One day in August 2002, a brutal burglary and murder case occurred in Taiping City, Guangdong Province, and the victim was a girl who had just turned 17, Li Xiaoqi (pseudonym).
This young girl, who was still in high school and full of sunshine and vitality, met with misfortune on a dark night, and according to her mother's wail, she was beaten on the head and was unconscious, and her condition was very critical.
On the night of the incident, the Taiping City Public Security Bureau immediately organized forces to investigate. Cheng Bing, who was the captain of the three major teams of the Criminal Police Brigade at the time, quickly arrived at the scene. The 46-year-old has served in the public security system for many years, has dealt with many major cases, and is accustomed to seeing life and death, but when he walked into Li Xiaoqi's house and saw the girl lying in a pool of blood, he still couldn't help but feel nervous.
He tucked the hem of her nightdress lightly so that it wouldn't be too revealing. In this short moment, Cheng Bing made up his mind to seek justice for this girl.
The next day, Cheng Bing came to the office of Deputy Director Yang and solemnly assured him that he would solve the case and find out the murderer within 5 days. Director Yang knows Cheng Bing's skills in handling cases and is full of confidence in this.
As a result, the criminal investigation team of the Taiping City Public Security Bureau went all out to crack down on this big case, and the three major teams were even more ready to dispatch as soon as there was any new development.
Just as Cheng Bing promised, only two days after the incident, he successfully captured the important suspect Wang Dayong. This middle-aged man, who had a history of robbery, was soon caught at his home after the careful investigation of the three major teams.
That night, Wang Dayong was taken back to the scene of the crime for detailed interrogation.
However, in the early hours of the morning, when the interrogation was at a critical stage, Wang Dayong, who had drunk a lot of alcohol, suddenly fainted and fell to the ground, and died after 120 first aid. After receiving this news, Cheng Bing and his subordinates were stunned.
Although they did not do anything drastic against Wang Dayong, because Wang Dayong died suddenly in the police station, according to the regulations, Cheng Bing and his subordinates must be investigated for the crime of intentional injury.
More than a month later, the court ruled that Cheng Bing was sentenced to eight years in prison for dereliction of duty in addition to the charge of injury. All the officers of the three brigades were also implicated to varying degrees, with sentences ranging from one to five years.
In this way, the entire three teams collapsed overnight with Wang Dayong's death.
Cheng Bing could have appealed against the verdict. But he didn't do it, because he knew that even if the appeal was successful to reduce the sentence, it would not relieve the responsibility and guilt in his heart.
For a person who is rigorous, this is already the biggest mistake of his life.
In March 2009, Cheng Bing was released from prison after completing his sentence. The moment he left the prison gate, he took a deep breath of air, which was the breath of freedom. But soon, he put away the joy of this moment, because he knew that his mission was not yet complete.
After Wang Dayong's death, Wang Eryong, another murderer and mastermind, was still at large. In order to urge the public security organs to arrest Wang Eryong as soon as possible, the mother of the victim girl Li Xiaoqi went to the police station every week to petition, begging for more efforts to arrest the murderer.
Cheng Bing knew that if he didn't catch Wang Eryong, he wouldn't be able to face Mother Li.
In order to lock down Wang Eryong's whereabouts as soon as possible, Cheng Bing decided to temporarily abandon his identity as a police officer and change his name and surname to blend into society, so that he could carry out an investigation more conveniently.
He arrives in a strange city, takes to the streets with a resume, and begins the life of a backpacker. He has worked as a porter, courier, security guard, taxi driver, etc., hoping to collect clues about Wang Eryong from the grassroots society.
During the day, he struggles to survive, and at night he pursues through various connections.
Other police officers from the three major teams have also been released from prison one after another. Among them, Ma Zhenkun, Cai Bin, Xu Yizhou and others have the best relationship with Cheng Bing, and after being released from prison, they heard that Cheng Bing was still unremittingly tracking down Wang Eryong's whereabouts, and they all admired his perseverance.
So, they decided to reunite and form a team to chase the murderer and assist Cheng Bing in his work.
At first, these old comrades-in-arms were able to get together, which made Cheng Bing feel the blood boiling for a long time. Everyone worked together, Ma Zhenkun was responsible for walking the streets and alleys to collect gossip, Cai Bin relied on stage performances to find out news from all over the world, and Xu Yizhou disguised himself and mixed into some underworld organizations.
However, the good times did not last long, and due to real life reasons, they could only leave one by one. Ma Zhenkun's mother was sick and needed to be taken care of, Cai Bin's child had just been born, and Xu Yizhou's wife repeatedly urged him not to take risks.
The departure of his friend undoubtedly dealt a heavy blow to Cheng Bing, which made him confused and shaken for a while. But on second thought, he had to persevere, and he had to get justice for the dead girl.
So, Cheng Bing chose to continue on this path, even if it meant a longer period of loneliness.
Eleven years passed like this, and everyone else seemed to have forgotten about the murder. But in Cheng Bing's heart, this wound has never healed. He was still going from place to place, and if he heard the slightest hint of wind, he would rush there at once.
One day in September 2013 was the end of this long chase. On this day, Cheng Bing came to a strange city, mixed into a community under construction according to the informant, assumed the pseudonym "Li Jian", and participated in the repair as a temporary worker.
While he was busy with the work at hand, he kept an eye on the ranks of the workers, lest he miss any clues.
Just during the noon break, a familiar face came into Cheng Bing's sight. His face changed, and he rushed forward in a few steps, and sure enough, this middle-aged man who called himself "Zhang Shan" was Wang Eryong, who participated in the killing of Li Xiaoqi 11 years ago and is still at large.
"Have you been happy all these years?" Cheng Bing asked in a deep voice. Wang Eryong's face quickly turned red, and he couldn't speak. 11 years of perseverance and waiting were finally not in vain at this moment, and Cheng Bing completed his mission with his hands.
In 2022, this real and vicious case that happened in 2002 was adapted into the movie "The Three Teams" and released in theaters.
In order to create this role, actor Zhang Yi, who played Cheng Bing, made a lot of meticulous preparations in the early stage. He repeatedly read the case file, trying to restore Cheng Bing's psychological state back then.
At the request of the director, Zhang Yi lost 15 pounds, and his thin face was full of tiredness and determination. His eyes were always full of persistence and coldness.
During the filming of the film, Zhang Yi threw himself into this contradictory and complex role. The director said that his concentration amazed all the staff. In the scene by the pool, Zhang Yi used his restrained and delicate performance to perfectly interpret a person's pain and persistence.
When the camera gave him a close-up, the sadness and determination in his eyes shocked the audience.
It can be said that without Zhang Yi's superb interpretation, there would not be such a heroic legend that can be sung and cried. Under his brilliant portrayal, a case that could have been prosaic is endowed with sublime meaning and heart-wrenching.
This movie has undoubtedly become one of the representative works of Zhang Yi's acting skills.
After watching this movie, the audience can't help but have a deep admiration for Cheng Bing.
The path he chose in life was not smooth and even full of thorns. As a strict detective captain, he could have worked peacefully until retirement and enjoyed family time.
However, overnight, fate played such a cruel joke and made him pay a huge price.
However, even after going through hardships, Cheng Bing still retains the flame of justice in his heart. After being released from prison, in order to fulfill his promise back then, he chose to continue the investigation, even if it meant giving up all his stable life.
In the long pursuit of the murderer for 11 years, we have seen how an ordinary person can maintain the strength of character in a complex environment. His courage and persistence constitute a lofty spiritual conception and give people a profound touch.
Perhaps, it is precisely because of the existence of such a strong inner group of people that the justice and conscience in the world have not faded. The significance of the movie "Three Teams" lies in vividly outlining the meaning of such a spirit.
It allows people to see the fire that glows in the darkness and feel the light of life.
It can be said that Zhang Yi's superb acting skills have added countless brilliance to this movie.
I was going to give the film a rating of around 7. Because in addition to the relatively thin main storyline, there are also some small flaws in the plot. However, after seeing Zhang Yi's rivalry by the pool, my mind changed.
The expression of that emotion is so in place and delicate, without any exaggeration and pretentiousness, but it can hit people's hearts. When the camera zoomed in on Zhang Yi's face, every expression and every look on his face was interpreting the inner pain, his helplessness, and his determination of this lonely hero.
In that moment, I felt empathy, as if I had become a part of the story.
If the previous rating was based on rational analysis, then Zhang Yi's performance undoubtedly touched my emotions. So, I decided to add 2 points and give the movie a 9 rating.
Because, an actor's superb performance can indeed promote a work to produce a chemical reaction and undergo transformation.