards he has to face at the scene of the Hongmen banquet, as well as the counterattack of the two armies stationed outside the Hongmen banquet.

Therefore, Cao Qi's (Xie Tingfeng) identity background and power are more chaotic, and director Chen Musheng may simply understand the Hongmen Banquet as a gang struggle of the Hundred Andy People, in essence, Hou Jie's (Andy Lau) Hongmen Banquet is set up reasonably, and Cao Qi's (Xie Tingfeng) is even more unreasonable.

3. How did Cao Fu (Nicholas Tse) ultimately control the army?

Even if Cao Fu (Nicholas Tse) overcame all odds and killed Song Hu and Hou Jie (Andy Lau), then what did he rely on to control Hou Jie's (Andy Lau) troops? Eliminating the current command system loyal to Hou Jie (Andy Lau) will allow him to control his troops, which is obviously politically naïve. The maintenance of the army that has been huge in the chaotic world, in addition to the huge expenses, but also the hearts of the people, a huge army suddenly died the leader (referring to the Beiyang warlords after Yuan Shikai's death; zhang Zuolin's death of the Northeast Army departments), unless there is a righteous heir, otherwise it will inevitably lead to the disintegration of the various forces. How can a fallen armed force meet the wrath of Song Hu's army?

The plot could have been arranged in such a way that Song Hu's nemesis warlord (with Song Hu and other sizes) wanted to kill Song Hu, cleverly taking advantage of the contradiction between Song Hu and Hou Jie (Andy Lau) and secretly contacting Hou Jie (Andy Lau) to kill Song Hu together. Such a Hongmen feast is more three-dimensional and operable.

However, Hou Jie's chips are too large, and the sworn enemy warlord ostensibly agrees to Hou Jie's (Andy Lau) request, secretly supporting his right-hand man Cao Qi (Xie Tingfeng), and directing this feast in the Hongmen Feast where the sandpipers and clams fight.

In the advancement of the plot, the setbacks experienced by Cao Fu (played by Nicholas Tse), the growth of power, the expansion of inner fear and ambition are expressed, so that the character is more three-dimensional and full, and the plot will be more beautiful.

(Follow-up analysis of the water and soil of the Buddha's Path of Enlightenment)