With "On the Cliff" surpassing "Your Wedding" at the single-day box office.
The situation in the "May Day" is basically clear.
Regardless of word-of-mouth or box office, "On the Cliff" is the most popular "May 1st".
Douban scored 7.7, leading all movies in the "May 1st File";
The total box office counterattack is only a matter of time.
Uncle Yu naturally also read it, but did not write it for the first time.
Because that high-pitched mood seems to disappear quickly after the end of the movie.
After two days of relaxation, I found that the problem of "On the Cliff" lies in this, and the stamina is insufficient.
So.
After calming down, let's talk about it today.
"On the Cliff"
* Spoilers are included below
In the 1930s, four Communist agents who had been specially trained in the Soviet Union arrived in Harbin to carry out operation "Utra".
The specific task was to receive Wang Ziyang who had escaped from the Japanese germ warfare base.
Then send him out of the country and expose the crimes of the Japanese before the international community.
The four agents acted separately:
One group is Zhang Xianchen (Played by Zhang Yi) and Xiao Lan (played by Liu Haocun), and the second group is Wang Yu (played by Qin Hailu) and Chu Liang (played by Zhu Yawen).
However, traitors appear within the organization and give up the joint code.
As a result, from the moment they entered the country, they were targeted by the people of the Secret Service Section.
Among the men dispatched by the Secret Service Section was an undercover agent. He is an underground party member, Zhou Yi (Yu Hewei).
Yu Hewei as Zhou Yi
False and real, true and false.
A contest of blood and fire, wisdom and courage, took place in the ice and snow.
Overall, "On the Cliff" is definitely a good movie.
It's just that its advantages and disadvantages are equally obvious and cannot be selectively ignored.
So let's start with the pros.
First, color and photography.
"Color" is Director Zhang Yimou's masterpiece.
In his films, color is not just a simple visual element, but has a deep ideographic effect.
In his early works, director Zhang Yimou preferred red.
The red palanquin, red hijab, and red sorghum in "Red Sorghum" symbolize the ubiquitous vitality;
The red lantern in "The Big Red Lantern Hangs High", symbolizing power and desire;
Pieces of red dye cloth and huge red dyeing ponds in "Ju Dou" symbolize desire and passion.
Stills from "Red Sorghum"
In works such as "Return" and "Shadow", Zhang Yimou's use of color is very different from the early Zhang Yang.
He began to use a low-key black and white gray background.
Stills from Shadow
"On the Cliff" continues Director Zhang Yimou's late pursuit of color.
From the Linhai SnowField to the streets and alleys of Harbin, the goose feather snow has not stopped the whole time.
The white snow scene and the character's black clothes, black and white, render a gloomy and dignified atmosphere, killing and lonely.
Coupled with the warm color system of the interior scene, it contrasts with the outdoors, referring to two worlds and two identities.
It also brings out the reflection that "history is not black and white".
However, unified color is not the ultimate demand expressed by Zhang Yimou.
On top of the base color, there are often bright colors that appear, and through the collision of colors, bring about both visual and emotional stimulation.
For "On the Cliff", this bright color is blood, the red of revolution.
At the beginning, Zhang Xianchen kills the agent who came to the joint in the snow.
The branch plunged into the agent's eye and slammed into his head with a stake, spurting blood until it ran out of breath.
Then he stepped aside and lifted his shirt to reveal a bloody knife scar.
Similar to the contrast shot of "Snow and Blood", it will appear many times in the future.
The blazing and cruel red is further magnified against the background of black and white.
Complementing the colors is photography.
When filming snow chase scenes, aerial footage was used many times.
From the picture, there is a white expanse around, and the characters run in the cramped space between the two buildings, perfectly creating a feeling of life hanging in the balance.
At the same time, for the display of street scenes, it is mostly medium and short-range.
The sense of distance created by the wide vista weakens the tension.
On the contrary, it is a medium and close-up view, which can give people the feeling that there is an ambush at any time, and it is ready to enter the battle at any time.
Color and photography carry the role of reinforcing reality.
Harbin, covered in snow, seems to have become a stage.
Life and death, love and hate are staged in between, which is extremely real.
Second, group portraits and performances.
Spy war scenes are difficult to shoot, and difficult to shoot in group portraits.
Director Zhang Yimou commented on the group portrait drama of "On the Cliff":
"It's hard to portray each character well in a group portrait, it's a test of the director's skill, and it needs to be comprehensive and even more important."
Why is the group image of "On the Cliff" more difficult?
Because in extreme environments, both actions and emotional expressions will be blunted.
This is the case with the ice and snow in "On the Cliff".
Fortunately, a group of powerful actors have supported these group portraits -
Zhang Yi, Yu Hewei, Qin Hailu, Zhu Yawen, Liu Haocun, Ni Dahong, Yu Gaolei...
They are in an extremely limited space, even if only a few scenes, it is enough to make the characters stand up.
The most successful of these belongs to Zhou Yi, played by Hewei.
From the perspective of drama and importance, Yu Hewei is definitely the "one" of "On the Cliff".
Zhou Yi is a complex character, he has a dual identity, and he has the most information, so the more he must be restrained.
From beginning to end, his thoughts and emotions are always changing, and his acting skills are the most test.
What impressed Uncle Yu was these several scenes:
Zhang Xianchen knew that he could not continue to complete the "Utra" operation, so he told Zhou Yi the content of the action.
This dialogue is equivalent to Zhang Xianchen handing over his last wish to Zhou Yi on the occasion of his death.
So Zhou Yilian asked two "Are there any?"
Zhang Xianchen said, "In the little flower in front of the Madier Hotel, there are my children and Wang Yu's children."
At that moment, Zhou Yi nodded firmly, his eyes were full of tears, and he completely dispelled the audience's concern that he might be a double-sided spy.
There is also the small action of burning the note, the note does not leave the hand, and it is professional at a glance.
And at the last moment, Zhou Yi saw Chu Liang swallowing medicine to commit suicide, and immediately stepped forward to stop it, but it was too late.
Watching his companions die in front of his eyes, he also had to suppress the grief in his heart.
When the spies behind him were all gathered around, he had to put away his sadness again, and his expression immediately became fierce.
Zhang Xianchen, played by Zhang Yi, was arrested just to see the child.
Wang Yu, played by Qin Hailu, learned the news that his partner was arrested and his two children fell on the street, hiding in the toilet and crying bitterly, but did not dare to speak out.
They show that everyone involved in the war is not a person, but has his own family.
The cruelty of the war is that once Zhang Xianchen oscillates between the identity of the agent and his father, it is his most dangerous moment.
This is the alienation of man by war.
The high section chief played by Ni Dahong is suspicious by nature, but he can't bear it.
Ni Dahong as Gao Section Chief
Jin Zhide, played by Yu Haolei, has a thick branch and leaves, and becomes a scapegoat in the struggle if he is not careful.
"It's both people and ghosts, and only Kim Ji-deok is being beaten."
When he was arrested, he even contributed a laugh.
It shows that his image is in place.
It also represents a kind of irony of war, which is ridiculous and lamentable.
Yu Haolei as Jin Zhide
Third, the art of lines.
"On the Cliff" has a lot of chewy lines that are worth savoring.
Among them, Uncle Yu was most impressed by the chapter of "Dangerous Chess".
Zhou Yi and Jin Zhide are closely monitoring the Asia Cinema.
Zhou Yi suddenly said that he wanted to go out to see, and then he put a hook on the movie schedule to release a signal to Xiaolan.
Who knew that Jin Zhide would also go out to see.
Zhou Yi was in a hurry and took the opportunity to send Jin Zhide's army: "Did you find anything?"
Kim Replied, "No."
Then Zhou Yi took out the pen in his pocket, drew a hook on the newspaper, and asked again: "See?"
Kim Replied, "I see."
Zhou Yi continued to ask, "Then do you see who painted it?"
Kim Chi-tak shook his head.
Then, the good play began, and Zhou Yi said:
"I am the Communist Party. If I were a Communist Party, what I had just done, you wouldn't see at all. Only from the perspective of the Communist Party can we grasp the Communist Party. The senior section chief cares the most about the details, do you want me to tell him what you just did? Do you know why you haven't risen up for so many years? Today you check out."
The continuous output made Jin Zhide say that he had no place to bear it, and could only nod his head continuously.
Counting down Jin Zhide is only an appearance, and Zhou Yi's real purpose is to leave a back hand for himself.
Later, if the senior section chief asks, he can say:
"That hook is to remind Kim Chi-duk that he should be careful and careful in his work."
There is also a lot of such clever dialogue in the film.
At first glance, it sounded strange, but after careful consideration, it was found that this was in line with the instincts of the agent.
Without saying a word, the pursuit is a refinement.
After talking about the advantages, it is time to talk about the shortcomings of "On the Cliff".
The most difficult thing is definitely the ending.
The ending is so sloppy that it feels like a sequel.
Someone commented: "Zhang Yimou made a "Cliff (Part 1)", I'm afraid there is also "Cliff (Part 2)""
As the plot progresses, Operation Utra is split into small projects.
But in the end, it was tied to The Joint of Zhou Yi and Xiao Lan——
The two met in the cinema, and the next second they successfully received Wang Ziyang and sent him out of the country.
Operation Utra and Utra are two completely different things.
The most important process of operation "Utra" was completely ignored.
It is not felt that the four agents are important and necessary for operation "Utra".
This also directly leads to the expression of emotions losing its foothold.
It is repeatedly emphasized in the film that "Utera" means "dawn" in Russian.
"Dawn" is a common metaphor that symbolizes that dawn is approaching and dawn is coming.
The charm of "dawn" lies in the process, not the result, because the sky is lit up little by little.
but.
In "On the Cliff", the sky suddenly lights up.
In addition, there are some small bugs in the plot.
For example, Zhang Xianchen and Xiao Lan both escaped from the railway station.
Xiao Lan was taken away by agents on the train, and Zhang Xianchen went to rescue him.
During the fight, the agent shouted "Come on man."
Xiao Lan immediately covered his mouth with his hand, but he never shouted again after releasing it.
Until the agent was beaten to death by Zhang Xianchen's fist and thrown out of the car, the whole time did not arouse suspicion.
After that, Zhang Xianchen changed the two tickets to Harbin in his hand and evaded the investigation.
Xiao Lan jumped off the train, met and killed a spy, also did not arouse suspicion, and successfully escaped.
This paragraph relies too much on coincidence and is slightly unconvincing.
Then there are some key plots that need to be guessed by the audience themselves -
How did Zhang Xianchen, who dressed as a woman, steal the books of "Mei Lanfang's Travels to the United States" under the close supervision of many agents, leaving only the book cover?
Xiao Lan contacted the superior organization through the "emergency plan", but what the codeword that could be replied to did not reveal what it said.
But then again.
These small flaws in the plot did not affect the perception.
Because the pace of the movie is fast, before it is too late to react during the viewing process, it is covered by the next reversal.
Only after thinking about it in hindsight did I realize that something was different.
So aside from the hasty ending, the first 100 minutes of "On the Cliff" are still very exciting.
Finally, back to the outside of the movie.
In this most crowded "May 1st stall" in history, we still see it gratifyingly:
On the third day of release, "On the Cliff" achieved a single-day box office peak with word of mouth.
The Spring Festival file "Hello, Li Huanying" took only four days to surpass "Tang Detective 3" at the box office in one day.
It shows that the market recognizes good films, and it also shows that audiences are more willing to pay for good movies.
It was a happy thing.
But I think of director Zhang Yimou is 71 years old, still trying new themes, and continuing to shoot films.
On the other hand, many young directors in China do not have his strength.
Even Zhang Yimou's director Xiao Xiuxing's works are enough to hang more than 90% of the current domestic films.
Thinking of this, I can't seem happy again.