01. Galaxy image
Since the implementation of CEPA (Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement) in 2003, whether it is a co-production or a Hong Kong film, Hong Kong films have experienced some difficult exploration and experimentation, and still failed to recover the overall decline of Hong Kong films.
However, there are still some people who choose not to abandon and not to give up, such as the Galaxy Image.
Galaxy image logo
In 1996, traditional Hong Kong films were speeding downhill.
This doesn't seem like a good year to start a business in the industry.
But Du Qifeng didn't think so.
Johnnie. in Mox Credit ads
So, in this year, Galaxy Image was established.
After 25 years of development, Galaxy Image has become one of the "most attitude and style" film production enterprises in the Hong Kong film industry. As the core character, Du Qifeng chose to form an "Iron Triangle" with Wei Jiahui and You Dazhi, leading Galaxy Image to create many excellent works.
Looking at the many works of Galaxy Image, there are no more than two categories - one is to make money, and the other is to be an idea.
However, people often remember not their commercial productions, but those works with obvious personal styles, such as "Gunfire", "Dark Flower", "Dark War", "Dragon City Years", "Peace is Precious", etc., which makes "they strive to innovate in the inherent factors of the genre, whether it is in the character building, the theme of the meaning and the aesthetic style are unique." It can even be said that the success of Galaxy Images is precisely because they do not follow the inherent routine of traditional genre films. (David Podwell)
Promotional posters
In 2016, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of galaxy images, they launched a work based on the story of the "Three Thieves King", "Tree Trick", which shined at the 36th Hong Kong Film Awards.
02. Tree big stroke
The term "tree big trick" comes from the thirty-third time of Wu Cheng'en's "Journey to the West" of the Ming Dynasty: "This is exactly the tree big trick wind shakes the tree, and people lose their names and lose people", figuratively speaking, people who are famous or have money are easy to attract people's attention and cause trouble, "Tree Big Trick" just reflects the personality of the three protagonists in the movie.
Who are the three?
Ye Guohuan, Ji Zhengxiong, Zhuo Ziqiang.
Three people in the same frame, the wind filled the building
At the beginning of 1997, the three did not know each other, and by chance, they appeared at the same time in the "Wind Full Building", which triggered speculation in the rivers and lakes, and extended the story of the entire conflict.
A. Narrative layer, victory without routine
The reason why "Tree Trick" is considered to be a rare Hong Kong film in recent years is that it originates from the anti-routine victory of galaxy image.
The so-called routine, professional point is called the genre film, since it is a genre naturally has a fixed pattern. However, "Tree Trick" breaks this pattern, the three characters are each systematic, and there is no traditional story line to connect, and the three people cause multiple sets of contradictions, entanglement, and differences.
Ji Zhengxiong wants to use his former brotherly love to rob Jin Xing, but he is discovered, but he can't do it;
Ye Guohuan "whitewashed" to do business, suffered humiliation, and finally held AK back to the old road;
Zhuo Ziqiang kidnapped the son of the richest man to extort 3 billion yuan, not bad money, but in order to climb another mountain, he took the initiative to cater to the rumors of the jianghu and prepared to gather the other two thieves.
It satisfies everyone's appetite, but unfortunately the three people failed to succeed, and it is difficult to escape fate and legal punishment.
Before the return of the three thieves, the three thieves finally converged to a point, and all expectations and conflicts were ended in an "unexpected, reasonable" way.
B. Story layer, fatalistic interpretation
Tree Trick has a strange English name Trivisa.
Actually, this is Sanskrit. There is a Buddhist metaphor that means triple purgatory. "In the Buddhist concept, mortals fall into hell because of desire. Greed, anger, and delusion are the three poisons, also known as the three dirt and the three fires. These three poisons damage the body and mind, make people fall into the cycle of life and death, and are the root of evil, so they are also called the three unkind roots", and "three poisons" also correspond to the three protagonists in the movie.
Zhuo Ziqiang represents "greed" and must be obtained. After kidnapping the son of the richest man and getting 3 billion, it is reasonable to say that he crossed the class in one step, but he was not satisfied, and he claimed to conquer the "higher mountain", seemingly "pursuing", fond of seeking excitement, but essentially a vain pursuit of falsehood. He dreamed of joining forces with two other thief kings to make a big pen, pulling a cart of explosives and "blowing up the ceremony, and then whether it was threatening the Queen or the government, I wouldn't believe it wouldn't be a sensation." Even if he is finally captured, he still has his heart set on the car of explosives, and the ugliness of greed is fully revealed.
Ye Guohuan represents "anger". Anger, hatred for the realm of inverseity, temper tantrums without satisfactory satisfaction, irrationality, and arrogance.
Ye Guohuan was first a gangster, holding an AK and a police PK. In the process of running, he saw a general trend, and he must have been very confused. Why do you take the AK and risk your life and do criminal deeds, but you are not as good as those "sea and land". He chose to go along with the general trend and seek opportunities in the interior. At first, smuggling seemed to be a "bright light", far better than robbing with a gun. Unfortunately, under the general trend, there are also exploitations and extortions of the "supreme being", which is heavier and heavier each time.
In the end, Ye Guohuan returned to the old way and paid his price with anger.
Ji Zhengxiong represents "infatuation". Foolish, ignorant of things, unclear of right and wrong, indiscriminate of good and evil, upside down, and evil deeds. He has a thousand faces, the invisible thief king, and looks very powerful, in fact, he does not believe in the "horse boy" in the mainland, nor can he trust his brother for many years. Only because he played too many roles, he lost his identity, and eventually trapped like a beast, turning in circles, and thus being arrested.
"Greed, anger, and delusion" end with the same end.
Triple purgatory, three destinies, one destiny.
C. Deep layer, a metaphor for identity
In fact, every Hong Kong movie more or less implies the identity cognition and exploration of Hong Kong people.
The same is true of "Tree Trick", or more obvious.
First, the concept of externalization of time is introduced. There are several time nodes related to the "return" in the film, which constantly deepens the background of this era, making the three thieves seem to have a time manipulator in the underworld, making it a puppet under the torrent of the times.
Second, bystanders were introduced. This bystander can be Chief Chen, Chief Long, or Director Song. Through the image of this group of corrupt bystanders, it implies the deconstruction, admiration and concern of Hong Kong's traditional "Lion Rock Spirit", which is further manifested as the psychological discomfort of Hong Kong people under the changing times, and there is a kind of feeling of "last year's fireworks are particularly many".
Third, through the story of the three thieves who "nostalgia", we try to construct the psychological state of the new Hong Kong people. Whether people are pushed by the times or self-knowledge, they will eventually have to establish the position of the new Hong Kong people in order to move towards the ultimate return.
Finally, collectivism is established.
The three thieves were all alone and did not cooperate with each other. In the windy building, the three people met, but unfortunately did not know each other, the three people were around the Mandarin waiter, doomed to be the fate of the times passers-by. At this time, the voiceover is Prince Charles, transitioning to the real scene - Patten waved goodbye, the Chinese national flag and the Flag of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region were slowly raised, the Royal Hong Kong Police took off their hats, the People's Liberation Army stationed, the era belonging to the old Hong Kong has passed, the new era has arrived, the identity of Hong Kong people after the return has changed, and the ideology must gradually integrate into the big family of China and become a member of the whole collective.
D. Production layer, the possibility of cutting-edge power
"Tree Trick" has three directors, Xu Xuewen, Ou Wenjie, and Huang Weijie. They are all New Wave Award winners.
For the three of them, Du Qifeng is not only a producer and corporate partner, but also a predecessor and teacher who led the three into the movie.
The oldest of the three, Huang Weijie, is only in 1979, and the other two are all post-80s.
Before this game, none of the three had ever made a feature film.
Although this development model is not a strategy that Hong Kong films are good at, under the control of Du Qifeng, it has been effectively unified, and it has also brought new sharp forces to Hong Kong filmmakers.
As for whether this power can fully blossom and bear fruit, it depends on the further direction of the future.
E. Deductive layer, two wins and one draw performance
Ji Zhengxiong (played by Lin Jiadong)
Lin Jiadong, seemingly unremarkable, diligent and earnest, in fact, after years of experience, he finally got rewarded.
Without Douyin, he would not have become one of the Hong Kong title scenes. Without "Tree Trick", he would not have won the first Academy Award in his life.
He plays Ji Zhengxiong, who is fierce and vicious, but he is the only character in the work who retains the friendship and entanglement of Hong Kong gangsters.
Ye Guohuan (played by Ren Xianqi)
Ren Xianqi's Ye Guohuan contrasted the most. When I was a gangster, I did have a gangster spirit, my eyes were sharp, and my domineering spirit was exposed; when I was a "businessman", I was depressed and stoic, and I had the sadness of a small person, and I thought that it would be him who won the Academy Award.
Zhuo Ziqiang (played by Chen Xiaochun)
Chen Xiaochun's Zhuo Ziqiang is somewhat simple and playful, and it is also one of the few funny responsibilities in the film, full of pheasant feeling, but there is no Cruelty and Viciousness of Zhuo Ziqiang.
Overall, the three people have their own characteristics, and it is precisely because of the differences between the three people that this film looks more diverse.
03. The Three Thieves King
The Tree Trick quotes the true events of the three thief kings.
In fact, these three people have factual cases, Ji Bingxiong, Ye Jihuan, Zhang Ziqiang, and the corresponding ji Zhengxiong, Ye Guohuan, and Zhuo Ziqiang in the film are respectively.
Ji Bingxiong, born in Guangdong, did not study well from an early age, neglected discipline, and eventually embarked on the road of crime. First as a pickpocket in Guangzhou, then smuggled into Hong Kong to continue. He was eventually arrested and imprisoned. In prison, he became acquainted with the big circle gang criminals, and after his release from prison, he began to "play big" - robbing gold shops and jewelry stores. After many successes, he was too tight in the wind and fled to Canada to hide. He returned to Hong Kong in 1994 to return to his old business, targeting gold shops in Causeway Bay and Central. After winning again, Ji Bingxiong became more famous, and the Hong Kong police offered a reward of 2 million yuan and issued a red notice. However, this is nothing to Ji Bingxiong, and he and his gang will continue to commit crimes. In 2003, Ji Wasingxiong was successfully captured at his residence in Hong Kong. The police recovered weapons such as pistols, shotguns and assault rifles and a large amount of ammunition from his home, giving a new understanding of Ji Bingxiong's destructive power.
Ji Bingxiong was released from prison
However, such a crime did not bring Ji Bingxiong to justice, and he was released from prison on January 18, 2020. At this time, he was an old man and could no longer afford to engage in criminal acts, which was also good news for the people.
Ye Jihuan, born in Guangdong, dropped out of school after completing the third grade of primary school.
As he grew older, he went to work in a Factory in Hong Kong for 40 Hong Kong dollars a day. However, the factory encounters a crisis every year, and Ye Jihuan is bitter that there is no way out, and chooses to take the road of crime - robbing the gold shop. In October 1984, he completed a large order to sell the stolen goods, but encountered a police officer disguised as a buyer, who was sent to prison and sentenced to 18 years in prison.
In prison, Ye Jihuan was restless, and he chose to escape from prison. After running out, he was even more arrogant.
Since 1991, he has been wearing body armor and grabbing a street of gold shops in ten minutes with an AK47 in hand, an average of 2 minutes. His style has become more and more fierce, even to the point of fighting with the police, in 1993, some citizens photographed him taking an AK47 and the police in the bustling downtown fire. Three days later, he confronted the police while robbing the gold shop, firing more than 60 shots and shooting ambulances, and the police station was forced to make him the most wanted man with a bounty of 1 million.
In 1996, Ye Jihuan was planted in the hands of two trainee policemen, disabled in a shootout, and was arrested and imprisoned again. In 2003, Ye Jihuan met a mainland woman in prison and walked into the wedding hall. On April 19, 2017, Ye Jihuan died of lung cancer.
Zhang Ziqiang, a native of Guangxi, came to Hong Kong with his family when he was 4 years old. First opened a herbal tea shop in Yau Ma Tei, and then the thief germinated, first robbing the gold shop, and then grabbing the cash truck.
In 1996, he kidnapped Li Ka-shing's eldest son, Li Zeju, and extorted HK$1.038 million. Zhang Ziqiang received 438 million;
In September 1997, he kidnapped Hong Kong's second richest man, Kwok Ping-hsiang, and extorted HK$600 million. Zhang Ziqiang won 300 million yuan alone;
In October 1997, he also planned to kidnap Ho Hung-sun, the richest man in Macao, and was discovered by the police and attempted;
At the end of 1997, he illegally purchased 800 kilograms of high explosives and more than 2,000 detonators from the mainland and smuggled them to Hong Kong in an attempt to create a greater terrorist incident.
He was arrested in January 1998 and shot in December of the same year.
... ...
November 2020.
A film was released in China called "Crackdown on Violence", based on Zhang Jun, the "first perpetrator of the Xiang'e-Yu series of armed robberies and murders" in the 1990s.
The standard of the film is average, slightly twisted, and it can still be seen.
However, in addition to contributing bath towels full of characteristics, the work finally took a key step of "going to reality" in the police gangster genre film, and those gangster past events will be repeated on the screen one by one, ushering in the fateful endgame and alerting the world.