The importance of female characters in The Siege of the Kowloon Walled City
An ordinary office worker is watching a video on his phone on the subway. In the video, a woman in a long black dress is slapping a man in a black suit in the face. There were two crisp sounds, and the man covered half of his cheeks that were reddened, his eyes full of astonishment and helplessness.
"Who is this woman? It's so fierce! The young man was fascinated and couldn't help but sigh to the person next to him.
"Do you need to ask? I must have watched "The Siege of the Kowloon Walled City"! The middle-aged man next to him smiled and said, "That's Chen Zhan's wife, who fanned a tornado!" ＂
It turns out that this classic Hong Kong gangster movie in 1988 not only has a wonderful plot and full of scene tension, but even the female characters in it are quite interesting. Although they don't have many scenes in the plot, they are the key force that drives the development of the whole story, and it also reflects the trauma caused by the disputes in the rivers and lakes to ordinary people.
"The Siege of the Kowloon Walled City" tells the story of Hong Kong gangsters fighting in the 80s of the last century. The male protagonists of the film, Di Qiu and Chen Zhan, were originally good brothers, but they turned against each other because of a misunderstanding. Di Qiu's wife and children were brutally killed, and he has been alone ever since, focusing on finding the enemy's son, Chen Luojun, to take revenge. In order to protect his wife and children, Chen Zhan had to follow the order of Shangfeng Lei Zhendong to kill Di Qiu's family. After a fierce battle, the two sides suffered heavy losses, and finally Di Qiu and Chen Luojun also recognized each other.
A victim of women's fate
The death of Di Qiu's wife was the fuse of the whole plot. At the beginning, Di Qiu and Chen Zhan were good brothers and lived an ordinary life as little people. But an unexpected rush caused Di Qiu's wife and children to be killed, which changed the trajectory of his life from then on.
The death of his wife made him realize the importance of his family. In order to avenge this, he began to focus on finding Chen Luojun, the son of his enemy. Although there are not many details about Di Qiu's wife in the film, her existence has always remained in Di Qiu's memory and has become the biggest driving force for his actions.
also suffered from Chen Zhan's wife. In order to protect his wife and children, Chen Zhan had to obey Lei Zhendong's orders and killed Di Qiu's family. This became the fuse for the two to turn against each other. In the subsequent firefights, Chen Zhan kept fleeing, in fact, to protect his wife and children from Di Qiu's revenge.
The climax of the film is the ultimate battle between Chen Zhan and Tornado. When the tornado escorted Chen Zhan's family from Hong Kong, Chen Zhan's wife slapped him severely. This scene is not only shocking, but also shows her strong will as the ultimate victim of this dispute.
Sadly, Chen Zhan's family was later displaced, and eventually both mother and son died, becoming innocent victims of this battle. Although the tornado escorted them away, it did not really save them from fire and water.
The Power and Salvation of Women
Although there are not many scenes in this movie, the four female characters play a very important role. Their fate and encounters not only promote the development of the plot, but also show the trauma and harm caused by the disputes in the rivers and lakes to ordinary people.
In addition to Di Qiu, Chen Zhan, and Chen Luojun's wife, there is also an important female character in the movie - Tornado's wife. Although she is not explicitly mentioned in the film, Tornado's final decision to escort Chen Zhan's family out of Hong Kong hints at the importance he attaches to his family. As a gang boss, he also realizes the importance of family.
Through the experiences of these four female characters, the theme that the director wants to convey is: the disputes in the rivers and lakes have brought great harm to the innocent. They are all victims and victims of this fight, but they also show the resilience and strength of women in the face of adversity.
Although the death of Di Qiu's wife has become the fuse that drives the plot, her existence has always remained in Di Qiu's memory and has become the biggest motivation for his actions. Chen Zhan's wife's slap demonstrated her unyielding will as a victim.
The death of Chen Luojun's mother made him another innocent victim of this dispute, but it also prompted him to finally return to Hong Kong and find his roots.
From another point of view, these four women also became the force for salvation. Their deaths and encounters made Di Qiu, Chen Zhan, Tornado and others realize the importance of family, prompting them to put aside their hatred and embark on the right path in the second half of their lives.
Just like the scene in the movie Di Qiu and Chen Luojun who recognize each other, the two let go of their past grievances and walk towards a new life hand in hand. This kind of redemption stems from the sacrifice and strength of those four female characters.