"I feel like I'm worthy of who I was in 2017." This is a sentence that Dapeng said when he was interviewed, and it is also his attitude and deep thinking about his film works. As a director and actor, Dapeng experienced the transformation from high box office low reputation to low box office high reputation in the film industry, and finally won the Golden Goblet Award with "The Eighth Suspect", proving his talent.
But the film "The Eighth Suspect" itself is an ordinary meritorious film, which does not bring any surprises and excitement to the audience, and the performance of the director and other actors is not satisfactory, as long as Dapeng's performance is outstanding. The reason why this movie can be popular is largely due to the traffic effect of Dapeng and other starring actors, not due to the quality of the film itself.
Recalling Dapeng's film life, we can find that he has a strong desire to create and express himself from the beginning. In 2015, he achieved a box office of 1.2 billion with "Pancake Man", but was negatively evaluated by audiences and media. The film was considered a vulgar comedy without any artistic value or social significance.
Dapeng felt very disappointed and guilty about this, and he felt that he owed the audience an apology. "I don't want to make that kind of film anymore, I want to make something meaningful," he said. ”
So he started experimenting with making different types of films, trying to prove his talent. In 2017, he filmed The Sewing Machine Band, a youth film about a country rock band. Although this movie does not have the high box office as "Pancake Man", it has achieved a good reputation and is considered to be a work with warmth and feelings.
Dapeng is both a director and a starring actor in this movie, showing his multi-faceted talent. "I want the audience to see a different side of me," he said. ”
In 2019, he filmed The Eighth Suspect, a meritorious film about eight suspects trapped in a room to stop the Truth or Dare game. After the film was released in 2023, it broke the box office of 200 million in four days, and won the actor with Hu Ge at the Golden Goblet Awards.
This is the first time that Dapeng has won such a heavyweight award, and it is also the first time that he has stood on the same stage with the national god Hu Ge. The movie "Worth the Trip" starring Hu Ge only had a box office of 150 million, and its reputation was not good. Hu Ge had to post canvassing on social media in hopes of gaining more support. Dapeng and Hu Ge form a sharp contrast, which makes people have to sigh about Dapeng's counterattack road.
However, if we watch "The Eighth Suspect" carefully, we will find that the movie itself does not have any highlights and highlights. The director of this film is Li Zijun, who has worked as an assistant director for many well-known directors, but his own works are ordinary.
He did not provide a good script and directorial style for "The Eighth Suspect", making the film seem perfunctory, lacking logic and tension. In addition to Dapeng, the performance of other actors is also unsatisfactory.
The mainland policeman played by Lin Jiadong does not fit the role setting, which makes people feel very abrupt. The wife of Dapeng, played by Qi Xi, is abrupt and has no sense of existence. Lin Jiadong's partner, played by Zhang Songwen, died in a shootout and had no scenes.
The younger brother of the villain mastermind played by Sun Yang did not perform well and was complained about by the audience. He is Dapeng's own brother and also plays a brother in "The Eighth Suspect", but the performance of the two is very different, Dapeng has won the actor, but Sun Yang was laughed at by the audience.
The reason why the movie "The Eighth Suspect" can be popular is largely due to the traffic effect of Dapeng and other leading actors, rather than the quality of the film itself. As a filmmaker who integrates writing, directing and acting, Dapeng has experienced the process from low to high to low in the film industry, but he is finally worthy of himself in 2017.
"I don't want to make that kind of film anymore, I want to make something meaningful," he said. "We wait for him to make better movies that will bring more surprises and excitement to the audience."