Chen Zhanpeng led his subordinates to investigate the case
Chen Zhanpeng and Lin Xiawei play model couples
Huang Zhixian and Jiang Zuman have a "pride and prejudice" style relationship
Yangcheng Evening News reporter Hu Guangxin
After the "Dumb Fire" and other major dramas such as "Top Gun Master Sister" and "Guy Remember to Do Big Things", TVB finally received a popular drama in early May. Produced by Liu Jiahao and starring Chen Zhanpeng, Huang Zhixian and Lin Xiawei, the drama "The Strange Case Against Heaven" was broadcast on May 3, and the total rating of the first episode of the 7-day cross-platform reached 27.6 points, setting a record for the highest rating of a single episode of the 2021 prime-time drama. The drama's rating on Douban also reached 8.2 points, which is the best score for Hong Kong dramas this year.
"The Case Against Heaven" can be called the correct way to open the classic theme of police drama in Hong Kong drama. Featuring "O's Record" (Organized Crime and Triad Investigation Division), the drama tells the story of two senior inspectors of O, Xu Junsen (Chen Zhanpeng) and Shen Weili (Wong Chi Yin), who lead their subordinates to solve a big case. Although the plot is not innovative, in recent years, under the contrast of TVB police dramas have "dementia", "The Strange Case against heaven" has a tight rhythm and a bizarre case, and the details that should be done are 100 points. It is not an accident that this drama can run out.
The case is reversed and reversed
Since the 1980s, the police genre has been one of the best themes of Hong Kong dramas. From key departments such as the CIB (Criminal Intelligence Division), O's Record, and flying tigers to newcomer police, airport special police, forensic departments, undercover and even the Miscellaneous Department, TVB has photographed almost every type of work in Hong Kong's disciplined forces. In the past decade, police dramas have hollowed out their minds to shoot new ideas: "Apostle Walker" has opened the trend of "full undercover"; "Iron Detective" has grafted power plots with police and bandit themes; dramas such as "Iron Horse Chariot" and "Airport Special Police" have continued to excavate new departments, taking traffic police and airport special police as the protagonists... But this "innovation" has gradually become a new routine: after "Apostle Walker", the undercover scenes of TVB police dramas have flooded, and the reputation of the two sequels of "Apostle Walkers" has also declined all the way; the work of the disciplined forces has been filmed almost, and "Top Gun Sister 2021" has even fictionalized a "suspense team", but the plot is too small; "Guys Do Big Things" tries to make Ouyang Zhenhua and Ma Dezhong fight, but the plot arrangement is unbalanced, and the time for the two male protagonists to meet is very small.
These unsuccessful police dramas have a common problem: there are too many flower racks, and the basic skills are not solid. "The Strange Case Against Heaven" is just the opposite. Liu Jiahao, the director of the drama, described the drama as "jumping out of the inherent framework and thinking backwards to solve strange cases", and although several cases currently broadcast are not "against the sky", they are indeed "strange cases". The case usually contains several layers of reversals, such as the "Thief King Weapon Robbery Case", which was praised by many viewers: Ye Zixiong, a bandit who robbed the gold shop 20 years ago, began to recruit soldiers and horses after his release from prison, and stepped on the point many times in the downtown area, as if planning a new round of large-scale robbery; the police determined that Ye Zixiong intended to rob the bank and the gold shop at the same time, and was ready for encirclement and suppression. Unexpectedly, Ye Zixiong's real target was a hospital.
The inmate IQ is online, and the police are even better. "The Strange Case Against Heaven" shows the process of the police grasping the clues and gradually approaching the truth, which is rare in recent TVB police dramas. For example, in the "Game Theory Kidnapping Case", the prisoners unknowingly kidnapped rich merchants by boat to Macao, but the police deduced from the basic view that "the sea navigation is extremely variable" and deduced that the prisoners should go through many advance drills before committing the crime, so as to find the clue that the prisoners rented a boat and lock the true identity of the prisoners. The case in "The Case of The Strange Case" is twisted enough that the audience can finally enjoy the pleasure of following the plot and stripping away the cocoon.
The action scenes are neat enough
"The Case of The Strange Case against Heaven" is a two-male protagonist setting: Shen Weili, played by Huang Zhixian, is calm, and Xu Junsen, played by Chen Zhanpeng, is hot-blooded. In the play, Shen Weili focuses on reasoning to solve the case, and Xu Junsen is responsible for most of the action scenes, and the literary drama and martial arts of the play can be smoothly unfolded.
"The Case Against Heaven" is not only of the level of the case online, but its action scenes are also commendable. In recent years, TVB's police dramas like to shoot scenes of exercises, but most of them are reduced to the display of large scenes, which can neither show the tension and excitement of actual combat, nor can it play a role in promoting the plot. In the first episode, "The Strange Case Against Heaven" shows the correct way to open the element of "exercise". This scene was filmed in the Asian Expo, telling the story of the Flying Tigers, explosives disposal, mobile units, O's, CIB and other departments jointly held anti-terrorism drills. Unexpectedly, a group of real terrorists raided the police at the end of the exercise, resulting in the death of several police team members, including Flying Tiger Captain Zhang Yaoqi. This "tiger killing case" became the main line case of "The Case of Anti-Heaven".
The role of Flying Tiger Captain Zhang Yaoqi invited Qian Xiaohao, who was skilled, to make a cameo appearance, which was his second TVB drama after six years after 2015's "Chao Bai Wudang". This "tiger killing case" is tightly paced, and there is no slow motion that drags out time. Among them, the scene of Zhang Yaoqi's sacrifice is particularly smooth: a terrorist shoots at The Head of Permission Junsen, Zhang Yaoqi flew out, and the bullet passed xu Junsen's forehead; Xu Junsen immediately reached out and tried to pull Zhang Yaoqi to safety, but the terrorists had quickly raised their guns again and shot Zhang Yaoqi in the head. This series of actions is completed in 20 seconds, and the scene scheduling is very professional.
In addition to this kind of large scene that tests the ability to dispatch, the fight scene of "The Case Against the Sky" has also maintained a considerable standard. In the play, Chen Zhanpeng undertook most of the action scenes, and he continued the excellent performance of "Walled Hero", who fought and punched to the flesh, and the action was clean and neat. With the good skills of the actors, the action design of "The Strange Case against the Sky" is plain, but it still has a good watchability. For example, in the Vietnamese robbery case in the first half of the first half of the episode, Chen Zhanpeng took advantage of the environmental characteristics of the back alley to first use the last bullet to detonate the gas tank, so that the robber fell down and lost his gun, he took the opportunity to approach the robber and fight with him, using elbow strikes, strangulation and other moves to subdue the robbers.
The emotional drama is the icing on the cake
The two main bones of the case and the action scene are set up, and "The Case of The Strange Case" has been successful for a long time. As a flesh-and-blood emotional drama, "The Case Against Heaven" has been completed well so far.
The relationship between the two male protagonists, Xu Junsen and Shen Weili, is portrayed unconventionally. They are all elite detectives, but their methods and values are different. Xu Junsen will use unconventional means to investigate cases, while Shen Weili will emphasize procedural justice. The two are neither friends nor enemies, and they have both a sympathetic side and sometimes disagree. Judging from the episodes that have been broadcast, their relationship maintains a delicate balance, although it is not a sword, but it is not known whether the future will be reversed.
The respective emotional lines of the two male protagonists are also quite visible. Xu Junsen and CIB Sheriff Ma Yingsi (Lin Xiawei) are a long-distance running couple with stable feelings and excellent work partners. Most of the "Strange Cases Against Heaven" shape the couple through work scenes: for example, when the two go on a mission together, Xu Junsen will use a unique gesture code to report to Ma Yingsi that he is safe; after Xu Junsen was injured, Ma Yingsi, who is also a policeman, never shows worry in a crying way, and a thousand words are condensed into a simple sentence of "pay attention to safety". However, the triangle relationship that TVB dramas love to use is "late but arriving", computer hacker Zhang Xi (Feng Yingying) gradually develops a good feeling for Xu Junsen, and the direction of the relationship between the three is still unclear.
Compared with the old-fashioned triangle relationship, Shen Weili's "arrogant and prejudiced" relationship with lawyer Zhong Jiayu is more interesting. Both are typical social elites, with high IQs, high status, and independent personalities. Although they have feelings for each other, they are reluctant to put down their bodies, which has led to many unnecessary misunderstandings. In addition, Zhong Jiayu's professional ability is first-class, but she often fights lawsuits for social elites, and her conflict with Shen Weili's values has also added many variables to the relationship between the two.
So far, the emotional drama of "The Case Against Heaven" is still in place and will not be noisy. However, some viewers are worried that the latter part of the series will be crammed into a large number of emotional scenes, resulting in a tiger's tail.
Author: Hu Guangxin
Source: Yangcheng Evening News