Not used to the local environment? Why is "Poisonous Tongue Lawyer", which has smashed Hong Kong's box office records, cold in the mainland?

First, the "big situation" of water and soil disobedience

The hottest movie in Hong Kong at the beginning of the year is "Poisonous Tongue".

One month after its release, the box office exceeded 100 million, becoming the first Chinese-language film in Hong Kong film history to exceed 100 million at the box office.

However, "Poisonous Tongue Lawyer" is cold in the mainland.

On the day of the premiere, the cumulative box office was only 17.62 million.

Maoyan predicts that the final box office will be more than 100 million.

Such a large box office in the mainland may eventually be similar to the box office of a city in Hong Kong.

The film "Poisonous Tongue" is somewhat unsatisfactory.

The protagonist played by Dong Duxiao's head "Zihua God" Huang Zihua - Lin Liangshui, full of Hong Kong city slang.

Speaks extremely fast, laughs and scolds.

Not to mention audiences who don't understand Cantonese, even for Cantonese-speaking audiences in Guangdong, there are difficulties in conveying.

"Tai Cheng" is a common term used by Hong Kong citizens for barristers who can wear wigs in court.

In order to lower the threshold, the title of the mainland version of the film was specially changed from "Poisonous Tongue Shape" to "Poisonous Tongue Lawyer".

But in terms of dubbing processing, even if Chinese version can copy the text.

However, the high and low bass processing in the pronunciation, the emphasis and the pinching of the pause, can not achieve temperament reduction.

Lost the sense of market and emotional tension of the little people of the Cantonese version.

Of course, this movie can't escape our regular operation.

Take this line as an example, "Before the law, the poor are unscrupulous."

Cantonese is a foul phrase with a loud voice.

The Cantonese version in the mainland changed the dubbing to "Before the law, the poor die (death)".

And the dubbing of the Chinese version was directly changed to "before the law, three, six, nine, etc."

From the thinning of emotions, it has become a "reasonable" statement.

One whole is weak.

If you don't understand Cantonese, but watch this clip in the mainland, you can't feel the sense of power that Lin Liangshui directly attacks the powerful and shouts of the common people.

The expression of marketization allows local audiences in Hong Kong to highly empathize with the expression of "Poisonous Tongue".

However, mainland audiences may not be able to enter the context of "Poisonous Tongue Lawyer".

It is recommended that if you buy a ticket to watch the movie, you must buy the Cantonese version.

2. Reason and emotion

"Poisonous Tongue Lawyer" is a rare movie about the pursuit of fairness and justice at the bottom.

In recent years, there have been many Hong Kong films with social criticism.

But the more well-known ones are often a routine.

The protagonist comes from the top of the judicial system, first infighting, then reconciliation.

The ending of the movie generally points to the self-examination and self-correction of the system itself.

For example, "Chills" built by the actor team.

The two protagonists, Liu Sir and Li Sir, both come from within the system, even to the level of police commissioner.

Similar films include "Anti-Corruption Storm", "Clean Government", "Chasing the Dragon", "When the Wind Rises Again" and so on.

This routine is favored because it involves the perspective of the upper characters, which will make the audience curious.

The use of power and strategy is also a factor of wisdom that the audience loves to watch.

But ordinary class and emotional factors are largely absent.

Civilians outside the system seem to be able to passively accept the management and life of the system.

Whether you live well or badly depends entirely on whether the system has completed self-correction.

Standing steady in the infighting of the upper class means a contest of rational schemes.

The power of emotions seems to be useless.

Even if the positive character shows blood, it is only used in the corner of the edge, and the purpose is still office fighting.

And the male protagonist of "Poisonous Tongue Lawyer" - Lin Liangshui, was expelled by the upper class.

He chose to confront the elites from outside the judicial system.

As a commoner, he can only rely on the emotional power that the superior ignores, and his opponent is the entire judicial system.

Next, let's take a closer look at this atypical Hong Kong judicial film.

3. Atypical: the resistance of the common people

1. Elite lawyers become civil lawyers

At the beginning of the film, Lin Liangshui took off his glasses while sleeping, indicating that he was lazy in the gap before the trial.

His attitude towards work is not like the image of an elite lawyer like other film and television works.

There is no faith, dedication, and ambition, and you can touch the fish.

The close-up of the glasses was removed, suggesting that Lin Liangshui "relieved" the judge.

In addition to being "lazy", Lin Liangshui's judgment style is also different from that of ordinary judges.

He only acted according to the charter and was ruthless.

Because he did not "shine shoes", he has not been promoted.

They also offended people who were transferred to the periphery and drifted outside the system.

His "Heavenly Eye" carved under the judge's desk clarifies the role of a rebel who is incompatible with the system.

In "Poisonous Tongue Lawyer", the elite only cares about profit and self-preservation, and the judicial system is corrupt.

In such a system, operating with its internal rules of the game, it must not be able to assert anything.

Can only fail, or assimilate with it.

The only thing that can really make a change is from outside the system.

Even if it seems very illogical, it is more like an incompetent rage.

Lin Liangshui's early days as a lawyer proved this.

At this time, he still had beautiful illusions about the power class.

Trying to use the rules of the system that he was once familiar with, playing tricks to curry favor with the powerful and return to his former status.

In Zeng Jieer's case, the child's mother's memories of the case are crucial clues.

The sign language between mother and daughter is also a key point, full of maternal love.

When Lin Liangshui and the child met, they ignored the "emotional" evidence.

His subordinate tried to communicate in sign language, but he interrupted the latter's attempt and did not ask his mother seriously.

He used his experience in the system to do things, and at the slightest inquiry, he thought that everything was fine.

As a result, the doctor's recant confession and he lost the case and was discredited.

A sophisticated and professional legal system may not guarantee 100% fairness and fairness.

It also has the potential to become a plaything in the hands of the powerful, and the darkness is far greater than imagination.

Lin Liangshui's illusions with the system were completely shattered.

In the first scene of the actor's appearance as a lawyer, his self-positioning is still "superior person".

This is shown in close-ups of mechanical watches.

Although at this stage, he also showed the side of ordinary people, such as food, which is very market-fireworks.

But he has always been in a judicial environment, and he has not been able to give up everything he is familiar with, hoping to return to his former position.

After being beaten at the bar, Lin Liangshui ended up with his former self,

"I also want to get people around, and I can't get promoted."

He admitted that he had been assimilated by the rules of the system and had forgotten his original intention of being a lawyer.

Going to help the old man who scavenged waste was the beginning of his "doing the goodness of the common people".

Commoners, both mean a change in self-positioning, and begin to have an emotional drive such as "compassion".

In this way, Lin Liangshui completely stood outside the elite and the judicial system.

Fight them with the power of emotion, not reason.

Why does the film place so much emphasis on emotional power?

Because as an ordinary person, you have no power or qualifications to call the methods of the players in the system.

The power of sensibility is the only thing they have.

The director gave key shots.

Two years later, Lin Liangshui was determined to reopen Zeng Jieer's case, and he looked at the court again.

The sign on the roof was magnificent, but it was the distance he could only look at.

The two are light and dark everywhere, and can only be opposed, not communion.

The first stage of the film is Lin Liangshui's self-positioning transformation,

Disillusioned with the justice system transformed him into a "ant-citizen at the foot of the mountain."

The next stage is Lin Liangshui's change in handling the case.

From the rational force within the system, to the emotional force of deviance.

2. Rational play becomes emotional play

In the early days of the retrial, he first contacted Jin Yuanshan, the prosecution's lawyer played by Xie Junhao.

The other party accused him of messing around and unruly.

And Lin Liangshui hit back at him like this: "Convince people with virtue, except for secret calculations."

This counterattack is very popular style.

The trial involves the core stage of the judicial system - the court.

Lin Liangshui first continued to use the old way of playing, and logically entangled Jin Yuanshan in response to the confession of the dead witness.

However, as in the past, it was a failure.

Jin Yuanshan once again had the upper hand in rationality.

After that, Lin Liangshui's playing style changed to an emotional direction.

Facing Zeng Jieer, Lin Liangshui did not focus on confirming the plot of the case as before.

Instead, listen to her heartfelt first.

After this time, Lin Liangshui gained an advantage over Jin Yuanshan in court for the first time and obtained video evidence.

Under vinegar and jealousy, the wife of the Zhong family lost her mouth and said testimony in favor of Lin Liangshui.

This is the power of emotion.

When Lin Liangshui completed the transformation of "positioning" and "playing style", the film came to the final stage.

Both inside and outside the system have upgraded their playing style to the extreme.

The final showdown arrives.

3. The ultimate confrontation between the powerful and the common people

The Zhong family called all the in-system gameplay.

The first is to detain Lin Liangshui by the hands of the police.

It also made the previous video, due to the principle of procedural justice, was judged invalid.

Power has been reduced to a tool to win a case.

The pressure Lin Liangshui faced reached its limit.

Two panoramic shots connected front and back, both sides are discussing the lawsuit.

First the Zhong family's mansion environment, and then the prison environment of Lin Liangshui and others.

His compositions are always isolated behind bars.

Under the suppression of power, it seems weak, pitiful and helpless.

Lin Liangshui also practices "emotional play".

The gang brothers of the "prince" under their subordinates, who did not hesitate to bleed, attracted the attention of the superintendent.

Lin Liangshui showed his support to the police superintendent and successfully escaped the "iron window".

What helped him successfully break through was the righteousness of the rivers and lakes and the friendship of his colleagues.

The trial paragraph became a place for "emotional" outbursts.

The director deliberately weakens the rational and logical confrontations that often exist in legal wrestling.

Thus highlighting the breakthrough of "subjective emotions" to this style of play.

It even overturns the basic principles of the judicial system, thus achieving a complete rejection of the system.

Lin Liangshui called all the way to care about the gang brothers, and broke into the courtroom disheveled.

This already constitutes an emotional shock to the system.

The female lawyer's questioning of the witnesses and Lin Liangshui's introduction of the evidence are not so much logical deductions, but closer to emotionally driven rebukes, repeatedly whipping the other party's conscience.

Under normal circumstances, this would obviously be invalidated.

Just like the previously scrapped video.

However, they shocked the psychology of the other party and changed the judgment tendency of judges and observers.

It echoes the first trial at the beginning.

Judgments based on emotion rather than rational texts can lead to more correct results.

In the climactic passage of the trial, the film emphasizes the importance of "rule of man".

Everyone has emotions and cannot be absolutely rational.

Therefore, a system composed of them cannot be stripped of emotional influences and always be correct and reasonable.

Talent is the user of the system and the decider of the "good and evil" of the system.

"The Zhong family is a big family in Hong Kong, and the entire business community must listen to their command behind it."

The judicial system and the wealthy class maintain close unity and are therefore guided by their emotions.

The Zhong family's selfish desire to protect their reputation makes the child's father ignore his daughter.

4. Sublimation of the theme

In the end, the director expands the scope of "rebels".

The foothold of this film, from Lin Liangshui, has been upgraded to "the people who make up the system".

This has led to the self-adjustment of the judicial system.

Lin Liangshui first used the video to win the empathy of the jury.

The video also affected the opposing lawyer, Jin Yuanshan.

From the perspective of procedural justice, he was extremely opposed to the evidence being used in court, but his attitude wavered.

At the beginning, he voluntarily became Lin Liangshui's opponent because he was not used to him using legal rules to do various "small actions".

But as the case progressed and the investigation deepened, he gradually realized something.

In addition to evidence and reasoning, there is also the truth that needs to be explored, and there is common sense, human nature.

That's why Jin Yuanshan told Lin Liangshui, "I don't agree with you, I just don't want to be 'collected by the sky'."

Finally, he was willing to break the rules he adhered to, contrary to the previous attitude of "the truth is not important, it is important to defend the parties", and secretly helped Lin Liangshui.

This has led to positive changes in the justice system itself.

One mountain, one water, the so-called "mountains and waters meet".

On the surface, the behavior of the two is very different, but in fact, the values and soul are common.

There are also police officers who belong to the "enforcement of violence" unit, and the superintendent has completed the emotional change.

and Lin Liangshui's good friend, Luk Dingheng, played by Norma Lam, from the Independent Commission Against Corruption.

When he is depressed, help him remember his original intention,

Finally, Dong Weiguo was taken away for investigation.

Together with Jin Yuanshan, they emphasized comprehensive changes within the system.

When the system becomes a tool of evil for the elite, and the people inside the system have to mechanically uphold procedural justice and help it continue to operate, it means that it is impossible to clean itself by the system alone, and changes need to be applied from the outside.

As the embodiment of the "system", the Zhong family eventually suffered a huge shake because of the death of their daughter.

It also shows from another side that the rationality of the system can be broken by the force of positive emotions.

This film still returns to the traditional genre film trend in the end.

Lin Liangshui, a representative of the common people outside the system, has promoted the transformation of everyone in the system, thus bringing about systematic self-correction.

But its ultimate foothold is still an emphasis on the individual.

Each individual who makes up the system is an emotional being, and also has the same "common people's characteristics" as Lin Liangshui.

Therefore, the change of the system itself can be completed by "the beginning of sex, human goodness".

Lin Liangshui's generous statement in court was enjoyable,

But as the judge said, it was very unprofessional.

The final trial did not show an extreme logical confrontation.

Jin Yuanshan's concession caused the two sides to lose the feeling of needle to Mai Mang.

Let the whole film also weaken at the level of genre, like the cool film "justice will eventually triumph over evil".

But in terms of its thematic performance, this is the best choice, and it is also a choice that can make ordinary audiences empathize and know.

epilogue

Objectively speaking, compared with the above shortcomings, the main obstacle faced by the film is the cultural and regional differences.

This discrepancy makes it difficult to convey and receive information, and this is not unique.

"Old Cannon", which is based on Beijing's cultural context, has encountered similar problems.

"Poisonous Tongue Lawyer" tells the story of a common citizen challenging the system and breaking through the rules with emotion.

Lin Liangshui replaced thousands of ordinary people and issued an idealistic cry.

But the version released in the mainland has made a lot of concessions in the completion of the film.

The modifications it has suffered have become a satire in the reality of the film's theme.

The original version of "Poisonous Tongue" is still very surprising in terms of overall content quality and market performance.

The success of the business forms a subtle intertextual relationship with the theme of the film.

Breaking the brain-burning routine of the upper wisdom fight, the emotional energy of this little person's struggle also acts on the film system itself, making the film's box office and word of mouth popular.