As of the fourth night of the Lunar New Year, "Nameless" reached 370 million box office with only 6.3% of the film.
The plot of "Nameless" is not complicated, but the theme is very special:
The actor Tony Leung was featured as a "Wang pseudo-favored general", and Cheng Er chose a very special era background for the story - between 1938 and 1945, when Wang was running out of puppets, the Japanese were dying, GMD was cunning, our party agents plotted against Wang and killed Japanese spies.
The film adopts various forms such as flashbacks and interludes, and the characters' positions are also "dirty and clean": there are lurking, riding the wall, sticking, defecting, looking for a way back, sticking...
As a result, some people watch "Nameless" as a "spy war film", but director Cheng Er does not see it this way.
"The category of spy films is narrow, it is a single event or crisis. But in addition to these, "Nameless" is also about that era, more like an epic of that era, an elegy... All good things have a sad undertone. ”
What did Cheng Er mean? This article will try to reinterpret "Nameless" from an "unpopular" perspective - yes, as long as you understand these 4 dogs and 4 loves, you will understand this movie. (Some spoilers, be cautious)
First, the "lame dog" of the bomb shelter + the love of Lao He in his mouth
The first thing that makes people feel sorry when watching "Nameless" is a dog. A lame dog in a bomb shelter.
At the door of the bomb shelter, a dog was sheltering from the rain, and two soldiers standing guard wanted to drive it out.
The dogs didn't want to go out, it was raining heavily and shells were flying outside. Soldiers beat it with the butt of a gun and tempted it with food. Finally, the dog walked out into the rain for food. After eating, it did not dare to go back, so it had to walk alone in the rain...
The camera turned, and gave a close-up of "Director He" played by Tony Leung, and the situation of this dog is a metaphor for the state of mind of "Director He" (at this time, it should be when he has not yet joined the Wang puppet government),
Outside, there are Japanese shells; Inside, there is the butt of the GMD. "Going to the rain and fighting to the death with all forces" may be Lao He's only choice. So, using his cousin Minister Tang (played by Dapeng), Lao He entered the core of the Wang puppet government and served as the "director" important position.
The same as a lame dog can't choose, there is also the love between Lao He and Miss Chen (played by Zhou Xun).
Miss Chen is an agent of our party who has collaborated with Mr. Zhang (Huang Lei) in the assassination operation for five years. However, Zhang later "deteriorated" and surrendered to Wang Cheng, and Lao He was ordered to secretly meet with Mr. Zhang and accept his "petition" (at the beginning of the film).
During the conversation, Lao He found that this kid surnamed Zhang not only betrayed our party's intelligence, but also took away his wife Miss Chen's gun.
"How could you have her gun? You killed her? ”
"No, I just took her gun."
Seeing that his wife was betrayed, in a hurry and anger, Lao He shot "Huang Lei" and couldn't help but go to meet his wife... Hence exposure.
Had it not been for Mr. Zhang's rebellion, Lao Ho and Miss Chen would have been a perfect pair of lurkers, and they had collaborated to facilitate an unwiglitting assassination of the "Duke of Japan".
Second, the "fierce dog" that disturbs people's hearts + Miss Jiang's lost love
The Japanese duke came to the army incognito to "experience life", but was secretly executed by Mr. Zhang and Miss Chen, and the "assassination" information was provided by Lao He.
Lao He's intelligence came from Miss Jiang.
Miss Jiang (played by Jiang Shuying) is ostensibly Minister Tang's (played by Dapeng) lover, but her real identity is a spy sent by GMD to assassinate Minister Tang. Unfortunately, later Jiang fell in love with Tang, and repeated hesitation made her lose the opportunity to assassinate, and her identity was exposed.
When Lao He asked Jiang if he needed to contact Tang alone, Miss Jiang said:
"He has been merciless to me, and if I did, naturally I didn't need to ask Him. If I go to ask him, I will only inflict myself in disgrace. ”
Before Miss Jiang was executed, she asked Lao He to take away the blood-licking dogs in the prison:
"Can you change places for me, the dog next to me keeps barking, which disturbs my heart."
Miss Jiang was not dead, and out of common anti-Japanese feelings or for the purpose of obtaining more information, Lao He let Miss Jiang go.
And Miss Jiang "returned" Lao He with an important piece of information - a list of important officials from Shanghai who stayed in Japan.
The information of the Duke of Japan is in it.
Third, the "mud dog" leaves, and Mr. Zhang of Miss Chen, the admirer, comes to an end
Wang Jingwei died in 1944. Minister Tang and Lao He stood on the balcony and watched a wolf dog covered in mud come out of sight.
This "mud dog" represents the elimination of the power of the Wang puppet remnant party and the weakening of the GMD power.
Can't hold on, there is also the renegade Mr. Zhang (played by Huang Lei).
As mentioned earlier, Mr. Zhang was originally the partner of our party Techco and Miss Chen. At this time, victory was in sight of our party, but Mr. Zhang, who was closed to information, went to rebellion.
At the beginning of the movie, the expression of the dialogue between Tony Leung and Huang Lei is very subtle, which is Lao He's contempt and ridicule of Mr. Zhang.
Mr. Zhang asked, "What would you like to drink?" ”
Lao He smiled: "What do you have?" ”
"Only water."
"Oh, then water!"
Lao He asked Mr. Zhang to say over and over again why he "abandoned the dark and turned to the light", Mr. Zhang said more, but Lao He was still not satisfied. Mr. Zhang anxiously took out the "letter of submission"-the address of the head of the Shanghai secret service station, as well as the address of Miss Chen.
Mentioning his wife, Lao He was finally anxious: "You killed her?" "No, I just took her gun."
Lao He didn't believe it, and ran to his wife to confirm.
For five years, the couple has licked blood at the knife's edge, and now this traitor said that he took his wife's gun, how can he not worry?
Mr. Zhang didn't lie, he really didn't kill Chen because he was in love with Chen. For five years, he and Chen pretended to be husband and wife living under the same roof, which made him unable to extricate himself.
Before Zhang came to see Lao He, he had such a conversation with Chen.
Zhang: "I can't hold on, it's all for you... I have land in my hometown..."
Chen: "What do you want to do?" ”
Zhang: "We can leave here, my hometown is in Guangxi, there is land in the mountains, and we can see the Li River..."
Chen: "I have a husband. ”
Zhang: "You have a husband?" How can you have a husband, these five years, we have all lived together..."
Miss Chen did not wait for him to say more, and had already pointed a gun at Zhang, Zhang was a "mutiny", Chen was different, she was a "sticker".
Mr. Zhang said that he was in love with Miss Chen, so he couldn't stick to it, which was an excuse. But he lost his life because of this love, but it's true. He can say nothing, he really loves Miss Chen.
Fourth, the aviation dog Roosevelt, Secretary Ye and Miss Fang's life and death love
The duke said that he had a cousin who was an aviation soldier, and his cousin's dog was called Roosevelt, and the Japanese minions thought he was bragging.
In fact, there was indeed a dog named Roosevelt, who once sat majestically on a fighter jet and died in a plane crash.
"Roosevelt" represents the "sacrifice of a fanatic", and the most fanatical person in the movie is Miss Fang (played by Zhang Jingyi).
Miss Fang is an anti-Japanese civil force that pretends to be a dancer to lure the Japanese, lead them into dark alleys, and kill them.
Miss Fang is the lover of Secretary Ye (played by Wang Yibo).
Xiao Ye and Captain Wang (played by Wang Chuanjun) are both Lao He's thugs and subordinates of the Wang puppet government and Minister Tang.
As the "agent of our party who was exposed the latest", except for Lao He, no one knew Xiaoye's true identity, including Miss Fang.
Therefore, Miss Fang did not know until her death that the man who had a marriage contract with her was going to the same ideal as her.
When Xiao Ye found out that Miss Fang was taking a risk, he warned her tactfully. Miss Fang also warned him: Don't let yourself see him as a traitor again!
"We kill Japanese and traitors, you know."
"I remember we had a marriage contract."
"It's so long ago, 37 years ago, I have long forgotten."
Xiao Ye still had something to say, but Miss Fang said in disgust:
"I hate the way you look well-dressed."
"Let's have a good talk!"
"Hurry up and die!"
In the complex environment, Xiao Ye could not be exposed or admitted, and he was in great pain. Although he restrained himself, he was discovered by his colleague Captain Wang and Miss Fang was assassinated.
Xiao Ye's love can't save Miss Fang, but Miss Fang's death makes Xiao Ye more determined to take revenge.
Finally, he accompanied the Japanese spies into the war prison, and after squeezing out his last intelligence, killed him.
Easter egg: Does Minister Tang really not love Miss Jiang?
People who have seen the movie have noticed that everyone in "Nameless" has no name, Tony Leung is "Director He", Zhou Xun is "Miss Chen", Huang Lei is "Mr. Zhang"... Every person is like a symbol. Nameless, is a group.
He certainly represents the lurking agents of our Party, the unsung heroes of the special era.
However, remember what director Cheng Er said, it is an epic of the era, an elegy, and has a sad undertone.
Therefore, watching "Nameless" can not be used as the main theme, but also pay attention to the real emotions of small people.
They are not only the saints of the Great Avenue, they also have the fireworks world. Even an excellent agent like Lao He has to expose himself in order to protect his wife. From a mortal point of view, politics is both connected to the ideal kingdom of heaven and will also be a shackle that exhausts them physically and mentally.
When we look at it from this angle, we will find Easter eggs hidden in the depths of "Nameless": Does Minister Tang (played by Dapeng) really not love Miss Jiang?
He knew that his cousin Lao He was an agent of our party, and he still let him live everywhere.
Of course, this will not be because of family affection, but because leaving a way to live for your cousin is to give yourself a way to live. His classic line is:
"Respect to all the winners, I judge my future path according to his direction. I know a lot, and what I have to do is let them know when the time is right. ”
In the film, everyone's life and death are clear, only his whereabouts are unknown - the newspaper writes "Minister Tang mysteriously disappeared".
Assuming he is still alive, then the person who protected him must be his cousin Lao He. What is his weight to "survive" in Lao He?
Could it be the "Important List of Japanese Residents in Shanghai" that Miss Jiang revealed to Lao He?
And why did Miss Jiang give him such important information when she didn't know the details of the old man? Wasn't it Tang's instruction?
If so, Minister Tang may not love Miss Jiang, everything is a drama, and he has already laid out the situation.