Zhang Yimou has transformed several times, first to epic martial arts films, and then back to niche literary films, which once became worse and worse, and almost became a representative of half of "hitting the street".
It's just that in recent years, the remake of commercial films and Chinese New Year films has achieved good results, the previous works "On the Cliff" and "Man Jianghong" have strong plot tension and serious production, which should be one of the best films of the year, and the new work "Article 20" was once again released in the New Year file, and also achieved a box office success of nearly 2.5 billion.
The story is based on a civil case handled by a prosecutor, and explores the issues behind the death of a person caused by self-defense.
The work on the theme of law and unjust cases has no sense of disobedience when it is released during the Chinese New Year, just like "The Bad Tongue Lawyer", which just won the Best Film in Hong Kong, is also a story of a little person packaged in comedy, and how a middle-aged prosecutor who is a bit "waste-like" discovers his conscience, upholds justice and saves lives.
Before watching it, I didn't expect that "Article 20" was very rich in jokes, the witty dialogues between the male and female protagonists, and a group of gag guest stars, all made the jokes seem natural and interesting, which can be said to be funnier than "The Bad Tongue Lawyer".
Lei Jiayin, a middle-aged man who starred in "Article 20" and "Hot and Hot" in a row, also exudes a strong sense of comedy.
What is surprising is that Zhang Yimou once again walked on the edge of the red line after "Man Jianghong", pointing at Sang and scolding Huai, however, because this is a domestic movie, it is not difficult to imagine that the ending of the story must be "relatively perfect", and the degree of transition is more bizarre than "The Bad Tongue Lawyer".
Prosecutor Han Ming came to the city procuratorate as a temporary worker, and worked with his old lover Lu Lingling to deal with a murder case in which he killed the abuser to protect his wife, but became a prisoner. Lu Lingling believes that the important evidence in the case has been disposed of, but Han Ming believes in the law and hopes to calm things down.
At the same time, Han Ming's son was also accused of hurting people, and his son resolutely refused to apologize, causing the incident to fall into a stalemate. Even if his wife has to stand up for his son, Han Ming still firmly believes that the law can protect the public, and it is not until the victim of his own case encounters an accident that he realizes the loophole in the law and is determined to seek justice for the victim of an unjust case......
01. Zhang Yimou accurately captures the jokes in life, and the jokes are at home
I thought this was a legal movie, or Zhang Yimou's consistent theme of small people, but I never thought that "Article 20" was actually a very lively comedy, and the density and precision of the jokes far exceeded the three Hong Kong New Year films in 2024, which was funnier than the similar "Bad Tongue Lawyer".
This is really a legal movie about small people, but the sense of comedy is very natural. Lei Jiayin played the same kind of "waste wood" role after "Hot and Hot", and the-for-tat scolding with his wife revealed a strong sense of comedy everywhere, and the dialogues were especially exciting and alert.
Ma Li, who plays his wife, is almost "improvised" in dialogue, and sparks are splashed with Lei Jiayin. Even if there are moments of righteousness and strictness in "Article 20", every time a joke can be implanted in "Counting Down", no matter how serious the character is, he will definitely show a sense of humor, and the excitement can often make people scream.
In my impression, Zhang Yimou rarely shoots such movies full of dense jokes, and he is over 70 years old, and the surprise is that he can still grasp the pulse of the times when dealing with these jokes.
The jokes don't feel outdated at all, and they don't feel stiff and funny in a legal-themed movie, or deliberately implanted like a traditional Chinese New Year movie, and the jokes are extremely rich, and these jokes are not just laughing for the sake of laughing, but can fit the plot every time.
Whether it is the "waste wood man" and his wife talking about their ex-girlfriend from work, various touch jokes with their ex-girlfriends, or the wife and brother who are a bit cold-faced, a group of supporting characters with distinct but inconsequential lives, all of them are suitable for the needs of the plot, and the life-like brushstrokes also make the jokes seem very down-to-earth.
Although this is a serious movie, the jokes of "Article 20" can be infiltrated through the process of the protagonists handling the case and the interaction with the people around them.
02. The topics explored in the film are quite bold
In addition to comedy, the several unjust cases actually talked about in the movie are the two cases handled by the male protagonist, and they are also the troubles that his son is in, interspersed with each other through three sets of cases, and then through the finale climax scene, the protagonist's conscience is discovered.
To be honest, the plot of "Article 20" is indeed insufficient, after all, the movie has to accommodate jokes, and the three sets of cases are not very related to each other, and there is indeed room for deletion after filming for two and a half hours.
However, this once again shows the cleverness of Zhang Yimou's "red line" in creation. "Man Jianghong" is a "patriotic film" on the surface, but it is actually an anti-totalitarian satirical story, and "Article 20" is even bolder.
The movie uses the third-line unjust case to talk about the social situation, trying to bypass the legal threshold to solve the problem through bribery, private affairs, and relying on relationships, etc., and has been named a national salvation hero to run rampant, although the protagonist believes in the law and acts in the name of the procuratorate, but in his bones and the people around him are mediocre officials with a bit of negativity.
Zhang Yimou is a big director in the mainland, and he has the courage to criticize the people's livelihood in the current society, and he hits the nail on the head, and there are times when there is a high degree of plot tension.
Even if the ending is consistent with Chinese films using subtitles to explain that "everything will be safe in the end" and bring everything back on track, it is surprising that such an "open fire" to criticize bureaucracy and the "relational" culture of domestic society is really surprising.
The prosecutor of "Article 20" will eventually wake up and be strict in his words to hold a hearing for the victim and overturn the case, adding a little sensational effect and witty golden sentences, which successfully leads to a climactic scene.
Under the framework of mainland movies, such an ending may almost be a bit of a "castle in the air" style sci-fi color, but regardless of whether this is out of reality or not, the rhetoric of the finale hearing is full of explosive power, and the degree of "coolness" is unprecedented, no less than some cool dramas.
03. The movie ended sloppily under the established framework, with a "cool" taste
It's cool and cool, whether it's "The Bad Tongue Lawyer" or a story with the same theme, you will see the protagonist slowly become empathetic and become a person who asks for the people's life, but "Article 20" only feels that the actor is still hanging in the later stage, but because of the sudden great change, after a sensational scene, they will be judged as two.
The three cases that were obviously glued to most of the movies suddenly became clear, and then a hearing with a natural and frequent golden sentence was "called it a day".
Although the movie does have a certain sense of "coolness", it lacks the climax point of the key headwind, as if the domestic film can be completed like this as long as it has an established position. Even if Zhang Yimou has a lot of off-string voices behind him, as long as he reaches a certain position, it is the time to "call it a day", and the plot is a bit abrupt.
The movie seems to have been an obvious unjust case for most of the day, and everyone solved the problem after listening to a bunch of "golden sentences" of the protagonist, the law will win, even if the theme is correct, it must add a little more twist, right?
All in all, "Article 20" is another masterpiece of Zhang Yimou after returning to Yong in recent years, and it has a stronger sense of comedy than "Man Jianghong".
Lei Jiayin and Ma Li play a vindictive couple, the effect is hilarious but not embarrassing, and Zhao Liying plays a bitter mother, who has few scenes but can touch people's hearts, and the performance is very exciting.
After all, this is a domestic movie, the law is perfect, the bad guys must not have a good end, the ending seems to be unable to figure out how to end but must be perfect, it can only be taken for granted and it will end, it seems very abrupt, and it is difficult to echo the carefully laid out plot in the first half, and the topic of irony has become blurred, which is a pity.