February 5, 2023 issue | Issue 3138
The film "When the Wind Rises Again" directed by Weng Ziguang was released in the mainland at the Lantern Festival, focusing on the rise and fall of Hong Kong's two chief inspectors in the colonial era, Lei Le (played by Kwok Fucheng) and Nanjiang (played by Tony Leung).
The director injected a double creative expression into the film. The first is his reflection on Hong Kong's bygone era. Before the establishment of the Independent Commission Against Corruption, corruption was rampant in the Hong Kong police, and the director hoped to use the film to retrace the people and events of that era.
The second is his reminiscence of the golden age of Hong Kong cinema. Tony Leung and Kwok Fucheng's generation of Hong Kong movie stars have become the last glory of Hong Kong movies. Their screen showdown this time is the afterglow after the brilliance of Hong Kong films.
Weng Ziguang looks directly at the suffering "Hong Kong past"
"When the Wind Rises Again" is adapted from real history, and the main characters in the film, Lei Le, Nanjiang, Yan Hong (played by Tan Yaowen), and Han Sen (played by Zhou Wenjian) all have realistic prototypes. They are the well-known "Four Detectives" in Hong Kong, and in the era of black and white confusion, the four detectives repeatedly solved major cases while enriching their own pockets, and gradually evolved into a protective umbrella for criminals.
Due to the peculiarity of the era and the legendary nature of the four detectives, there have been many movies based on them in the past. "The Legend of 500 Million Inspector Leiluo", "The Legend of the Blue River: Anti-Flying Group" and "Chasing the Dragon" have all caused a sensation. These works focus on fierce character confrontation, showing strange cases in a certain period of Hong Kong's history.
"When the Wind Rises Again" has greater ambitions, and the director wants to make a "Hong Kong Past". The film focuses on the ups and downs of the fate of Lei Le and Nanjiang, reflecting the historical changes of Hong Kong in the 1940~1970s.
The director has increased his focus on the historical environment. The film takes ten years as a unit and depicts the life trajectory of Leile and Nanjiang in detail.
The film has two distinctive features in its creation, first, it looks directly at suffering. The film recreates Hong Kong's dark past when it was invaded by the Japanese army, gangster riots, and drug traffickers. Every piece of history presented in the film is a scar on the city.
With a broad historical vision and in-depth depiction, the director makes "When the Wind Rises Again" have the pattern of an epic film. But the length of the 143-minute film obviously cannot accommodate the two difficult problems of double heroes and urban history. The film's narrative imbalance makes it difficult for the overall standard to rise to the height of an epic film.
Second, attach importance to the two poles. Based on the complexity of the society at that time, the director focused on the polarized social state. For example, the film presents the drunken gold fans of the upper class on the one hand, and describes the hunger and cold of the bottom society on the other. The impartiality of ICAC officials and the corruption of a large number of police officers constitute a sharp polar difference.
When the Wind Rises Again delves into the important reasons for the polarization of Hong Kong society during the colonial era. Corruption has become a daily routine for the police, ordinary people are continuously oppressed by black and white, and the gap between the rich and the poor is shocking. From the perspective of social responsibility, "When the Wind Rises Again" goes further than works of the same theme.
Tony Leung and Aaron Kwok's "Gathering of Storms"
Leile, played by Kwok Fucheng, is an illiterate old man. He has a straightforward temper and is hot, but he is good at camping, happy to perform, and can also tap dance. These complex character elements blend together to form a three-dimensional figure of the hero.
Kwok Fucheng's performance can be summarized as: vivid and profound. He enters the inner world of the character, portraying the strong style of a hero and the fragile emotional world vividly.
In the film, Lei Le and his wife Cai Zhen (played by Du Juan) are fully capable of a scene in which they turned against the goal because of the death of a third party. Aaron Kwok plays the character's struggle in emotional relationships. The audience can feel the loneliness and hesitation at the spiritual level of Leile.
Nanjiang, played by Tony Leung, is a son of a prominent family. His wisdom and calmness contrast sharply with Leile, and also make up for Leile's shortcomings. This is also the reason why he can become Leile's right-hand man.
Tony Leung's performance can be summarized as: restrained and engaged. Nanjiang has a vision and wisdom higher than Leile, and even if he acts low-key, Leile can still detect his edge. For example, he loves Cai Zhen deeply, but he is willing to help Leile pursue her, which shows the depth of his city.
Nanjiang's monologue to the burning piano after his father's death is the highlight of Tony Leung's performance. Nanjiang recalls his tragic experience during the Anti-Japanese War, unlocking the origin of his complex character of low-key but daring to fight.
Tony Leung's monologue, combined with the memories reproduced in the film, resonates emotionally with the characters and the audience at this moment.
In addition to the two actors Kwok Fucheng and Tony Leung, the film also brings together Hong Kong powerful actors such as Hui Guanwen, Wu Yiuhan, Taibao, Yin Yangming, Tam Yiuwen, Tse Junhao, Wu Zhuoxi, Bai Zhi, etc., and the age level spans three generations of old, middle and young people.
Director Weng Ziguang was born in 1979 and experienced the glorious years of Hong Kong films. He hopes to pay tribute to the past glory of Hong Kong films through a film with a broad vision such as "When the Wind Rises Again".
Although there are not many actor-level actors such as Taibao and Xie Junhao in the film, they can show a strong aura every time they appear, which increases the thickness of the film.
Xu Guanwen is a generation of laughers, and he plays Li Zichao, an official of the Independent Commission Against Corruption, and his generous statement at the end of the film can be called the finishing touch of the whole film. Xu Guanwen's monologue is sonorous and powerful, sublimating the social significance of the heavy-handed anti-corruption campaign.
But unfortunately, as a high-investment film, "When the Wind Rises" does not find a balance between personal expression and commercial appeal. The limited duration of the film obviously cannot carry too much information, and in the end, it is impossible to avoid the commercial film that highlights the characters and weakens the history.
From the perspective of the finished film, this may be the best choice that Weng Ziguang can give, but it is far from enough for audiences eager to see more of Hong Kong's old dreams.
【Text/Cui Ting】