Since last year, Sir has been looking forward to a Hong Kong film.
No way, who let its name be so close to me:
"Poison Tongue Lawyer".
(Everyone who understands it)
Hong Kong's most popular dark horse this year.
The box office exceeded 90 million in one month of release, breaking the records of last year's "Tomorrow's War" and "Still Think You Are the Best", and won the box office champion in Hong Kong film history (Asian film).
The starring actor, once considered "box office poison", "accused" the flesh and blood history of the entertainment industry on stage, and is now collectively named "God" by Hong Kong people.
Don't worry, Sir will definitely provide a film review as soon as it is released.
And today's article comes from the dialogue of two "poisonous tongues".
Sir and Huang Zihua connected, the film had not yet been released in Hong Kong, the box office was still unknown, Huang Zihua had to be interviewed by dozens of media a day.
Although slightly tired, Zihuashen has no shelves from beginning to end, kindness, humor, and occasionally a thoughtful "disgusted face".
Sir hasn't seen the movie yet.
But after chatting with Zihua, I also understood (after hindsight) why "Poisonous Tongue" broke the record.
01
When it comes to Huang Zihua, everyone's first reaction in the past was: box office poison.
And now, he is a box office elixir.
Last year's "Still Think You're the Best", with a box office of 70 million, has surpassed Stephen Chow's "Kung Fu" and became the comedy champion in Hong Kong film history.
Sir was curious, why would he be interested in a legal film this time?
But this problem, Zihua feels is a "fake problem":
"Actually, all comedy, I do it as a drama. Whether it is Mo Zuodong of "Dong Du Detective" or Yu Lotian of "Male and Female Love", there is no type difference in my heart, because every time, I start from the role itself to act. ”
After saying something a little serious, Zihua suddenly added:
"It's just that no one came to me to act in a drama before." (laughs)
Every sentence must be self-deprecating, which is a habit that Huang Zihua cannot change.
Mention Yu Lotte.
Yes, it is the "Male Love and Female Love" played by Zihua and Zheng Yuling who contracted most of the exclusive emoji packages for migrant workers.
Sir then asked another "fake question".
What is the similarity between Yu Lotian and Lin Liangshui, the male protagonist of "Poisonous Tongue Lawyer"?
Zihua said simply:
"They have little resemblance other than being human (laughs)."
"Yu Lotian is a messy person, he does not seek to be motivated, he thinks that people do not need to be motivated at all - because it is too hard to be motivated. He has no requirements for himself, as long as he can bet on horses every day and is not scolded by Miss Mo at work, he is very happy.
But Lin Liangshui is different, he is a very unhappy person, very demanding of people and himself. ”
But "Poisonous Tongue" has a scene that can be called a trick.
Approaching the trial of the case, Lin Liangshui, who was still a judge, was unhurried, and was indifferent when he was prompted, playing tai chi in the office, and touching fish with a look of "drinking tea at three o'clock first".
In fact, Lin Liangshui's touching fish is just a helpless protective color.
"Lin Liangshui is not lazy, but good and not addictive. TVB all say that being a police officer is most afraid of being transferred to Sha Tau Kok and guarding the fish pond, which is equivalent to refrigerating you and ignoring you.
Lin Liangshui was the same, he was not convinced, he did not understand: why so many untalented people have all been promoted, and they are almost retiring, and they are still the lowest judges, and they can only try a bunch of small fish and shrimp cases.
He asked himself that the trial was fair. But after the trial, why was he still 'stewed mushroom' (demoted) to the Obscene Trial (Obscene Materials Tribunal), and could only watch pornographic films every day, wasting his life? ”
But.
If Lin Liangshui is as Huang Zihua said, he will be frustrated and fail.
And what qualifications does he have to "poison the tongue"?
Hot knowledge: Huang Zihua graduated from the Department of Philosophy.
Accustomed to looking at the essence from the phenomenon, every time he receives a role, he likes to give psychological counseling to people.
"Psychology has a term, called Agreeableness, Chinese translated as friendliness, affinity, people have several major personalities, some people are naturally not afraid that others do not like him, Lin Liangshui is this kind of person, he has no affinity in his bones."
In terms of seniority, per capita elite, the legal profession is extremely dependent on social interaction.
Lin Liangshui's character is destined to be a tragedy:
"What he is not used to, not only will not do, but others do, he also has to write all his disdain on his face so that the whole world can know." He felt that he was 'good enough', despised the atmosphere of the legal profession, and thought that there was no need to socialize, that there was no need to go to the 'Sechidi' (climbing to the powerful), and that the 'Qidi' should automatically come to him.
Lin Liangshui did not do this in the first half of his life. His unhappiness and his unhappiness are actually self-inflicted. The end result, of course, is to become an unsuccessful person in a society where everyone is vying to climb up. ”
02
Unlike some film and television dramas, the characters are glamorous, and the characters are sloppy.
Although Lin Liangshui is a legal elite, he is still a small person who is real to the extreme and can resonate with you.
Offend a lot of people, address people little (to the effect of: no manners), lack of empathy.
It looks noble, but it will also be lost under the temptation of fame and fortune, and make mistakes.
It is the authenticity of this character that makes Huang Zihua deeply attracted as soon as he sees the script.
"When I play this role, I don't need to refer to any other role at all, and I can even avoid references because the director has written the character too carefully and too realistically. As a native lawyer in Hong Kong, I don't need to imagine what is different from other foreigners, but only need to play according to the script. ”
It's just that he, who is famous for changing his lines, can he really endure it?
"Although the lines of the movie are solid, I don't need to play freely. But Lin Liangshui is a very complex and contradictory character, his small mistake led to a wrongful imprisonment, his conscience, the original intention of studying law need to be awakened, so there is a dialogue with Norma Lin, I still can't help but change the lines.
At that time, I wanted to write a paragraph, write a paragraph, and the director read a paragraph, and everyone felt that it was good, so I would continue to talk.
I hope you feel the other side of this character, he is strong outside, and he also needs redemption. And His salvation can only be achieved by redeeming another person who has been wronged by him. This scene is very difficult because you have to convince everyone and enter the heart of this person. The director and I put a lot of thought into it. ”
Hot Knowledge: Huang Zihua is a Virgo.
So Sir guesses that he is naturally curious about stories and characters that go from imperfect to perfect:
"It's a story of flaws. We want to redeem a person through Lin Liangshui, a character full of flaws, to correct the flaws of human nature and the loopholes of the system. ”
Huang Zihua's understanding is that the most exciting thing in this play is not the confrontation between right and opposed, but the confrontation between decent and decent.
It can even be said that there are no real villains at all.
Rather, it is in an out-of-order system, amplified and exposed:
The reality and flaws of human nature.
In the play, he confronted Lin Liangshui, and the chief prosecutor of the appeal case was a senior barrister played by Xie Junhao.
"In Hong Kong, senior barrister is not an easy title to get, it is a very lofty status, it can be said that in terms of safeguarding the dignity of the law, the role of Tse Junhao is even much better than Lin Liangshui."
On the contrary, Lin Liangshui is more like an evil party, he steps on the tightrope, exploits loopholes, and after the party is wrongfully imprisoned, he has to overturn the case when the evidence is not sufficient." In Xie Junhao's eyes, he is a laughing stock in the legal profession. ”
And it is the details of these laughing stocks.
Let the movie achieve a balance of "very Huang Zihua" between entertainment and seriousness.
For example, those mean lines:
"To be a man, the most important thing is to convince people with virtue... Dark calculations are another calculation. ”
Reminiscent of another classic character of Zihua:
Adultererous Jian.
Of course, movies also have real villains.
They are powerful people in the business world, "bad guys" who can bring in senior barristers in the legal profession as advisers at the touch of a finger, and seem to be omnipotent but "bad guys" who lack conscience.
With such a setting, will there be a suspicion of Facebook?
Zihua has a different opinion.
"From my point of view, they are all human beings, people who are flawed and blinded by something."
"A mom who traded money to save her daughter, Facebook? A senior senior who makes false confessions for profit, Facebook? I think it's human nature, very real. This villain lawyer who does things for villains actually mentioned that he can only help a certain point. ”
03
"In the past, everyone said that everyone was equal before the law, but today, everyone has changed their words, saying that before the law, three, six, nine, etc."
This is the most heart-hitting line of "Poison Tongue Lawyer".
But what the movie wants to accuse is not only why the law has become a "game of the powerful", but also why society has become "equality with differences".
Instead, point the doubts to all ordinary people:
If a system is not destined to be perfect, do we still have the courage to believe in a simple view of justice, do we have the confidence to correct the flaws of human nature, to understand that the law is sometimes not so complicated, just some common sense that returns to human nature.
"I always thought that if this movie had an alias, it should be called "Law Man". Lin Liangshui is a chivalrous person with a sense of justice, I think what I am most interested in is today, this kind of ideal and obsession with the sky, can it still move people? I think in recent years, we have shot too little of this kind of subject, and I want to see if this kind of thing that I believe in can be transmitted further and awaken everyone's resonance. ”
Speaking of the most painful scene.
Zihua did not hesitate:
"It must be the final closing argument, the dialogue of that scene is very long, the court filmed around me, it was taken, I made a lot of preparations, because for Lin Liangshui, that scene is an explanation, the right and wrong thing to do in the first half of his life, and an ordinary person with flesh and blood, but also a legal person's understanding and reflection on the system."
Reading this line, we can read Lin Liangshui's persistence and why he persisted. ”
Speaking of which.
We have to mention the "Hong Kong taste" in Huang Zihua's eyes.
"I think "Still Think You're the Best" sent me a signal that this kind of Hong Kong-style family fun can not only be popular in Hong Kong, but also open the door and go out and spread farther.
The taste of Hong Kong should be something that grows from the history and culture of Hong Kong, China. Just like the director of "Still Think You Are the Best", local culture is his life, as small as a prop, a magazine, a theater ticket, he can turn it out of his own collection and put it in a movie. This kind of nostalgia is the taste of Hong Kong.
The most Hong Kong flavor of "Poisonous Tongue Lawyer" lies in the special legal culture. The entire ecology, the film is restored almost unreservedly. Including the legal counsel mentioned, a senior comes out, the junior is to have respect, so Lin Liangshui's character, his poisonous tongue, low affinity, and also have a basis for soil.
And the theme of character grievances is a very typical dramatic expression, which can be understood by the whole world. So I'm looking forward to a set of dramas with Hong Kong characteristics, can others accept it? ”
Now, the great success of the Hong Kong market has verified Huang Zihua's expectations.
The audience believed.
Believe in Lin Liangshui's "real person".
I also believe in the "truth of human nature" in the opposition between good and evil in the movie.
04
The essence of this conversation actually ends here.
But Sir is still unfinished.
As a long-time fan, I can't help but want to share a story.
In this conversation, Huang Zihua mentioned a role he played:
Puyi.
Many people don't know that after he entered the hall in Hong Kong with "Male and Female Love" in the millennium, he took on an unexpected role - Puyi.
Go to the Forbidden City in the mainland to perform "Very Citizen" at minus ten degrees.
For this role, he lost dozens of pounds, so thin that the meat of his butt could not hang, he said, he didn't think about anything when he played this role, but he saw that the actors who played this role were red and ready to move.
As a result, the role of Puyi did not make him popular, and no one cared about this play, and because it was too deep into the play... Huang Zihua suffered from depression.
Although he joked that according to Cuong's analysis, depression is mainly due to taking expired diet pills.
But those who know him know that this is again a kind of "protective color" for his perfectionism.
Therefore, when Zihua said that he himself was completely different from Lin Liangshui, Sir was a little suspicious.
From box office poison to box office elixir.
From being unable to mix in the entertainment industry, to now, there is a poisonous tongue character specially customized for him.
This journey is actually like Lin Liangshui rising from the trough, from the laughing stock of the legal world to the legal man.
Although bittersweet and bittersweet, Sir believes that Huang Zihua must have endless memories:
"I'm always open to the role. I only play characters that move me and attract me, and I don't care if the subject matter is dark or healing, and the form is comedy or serious.
Because being able to travel through many different lives is the most fun place to be an actor. ”
After speaking, he showed a familiar and particularly innocent smile again.
Sir recognized that the smile was exactly the same as when he performed at the Red Hall a few years ago.
Sir felt at the time that it was probably the end of an era, Zihua had performed some comedy with frequent golden sentences, leaving a signature farewell performance, and he could go away.
Unexpectedly, we saw Huang Zihua's gorgeous turn so soon.
Last year's "Still Think You're the Best" broke the Hong Kong box office record, and this year's "Poison Tongue Lawyer" broke the record again, so far, the top three in the Hong Kong box office list are Huang Zihua, and this has been achieved within two consecutive years.
When everyone is used to watching Hong Kong movies or Huang Zihua with the eyes of the sunset, but on the other hand, he is creating new peaks.
It's no longer just a comedy route.
Last year's jokes included warmth and reflection on life, and this year's poisonous tongue also contained justice ideals and social criticism.
Age is not a limit for Huang Zihua.
The subject matter is not a limitation of Huang Zihua.
"Poison Tongue Lawyer" will impress everyone who likes him again
What will become of the next Zihua God?
Can't guess.
Because his golden film era has just begun.
Anyway, Sir has already made an appointment, when the time comes, continue to tilt.
The picture of this article comes from the Internet
Editorial Assistant: Dr. Strangelove's multi-store hostess