February 28, 2023 | Total Issue 3161
Recently, Hong Kong celebrity Cai Tianfeng was murdered by her ex-husband Kwong and others to cause a sensation in the country.
Skynet is restored, neglected but not leaked. On February 25, Kwong was captured by the police while preparing to abscond at Tung Chung Pier in Hong Kong. So far, all the suspects in the case have been arrested, including: Kwong, Kwong's brother and parents. After the police investigation, it was preliminarily determined that the motive involved money.
"The Corridor of Justice", which was released in Hong Kong on October 27, 2022, also tells a murder case. The suspect Zhang Xianzong (played by Yang Weilun) was accused of killing his biological parents, and stood in the dock with his accomplice Tang Wenqi (played by Mak Peidong), waiting for the final verdict of the law.
"The Corridor of Justice" is adapted from a 2013 Hong Kong "rebel son murder case", directed by Ho Juetian. Similar to the Cai Tianfeng case, the murderer and the victim were once a family, and the victims both suffered the fate of being dismembered. From "The Corridor of Justice", we can glimpse the perverted psychology of criminals.
Two major questions: the defendant's motive and the jury verdict
"The Corridor of Justice" is an outlier in last year's Hong Kong movies, there are no big stars starring, and the director and starring are newcomers. The content of the film is well known in Hong Kong, how attractive is it to make a movie?
After the film's release, the box office soared, and finally received 43 million Hong Kong dollars at the Hong Kong box office. The nominations of the 41st Hong Kong Film Awards were announced on February 9, and "The Corridor of Justice" became the biggest favorite with 16 nominations.
On the whole, "The Corridor of Justice" analyzes two questions of general concern to the public, which has triggered a boom in movie viewing in Hong Kong.
First, why did they become murderers?
The film deeply focuses on the growth backgrounds of the two protagonists. Zhang Hsien Chung dropped out of college and dropped out of school because he was bullied at school, and his personality became distorted through repeated setbacks. Because of the loss of money in stocks, his parents let him transfer his house to his brother, which deepened his resentment towards his parents.
Tang Wenqi once committed suicide by swallowing medicine due to emotional problems, and after being rescued, his brain was damaged and his intelligence was low. He was sloppy and disgusted, and only Zhang Xianzong was willing to be friends with him. Tang Wenqi's life is unsatisfactory everywhere, and his mentality will naturally be directly affected by Zhang Xianzong.
The film accurately presents important life moments of the two defendants. Zhang Xianzong was unsuccessful in the audition, Tang Wenqi hit a wall everywhere in his job search, and they hated society extremely much. The two have low self-esteem and limited strength. The two people, who had nowhere to release their hatred energy, finally chose to rebel against society by committing murder against their relatives and the elderly.
Second, how does a jury find guilty?
The courtroom drama of "The Corridor of Justice" can be divided into two parts, inside and outside, one is the confrontation in the courtroom, the chief prosecutor, the defendant, the lawyer and other parties compete, at this time the jury can only observe, no need to speak; The second is the jury's argument in the conference room, who first wanted to sort out Zhang Xianzong's motives and criminal psychology, and then wanted to find out whether Tang Wenqi was playing the fool.
The jury system belongs to the common law system, and the Hong Kong courts follow this system. The nine jury members in the film cover three generations, including housewives, businessmen and retirees. Nine jury members with different backgrounds and educational backgrounds made the final verdict based on their views on law, society and life.
The film has two story lines, with the story of the two defendants being the main tone, interspersed with jury discussions. The former has a gloomy atmosphere and a grim picture, while the latter is warm and lively.
The jury scene in the film highlights the confrontation between law and humanity, and the jury members try to get the defendant the most just verdict. Even though Zhang Xianzong had pleaded guilty, the jury still followed the principle of "presumption of innocence, and the interests of doubtful points belong to the defendant", and constantly argued the details of the case in the conference room. They agreed that "it is more unjust to be wrongfully imprisoned than to spare the guilty."
The jury members strive to enter the inner world of the defendant, constantly assuming and reviewing what happened. When presenting the scene of the case, the film constantly breaks the boundary between reality and hypothesis, allowing the jury members to enter the imagination. Characters and events from different times and spaces are combined to allow the audience to see the jury's judgment basis more intuitively.
Two male protagonists: They don't seem to be acting
Yang Weilun and Mak Peidong, two actors, go deep into the inner world of the characters, and the fierce, insidious, cruel and uncomfortable they present in the film, this very convincing performance has made people forget that they are performing.
Zhang Xianzong, played by Yang Weilun, has a heart as deep as the sea. He felt inferior because of his short stature, and often relied on his super high intelligence to despise others. In his opinion, if he was born in the right era, he could become Hitler. In short, he is a complex of contradictions.
Yang Weilun grasped the gloomy characteristics of the characters, Zhang Xianzong lacked empathy and was extremely cold to people and things. Yang Weilun's performance does not have a trace of warmth, hatred and indifference are his most commonly used emotions.
Tang Wenqi, played by Mak Peidong, is mysterious. Mak Peidong captures the character's irascible character. Tang Wenqi will get emotional as soon as he is at a disadvantage, and quickly put himself in the position of the weak, showing that he is willing to be wronged. His stupid state and helpless expression easily win people's sympathy.
Mak Peidong is indeed playing a person with low intelligence, but there is occasionally a flash of shrewdness in his eyes. Such a multi-layered character is extremely challenging.
Although he is playing a criminal, the actor does not simply present the dark side of the character, but strives to discover the remaining trace of humanity in the character's heart. For example, Zhang Xianzong's trust in his cousin and Tang Wenqi's dependence on his sister, they still have a soft side in their personalities.
Why has human nature fallen to this? This is the question raised by "The Corridor of Justice", and the film strives to restore the history of the case and the beginning and end of the trial through the perspectives of the defendant, defense lawyers, and jury.
Human greed and hatred may be the root of all evil, but it seems that the accused committed such a crime not only because of hatred caused by a house. The crime suspense movies that the audience has seen in the past usually give a clear truth about the case, so that the audience can get a sense of satisfaction watching the movie.
However, "The Corridor of Justice" is a work adapted from a real case, this vicious case beyond human cognition, even if the murderer has been arrested and served his sentence, there are still many confusing details, such as whether Tang Wenqi really has a low IQ? The director cannot give a 100% sure answer, he presents doubts to the audience and lets them make their own judgments.
【Text/Cui Ting】