In the 80s of the last century, at the beginning of China's reform and opening up, various films with various themes in the mainland emerged. Among them, movies with criminal investigation and martial arts themes are particularly popular. Today, let's take stock of ten domestic criminal investigation suspense movies in the eighties of the last century, each of which represents the height of domestic film production in that era.
The first "405 Murder"
"405 Murder" is a thriller and suspense movie directed by Shen Yaoting and starring Zhong Xinghuo, Xu Min, Yan Xiang, etc. The film tells the story of a seemingly simple murder case, but behind it is a huge conspiracy. After the murder of Li Liang, a worker in the machine tool factory, Chen Minghui, Qian Kai and others from the Donghai City Public Security Bureau found through investigation that the case was not as simple as it seemed. After the film was released in 1980, it set a box office result of more than 100 million viewers and more than 100 million in revenue.
The film's plot setting is almost impeccable, and every detail is just right to drive the story forward, allowing the audience to constantly guess and think in a tense and exciting atmosphere. The director's ingenious use of a variety of shooting methods and editing methods has made the film reach a very high level in terms of visual effects and rhythm control. The sense of suspense in the film is perfectly created, making the audience feel as if they are in a fog, and they are getting closer to the truth step by step with the footsteps of the police officers.
This film is the first detective film in mainland China, and it has a lofty position in the history of suspense and mystery films in mainland China. In terms of quality, it can also be called one of the best Chinese suspense films of the 20th century.
Part 2: "Passengers in Handcuffs"
"Handcuffed Passengers" is a thrilling action film shot by Beijing Film Studio, directed by Yang, starring Yu Yang, Yin Zhiming, Shao Wanlin, Ma Shuchao, Cai Ming and others. tells the story of Liu Jie, a public security officer who was persecuted during the special period, who, regardless of his personal safety, passed all the way, overcame many difficulties, and finally brought the secret agent who stole secrets to justice. Released in 1980, it became an instant sensation and became a household name classic.
With his superb directing skills, Yu Yang presented this dramatic and legendary story to the audience. The storyline is tense, twisty, thrilling, and bizarre, making it dizzying. At the same time, on the basis of focusing on the plot, the film pays more attention to the description of the characters' fate, encounters, personalities, and feelings, which makes the image of the protagonist Liu Jie deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. His perseverance, wisdom, and persistent pursuit of justice have become a hero in the hearts of the audience.
This film had a high reputation in the 80s, and its theme song "Camel Bell" is a classic song that has been sung for a long time, with melodious tunes and soulful lyrics. Whenever that familiar melody sounds, it can always evoke people's infinite memories and emotions of that era.
The third part of "The Mist of the Goddess Peak"
"The Mist of the Goddess Peak" is directed by Guo Baochang and starring Zhang Guomin, He Ling, Chen Xiaoyi, Yuan Yuan and others. The story begins with a serendipitous discovery by the female painter Zhao Xin while sketching at the Goddess Peak. She witnessed a brawl between two youths on the edge of a cliff. That night, a tragic incident occurred in the river bend of Lijiang, and this case seems to be inextricably linked to the brawl that Zhao Xin saw. In the end, the public security organs cracked the case, and the real culprit was able to bring the real culprit to justice. It was produced in 1980.
The success of the film lies not only in its wonderful plot and outstanding actors' performances, but also in its profound social connotation and characteristics of the times. This is also one of the important reasons why the film was widely praised after its release. The suspenseful elements and reasoning process in the film are also impressive. Through a well-crafted plot and lens language, the director brings the audience into a world full of fog. This movie-watching experience makes the film not only entertaining, but also thought-provoking. That's what makes the film so evocative.
It is worth mentioning that this film is also the debut of director Guo Baochang. From form to content, there have been bold innovations and explorations. This innovative spirit made "The Mist of the Goddess Peak" a good box office after its release, and is considered one of the most successful criminal investigation films of the 80s.
Part 4 "The Mystery of R4"
"The Mystery of R4" is directed by Li Yundong and Li Andi, starring Zhang Liwei, Shao Huifang, Qiao Zhen, Chen Mu and others. tells the story of Chen Xiaoxiao, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the crime of "forcing people to death". Female scout Li Ang learned that her fiancé Lu Sha was Chen Xiaoxiao's previous lover, and found that Chen Xiaoxiao's case was too suspicious during the conversation. After many psychological struggles, Ang Lee decided to overturn the case for the "rival in love". With Lu Sha's encouragement, Xiaoxiao finally told the truth. The killer and umbrella behind the scenes are also slowly emerging. After Xiaoxiao was released from prison, Ang Lee watched his former lovers together and left silently. It was released in 1982.
The film successfully attracted the attention of the audience with its gripping plot and excellent performances. The film not only shows the hardships and perseverance of criminal investigators in their pursuit of the truth, but also deeply explores the complexity and multifaceted nature of human nature. While revealing the truth of the crime, the film also shows the greatness and selflessness of love.
The story of the original screenplay "Scout's Love" is actually closer to a scarred literary movie, but after the film was made, Western Film Studio renamed it the more gimmicky "R4 Mystery" and turned it into a political thriller movie. After its release, it was deeply loved by the audience and has been broadcast all over the country for many years. It became a classic of the criminal investigation theme in the early 80s of the last century.
The fifth "Blue Shield Safe"
"Blue Shield Safe" is directed by Luo Guanqun and Qiu Zhongyi, starring Ma Changyu, Statement, Wang Qinbao, Wang Huaying and others. Based on the novel of the same name, it is based on a real case. It mainly tells the story of 1949, a treasure theft case that shocked China and foreign countries occurred in the embassy of a certain country in China. The "Blue Shield Safe," which contained precious stones, was robbed by a group of masked men, and this incident not only had a bearing on the mainland's prestige in the international community, but also affected the consolidation of the nascent people's political power. In the face of such a major case, our public security department immediately dispatched elite soldiers headed by Lu Hong, the captain of the criminal police, to launch a thrilling investigation operation. The film was released in 1983. The number of moviegoers that year was as high as 170 million, ranking fourth in the mainland box office list that year.
Compared with the previous anti-special films, the film has made huge changes and breakthroughs in the theme and story routine. It is no longer the old-fashioned trapping of spies and blueprints, but around the treasure theft case, a battle of wits and courage between the police and bandits has begun! Anti-special and thrilling elements have also been added. The plot is full of ups and downs and suspense. This was not easy back then.
When we look back on this classic again, we can still feel the shock and emotion it brings. The classic sentence "The sun on your head, the water under your feet is steaming, can you not tan", has become an eternal memory in the hearts of the audience.
The sixth "Mystery in the Woods"
"The Case in the Woods" is directed by Xu Weijie and starring Li Ding, Wang Weiping, Wei Guochun, Yang Baohe and others. The film tells the story of Sun Honghui, a retired criminal investigation captain, who found a dead body while hunting in the forest, and Guo Jun, the new criminal investigation captain of the Longshan County Public Security Bureau, and Xiao Wang, a team member, quickly rushed to the scene to solve the case. It was released in 1984.
The film begins with a bizarre murder in the woods, followed by a theft from a military factory, a border smuggling case and two other homicides. These cases are intertwined with each other, creating a sense of suspense within a case, allowing the audience to constantly guess and reason in a tense and exciting atmosphere. At the same time, the end of the film is also full of surprises and reversals, so that the audience can feel the ingenious idea of the screenwriter while being amazed.
This film is not only a suspenseful reasoning movie, but also a vivid animation that shows the complexity of human nature and the variety of social situations. In the film, the monkey trickster is killed in the forest, and the monkey becomes the key to solving the case, which is both ingenious and creative. The storyline and logic are full of challenges, multiple clues, and reversals, and this film is recognized as another peak of domestic suspense and mystery films in the eighties.
The seventh "White Mist Street Homicide"
"Murder on White Fog Street" is directed by Sun Sha and starring Wang Huaying, Yuan Mingshan, Ye Linlang, Wu Hao and others. The story begins on a rainy night, and one of the passengers on the last tram turned out to be a dead man! Public Security Bureau detectives Lin Xu and Yang Dong were ordered to solve the case. Through careful thinking and reasoning, they gathered together the people involved in the case and the staff of the hospital in the lounge of the opera house, and Lin Xu convincingly judged the truth of the case with a large number of facts and careful reasoning. The film was released in 1985.
The film's reasoning process is absolutely wonderful, and the flashback-style cross-cutting case review is dizzying. This method of filming not only allows the audience to understand the case more deeply, but also makes the whole story more compact and engaging.
Although this film is a bit imitative of foreign films. However, the release period of "Murder on White Fog Street" coincided with the era of domestic detective films, and it became one of the masterpieces of that era with its unique style and wonderful plot.
The eighth "Emei Flying Thief"
"Emei Flying Thieves" is directed by Zhang Xihe, starring Xia Zongyou, Ma Shuchao, Zhang Zhiqiang and others. This film is adapted and filmed based on Zhou Gang's reportage "The Theft of Emei Cultural Relics", which tells the story of the theft of cultural relics from the Emei Mountain Cultural Relics Management Institute detected by the investigators of the public security organs. It was released in 1985.
The plot of this movie is not too tortuous, but under the director's interpretation, it is full of twists and turns, which is exciting. Ma Shuchao and Li Dianfang, the two protagonists, are both practitioners, and they are martial arts masters as soon as they make a move, which adds a lot of luster to this movie. In the 80s, those were attractive factors.
Although "Emei Flying Thief" is a crime-solving film, it is the core of martial arts films in its bones. The film was a huge hit that year, with as many as 300 copies distributed nationwide. Although it was a commercial success, it was criticized and questioned that the plot was not positive enough, which led to the abortive of the sequel to the film.
The ninth "Meishan Qi Case"
"The Case of Meishan" is directed by Li Geng, starring Wang Che, Huang Daliang, Lin Qiang, Fu Yiwei, Zhang Qin and others. Adapted from writer Xing Yueming's detective novel "Between Life and Death", it tells the story of Chen Lihua, a cashier at the city's Hongguang Store, who was killed in the dormitory on Meishan Street. The huge sum of money she was carrying was gone. It was determined that the deceased had been killed by two weapons. Deputy Director Han Zhong led a team into the investigation of the case. Chen Lihua's ex-boyfriend, Zhao Qingsheng, became an important suspect. During interrogation, Zhao denied it. However, soon after, Zhao Qingsheng was poisoned by others and abandoned the reservoir. When the case was in trouble, Han Zhong accidentally discovered that the murderer was his son Han Zhiwen. A choice between love and law was placed in front of Han Zhong. It was released in 1985.
This is one of the first film projects to be independently contracted to be produced. Director Li Geng is a veteran director of Changying Studio, and he is also a director who focuses on shooting commercial crime films. When the movie was released at that time, the promotional slogan read, "Murder followed murder, suspense followed suspense".
The case design of the film is not complicated, but the victory lies in the fact that the plot is relatively compact, the story is more bizarre and twisty, the conflict between brother killing sister, son killing father, father killing son is indeed called bloody and curious, and the final story reversal and suspense are revealed, which was relatively outstanding in the field of domestic films at that time. And the plot really did not disappoint the audience, this kind of theme is banned a few years later. "The Case of Meishan" has become one of the masterpieces of "1985 Film Thriller Year".
Part 10: The Silver Serpent Murder
"Silver Snake Murder" is directed by Li Shaohong and starring Jia Hongsheng, Zhang Jingsheng, Han Tingqi, Zang Jinsheng and others. tells the story of Hao Feiyu, a psychopath who used to be a film projectionist, who specially kidnapped girls to the screening room and released a silver snake to bite them to death. The Public Security Bureau set up a "Silver Snake Murder Case" investigation team headed by investigator Wen Yinghua. Hao Feiyu was also implicated in a bank theft. When the police surrounded Hao Feiyu, he chose to shoot himself. It was released in 1988.
The film's audacity brought a strong visual spectacle to Chinese audiences at the time, and it was also labeled as "inappropriate for children". The eerie plot and the bold scale of the film are impressive, and it is full of elements of crime, violence, thriller, etc. Hao Feiyu's criminal behavior is not only heinous, but also confusing because of the complex motives behind it.
"The Silver Snake Murder" is the first film directed by Li Shaohong, and it is also the one that makes her the most painful. After the film was released, it was reported by the masses, which made her very anxious when she was young. But the film's box office performance was still very good, and Beijing Film Studio sold more than 200 copies, making it one of the highest-grossing films of the year. It became an indispensable masterpiece in the domestic cult film industry in the 80s of the 20th century.
The 80s was the peak year of domestic detective films, and the creative themes were also very wide. Is there a movie that you like the most? Feel free to leave a message in the comment section.