Hong Kong police films, since "Infernal Affairs", there are almost no good works.
Until 2012, "Cold War", which gathered the three major film emperors of Leung Ka Fai, Aaron Kwok and Andy Lau, was launched, and it immediately drove countless Hong Kong film fans crazy!
Indeed, "Cold War" as a police film, just in the design of the plot, and the grasp of the rhythm is enough to be brilliant, and what is more valuable is that this movie also has the meaning of surpassing "Infernal Affairs" in the shaping of positive and negative characters.
In particular, the role of Li Wenbin, the male protagonist played by Liang Jiahui, is a character that people can't see and touch.
Therefore, this article will make a specific analysis of the role of "Li Wenbin" according to the specific performance of Li Wenbin in "Cold War 1 and 2".
Whether he is a good man or a bad guy is a question worth exploring!
First, just from the perspective of "Cold War 1", Li Wenbin is definitely a good policeman!
The plot of "Cold War 1" is actually very simple, the disappearance of the stormtrooper car has just become a good time for Li Wenbin and Liu Jiehui to compete for the position of director.
In fact, from the beginning, from the time Li Wenbin announced the "cold war" plan, until he personally led the team to search for the submachine.
From this series of actions, it can be seen that Li Wenbin actually wants to fight for power and also wants to take office.
However, at the same time, we should also pay attention to such a detail, that is, the reason why Li Wenbin is so anxious, in addition to wanting to take the position and want to perform, another most important reason is that his son, Li Jiajun, played by Peng Yuyan, was arrested.
The father saved the only son, what is wrong with being in a hurry?
Another key point is that Li Wenbin is an extremely confident policeman, one is that he himself is a high-level person who has risen from the front line; and the other is that he has countless underground work.
It can be said that compared with Liu Jiehui, who is a civilian, when Li Wenbin faces the emergency of the disappearance of a stormtrooper and the kidnapping of five policemen, his prejudgment and his decision are indeed stronger than Liu Jiehui.
It's just that Li Wenbin is destined to be a person who is wrapped up!
When Liu Jiehui found out that his son Li Jiajun had a problem, and all the conspiracy theories and vested interests were finally directed at Li Wenbin, in fact, even if he wanted to fight, there was nothing he could do.
Especially when the security bureau chief played by Andy Lau came out lightly and announced his support for Liu Jiehui and announced his trust in Liu Jiehui.
Even if he really didn't do anything, even if he really didn't participate in anything.
But he is good, the director is good, the ending is the same, early retirement, early pension.
After all, Liu Jiehui is not only supported by people behind him, he also found evidence that Li Jiajun planned the whole incident!
It is also based on this that Li Wenbin took the initiative to set a trap to arrest his son later, which became logical.
Maybe he wanted to compete for the position of director at the beginning, but after he saw Liu Jiehui's bottom card clearly, both with the support of the Security Bureau and the strength of a whole civilian echelon, he had already lost the network!
The second is that Li Wenbin is an upright policeman in the end, he wants to rise, but in the face of his son being used, he sees a huge dark web behind him.
He still chose to withdraw in time!
It can be said that in "Cold War 1", although the role of Li Wenbin in the early stage was a bit like a "villain", until he announced his early retirement and walked out of the police headquarters building, he had actually fixed the character.
Second, did Li Wenbin really blacken in "Cold War 2"?
If you only watch "Cold War 2", you may be surprised by Li Wenbin's various performances.
Indeed, as a policeman, his various performances are a bit outrageous.
The first one, when he met the son who ran away, he didn't know it!
After Li Jiajun escaped, he immediately met his father Li Wenbin.
In the café section, Lee Ka Joon gave his father a brand new pair of glasses, and he left a meaningful message:
Your glasses have been worn for so long, it's time for a new one!
At first, Li Wenbin did not wear those glasses, but the next day, that is, when the lawmakers launched charges against Liu Jiehui, the director.
Li Wenbin has put on new glasses and said in the hall:
Liu Jiehui may have interests with Li Jiajun.
As we all know, in the movie, in order to show a person's blackening, there will generally be some sense of ceremony, such as changing hairstyles, such as changing glasses.
In this section, Li Wenbin changed his glasses, which is actually a clear proof of his blackening.
The second detail is the meeting between Li Wenbin and Cai SIR and others.
When Li Wenbin announced in court that Liu Jiehui and Li Jiajun might have interests, he immediately received an invitation from the forces behind Li Jiajun.
Not only did he meet his son again, but he also met the former Commissioner, Sir Cai, and the Secretary for Justice.
Especially when the Secretary for Justice directly told Lee Man Bin that his goal was to become the next Chief Executive, In fact, Lee Man Bin was already aware of the network of this group of people.
And the purpose of this group of people.
If Li Wenbin had not been blackened, then when he saw many big men in this group, he should report to the above in time and arrest this group of people in time.
But what was surprising was that li Wenbin really saw the people after seeing them, and he didn't make any moves next.
It is also this scene that really makes it difficult not to think that Li Wenbin is "blackened".
Third, look at "Cold War" as "Infernal Affairs", in fact, you can understand the character of Li Wenbin!
In fact, over the years, almost all successful police films in Hong Kong have the shadow of "Infernal Affairs".
Whether it is "Equator" or "Bomb Disposal Expert", they are actually playing "undercover" and "anti-undercover" dramas.
Why do later Hong Kong police films have to play this routine?
It is because this routine can increase the suspense of the film!
And "Cold War" is actually playing like this:
For example, the first layer of reversal is the role of Li Jiajun played by Peng Yuyan in "Cold War 1".
At first, almost everyone thought he was a victim and he was innocent.
However, in the end, Liu Jiehui found that in order to make a submachine car disappear, the most important thing is that the people in the submachine car need to cooperate.
And when he found out that Li Jiajun of "One Door and Three Masters" was actually a player behind the scenes, it was indeed both reasonable and surprising.
The second layer of reversal is Li Wenbin, under the director's lens, especially in "Cold War 2", it can be said that all of Li Wenbin's performances are a complete villain.
In addition to the previously mentioned gathering with the forces behind Lee Ka-joon, there was also his dismissal of Liu Jiehui and the deliberate instructions to his subordinate Han SIR to send text messages before the start of the operation.
In fact, on the surface, he is a black policeman.
But if we can pay attention to such a few details, we can actually understand this character.
The first detail was when he saw his son, Li Jiajun, his first reaction was to pull out his phone and want to call his criminal police.
But when he saw Sir Cai appearing behind his son, he put down his phone.
The second detail is that when he said goodbye to his son, he took him into his arms and said in his ear, "Stay away from those people!" ”
Coupled with the fortitude in his eyes, you can actually see where his heart is.
The third detail is that he took the initiative to communicate with Mo SIR to request the removal of Liu Jiehui, as well as to let Han SIR ventilate the message.
If we remember well enough, we should remember that the bookstore followed the scene, except for Jane's apprentice who was discovered by him, and when he left the bookstore, he handed a book to two police officers.
In fact, from this detail, Li Wenbin has always known that Liu Jiehui sent someone to monitor him for 24 hours, of course, he also knows that sending mobile phone messages will definitely be monitored by Liu Jiehui's people.
But isn't that what Li Wenbin thinks?
He found Mo SIR, is to help Liu Jiehui to find out this black policeman, he let Han SIR text, but also to find out his undercover.
It can even be said that all his unreasonable actions are actually breaking into the enemy's interior and leading Liu Jiehui's nose.
It's just that Li Wenbin can't let go of the five police officers who smuggled back for him, they are innocent in themselves, only because they have been deceived by Cai SIR, only because they have been misled by Li Jiajun.
They had to embark on the road of crime for Li Wenbin.
In the end, Li Wenbin and his two subordinates played against each other in the convenience store, which was quite connotative.
Two people who were once policemen, because of their undercover status, had to go away from home, and now they have embarked on the road of crime because they have been deceived.
Li Wenbin was very eager to save them, even at the expense of his own everything.
But when Li Wenbin walked to the door of the convenience store, when he saw with his own eyes that he regarded as a hero's siblings and died for him, the anger in his eyes, the anger in his eyes, in fact, everyone could see.
Some people may feel that the "death" of their son and the death of "five siblings" will force Li Wenbin to the opposite of Liu Jiehui.
But in my opinion, it is precisely not, but it pushes Li Wenbin to Liu Jiehui's side.
Because Li Wenbin is a sober person, from the very beginning, he has been asking his son who is behind you.
Although he was a policeman who came out of the old times, he and his brothers and sisters were all the same, with justice in mind and ideals in mind.
Otherwise, he would not have arranged for his subordinates to go undercover, and also gave them white identities and sent them to South Africa to be raised with informants.
So strictly speaking, if we can watch "Cold War 2" in the same way as "Infernal Affairs", we can actually understand all the logic of Li Wenbin.
This is just like the line that was spoken by Zhao Benshan in wong Kar-wai's movie "A Generation of Grandmasters":
When people live in the world, someone must be the inner child and someone must be the face.
Liu Jiehui is a person who makes face in the open, solves cases, suppresses bandits, all the credit is his, and Li Wenbin is the person who does the lizi, breaking into the enemy's rear, deliberately leaking clues to Liu Jiehui, maybe he can only be a ghost for life!
As for how "Cold War 3" will be filmed?
I'm sure I'll continue along the line of Li Wenbin's blackening, because only in this way can I completely dig out the gold lord behind Cai SIR.
After all, a retired director, why do you do such a big thing, there must be hidden gold lords behind the money to toss!
And Li Wenbin, who has been ostensibly "blackened" in "Cold War 2", is expected to have a more wonderful "undercover" performance in "Cold War 3"!
The above is my understanding of the "Cold War" series, welcome to leave a message and discuss with me!