Affected by the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the film market was sluggish in April. The police film "The Border Walker", which was released on April 15, was placed on high hopes of saving the city. However, the film grossed just over 42 million yuan in the first 3 days, and the final result is likely to be negative.
The film is set before the return of Hong Kong to the motherland in 1997, when the leader of the new Liansheng society, Lin Yaochang, is about to wash his hands, and he entrusts a heavy responsibility to his close confidant Ah Luo, hoping that the latter can lead the community to the road of legal development. As everyone knows, in fact, Ah Luo is a police undercover agent who has been hidden for many years, and he is about to face not only the choice of standing in line, but also the test of life and death.
The film's main creative lineup is authentic "Hong Kong flavor": Huang Mingsheng is also the screenwriter and director, art director Zhao Chongbang, editor Huang Hai, soundtrack Wei Qiliang, etc. are well-known Filmmakers in Hong Kong; in terms of actors, Ren Dahua, Fang Zhongxin, Tan Yaowen, Lin Xiaofeng, Zhang Zhaohui, Guan Lijie, Wu Zhuoxi, Chen Guokun, etc. are all "familiar faces"; in addition, there are many "old-fashioned" dramas such as Hong Jinbao, Yuanhua, and Zeng Jiang, which can be described as full of noodles.
"Retro" and "nostalgia" thus become the code for interpreting "Edgewalker". The ancestral hall, Guan Gong statue, Buddha statue and other common symbols of police and gangster Hong Kong films, as well as fights, drag racing, gun battles, deep alley chases, ship trading and other fierce duels, take turns to appear; brotherhood, white moonlight lovers, ambition and loyalty conflicts, money and power trading and other recipes are also readily available. Similar to gangsters eating egg tarts at street stalls, and sheriffs eating bento boxes in police cars; "Housework? I'll be a little late and it'll be a white thing! "The society doesn't sell white powder, does it sell laundry detergent?" The details and lines of such a "Harbor In Hong Kong" also make the audience laugh.
The undercover theme is an important genre of Hong Kong films, and the protagonist in the gray area is forced by the dual identity to go, providing a good sample for the film creators to torture human nature, and has also become an important proposition of the theme. For example, "Dragon and Tiger", "Infernal Affairs", "Disciple", "Apostle Walker" and so on have left traces in film history, and the characters in the film who are in a dilemma have impressed the audience.
Compared with similar roles in the past, the choice faced by undercover Ah Luo, played by Ren Xianqi, is more difficult than "being a man or being a 'ghost'" - on the one hand, the trust and kindness of the boss of the society, not only designating him as a successor, but even dying to save him; on the other hand, the brother who was once a friend of life and death turned against him and met with each other; on the other hand, because there were black police officers in the police force, not only the superiors who had been contacted before were killed, but Also Luo was repeatedly forced to die, which can be described as embattled. The black police are just a link in the chain of corrupt interests, and there are politicians who hide deeper and have greater power behind them. Ah Luo' sword, who was determined to think bitterly, took the side of the front, first went deep into the corruption, and then swept it away, just like he said, "Those who dare to step on the tightrope are not afraid of death." ”
Unfortunately, although Ren Xianqi has played a ruthless killer and a gangster in gangster films several times, this performance is superficial.
This is not the only flaw in the film. Wong Ming-sheng is an action director who has served as an action designer for classic Hong Kong films such as "Police Story", "Who Am I", "Drunken Fist II" and has a bright resume. But this advantage is not revealed in "The Edgewalker", and the design of the whole film's action scenes is old-fashioned and there are few highlights. When you see the lineup of "more than 300 years old" still chasing cars and waving fists on the screen, the audience may be more sad than moved. This also greatly reduces the viewing of the play that should be a selling point. In addition, the overly traditional narrative techniques and editing, fine arts, various characters with flashing lights and vague motives, frequent homages to bridges and classic reproductions, make "Walker on the Edge" more like a nostalgic exhibition and stew of old Hong Kong films.
At the end of the movie, the melody of "Love of the Year" sounded again, and Ah Luo waved goodbye to his former good brother. Seeing this scene, I believe that the audience will have infinite emotions in their hearts - the former glory of Hong Kong films has become a thing of the past, and where the new road is, we still need "Luo Luo" to continue to look for.
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