The two most topical dramas last year were none other than "Hurricane" and "The Long Season", one was unprecedentedly popular and the other was far-reaching. What would be the effect if two dramas were combined into one movie? That's what Zhang Yimou did. In the past, there has always been a chain of contempt in the film and television industry, and those who make movies look down on those who make TV series. 20 years ago, Zhang Yimou persuaded Zhang Ziyi not to shoot TV series, it would dirty his feathers. 
But after the 20s, times have changed, and the chain of contempt does not exist. Zhang Yimou not only encouraged the new Mou girl Liu Haocun to shoot TV series, but also went to shoot it himself, and even became a fan of domestic TV dramas. After watching these two dramas last year, he liked them very much, and a bold idea popped up in his head: Can you invite the good actors of the two dramas to come over and collaborate on a movie? It didn't take long for the six or seven actors of the two dramas to assemble, the movie script was quickly written, everyone got together, and the movie "Article 20" was filmed. 
Article 20" was released during this year's Spring Festival, starring Lei Jiayin, Ma Li, Gao Ye, Zhao Liying and others, and it is not the most popular film in the Spring Festival file. The reason is that many people were not optimistic about this work from the beginning, and they condemned the film with "three deadly sins". It is, they say, a "sewing work". From the released trailers, you can see the shadows of "Hurricane" and "The Long Season", and even the actors of "In the Name of the People" and "The World", in a word, it is a messy stew. 
They say it's a rush work. "Article 20" was launched on July 1, 2023, and it was completed in less than 2 months, from the establishment of the project to the final finalization, but only 3 months. Compared with other big directors who often have a work in three or five years, Zhang Yimou's speed is too fast, and the quality is worrying. They also said that it was a "work of money". Indeed, Zhang Yimou's output over the years is too high. He makes at least one movie a year, all of which are commercial genre films, focusing on a short and fast film, which gives people the impression that he is too short of money. Some people even summed up Zhang Yimou's "getting rich" over the years: in the middle of each year, screen the hottest actors of the year and use their personal influence to invite them over. 
The best ingredients often only need the simplest cooking methods, just make a script and let them act in it, and in three or two months, they can make a movie and go to the cinema to make a lot of money. Article 20 meets all of these characteristics. The audience's expectations for it are not high, so much so that on the first day of the Spring Festival, its film schedule only ranked fourth. So is this really the case? Brother Pi watched this film for the first time, and the result was really better than expected. Take the theater I am in for example, for more than 2 hours, the laughter has not stopped, which is really in line with the atmosphere of the New Year. 
The last part of the value is just right, at least my eyes are a little moist. To put it simply, this is a standard movie with tears in laughter, and tears in laughter in the sense of praise. The film gave me a deep feeling, which can be summed up in three words. The first word is "stable". Zhang Yimou's stability is beyond our imagination. "Article 20" Douban has a score of 80 points, and it has now fallen slightly to 79 points. Last year's Spring Festival, his "Man Jianghong" scored 8 on Douban0 points, and later stabilized at 7 despite the criticism0 points. This stability is not once or twice. In the past 10 years, Zhang Yimou has made a total of 9 movies, with an average score of 7 on Douban1 point. Not all of the 9 films are masterpieces. A "The Great Wall", Wang Jing said that Zhang Yimou knew that he had smashed it after half of the filming, and the Douban score was 49 points. A "Solid as a Rock", hidden in the snow for 3 years, deleted, reduced, and released in a half-crippled body, still won the National Day champion, and the score was also 61 point. And the other movies are all at the level of 7 points+. 
And the subjects he shoots are even more blossoming. "Return" and "One Second" are scar literature, "Shadow" is a Shakespearean classical tragedy, "On the Cliff" is a spy war, "Sniper" is a war drama, "Solid as a Rock" is to sweep away crime and eliminate evil, and "Man Jianghong" is a script killing. Whether it is film production, film reputation, or movie box office, and diversity of themes, 73-year-old Zhang Yimou is the first in the Chinese film industry in the past 10 years. His films have become shallower, but they have also become wider, isn't this a new exploration? Article 20 is still a continuation of this exploration. The film is essentially a legal science film, and Zhang Yimou tries to give us the difference between "legitimate defense" and "excessive defense" in 140 minutes. 
What a boring subject matter, other directors are likely to make a movie version of "Today's Statement". But Zhang Yimou was vividly photographed. It is no exaggeration to say that "Article 20" may be Zhang Yimou's most life-like work. The film tells the story of the little man Han Ming (played by Lei Jiayin) who goes to the city procuratorate for a temporary job. 
Behind him is the life of chicken feathers. son Han Yuchen (played by Liu Yaowen) was falsely accused for righteousness and bravery, his first love Lu Lingling (played by Gao Ye) became a colleague in the office, and his wife Li Maojuan (played by Ma Li) accidentally beat the school leader (played by Zhang Yi). 
In front of him are two brutal cases. Zhang Guisheng (played by Yang Haoyu) acted bravely a few years ago and was judged to have been overly defensive, and has been running all these years;
Hao Xiuping (played by Zhao Liying), a deaf-mute person, has been bullied by local bullies for a long time, and her husband stabbed the perpetrator more than 20 times in a fit of rage, facing severe punishment from the law.
On the one hand, he has to deal with the messes in his life, and on the other hand, he has to incarnate a righteous person to speak up for the weak, and the story unfolds. Zhang Yimou was criticized for not telling stories in the past, but his works in recent years have very solid stories. This film is even more obvious. More than 2 hours of volume is crammed into the content of a TV series, which is very informative. The story of the film also has a strong sense of reality. There is a detail in the film, the time shown in the video of Zhang Guisheng's righteous and courageous actions is July 2018. In real life, on August 27, 2018, the famous "Kunshan Longge Anti-Homicide Case" just happened. This case shocked the whole country and promoted the improvement of Article 20 of the Criminal Law on "legitimate defense". Complex multi-line stories + group portraits of characters + interpretation of serious legal provisions have put a heavy shackle on Article 20.
But Zhang Yimou used comedy to express it. He strikes a good balance between realism and humorous elements without condescending. He used the lens to sneak into the homes of ordinary people, starting from the details, and briefly peeked into the unbearable life and the preciousness of human nature in the parents. The second word is "soft". The cast of "Article 20" is a fusion of "Hurricane" and "The Long Season".
Take a look at the cast. "An Xin" Zhang Yi, "Sister-in-law" Gao Ye, "Yang Jian" Wang Xiao, "Li Hongwei" Aruna in "Hurricane"; "Wang Xiang" Fan Wei, "Ma Desheng" Chen Minghao, and "Dumb" Jiang Mingqi in "The Long Season". These people are coming. plus Lei Jiayin, Ma Li, Zhao Liying, Yu Hewei, Xu Yajun, Li Naiwen, Pan Binlong, Qiao Shan and other powerful actors.
It's done with both looks and gimmicks. Of course, Zhang Yimou was not satisfied with the simple arrangement and combination of the actors of the two dramas. The film itself is a fusion of the two dramas. The part of the case faced by the protagonist is a remake of "Hurricane". Isn't the "Kang Village" in the film the Mang Village in "Hurricane"? Li Hongwei turned into Liu Wenjing. is still a stupid son of a landlord's family, or a villain who bullies men and women. And the supporting characters next to him, even the costumes and hairstyles have not changed, giving people the feeling that "Hurricane" has messed in.
The abandoned construction site, the sudden fall from the building, the hospital visit, the father and the police asking for an explanation, these details make people dream back to "Hurricane". The life experienced by the protagonist is a remake of "The Long Season". The protagonist played by Lei Jiayin, full of love, and unsparing energy, isn't it the biaozi played by Qin Hao in "The Long Season"? The husband and wife played by Lei Jiayin and Ma Li quarrel every day, and Chen Minghao is also involved in the middle, and the three of them are still chattering.
Isn't this the "detective trio" in "The Long Season"? Zhang Yimou's way of integrating the two dramas is actually a reference to "The Long Season". On the surface, it is to deal with the case, but on the inside, it is the joys and sorrows of the little people. But there is also a risk behind the integration. It is easy to be all-encompassing. What's amazing is that Zhang Yimou skillfully resolved this problem with his profound skills. The film is loose on the outside and tight on the inside, and on the surface it is a stack of jokes between husband and wife, but in fact, three story lines about legitimate defense run in parallel.
The early layout, the mid-term grass gray snake line, and the final detonation. The hero driver played by Yang Haoyu suffered a car accident; The deaf and mute mother played by Zhao Liying chooses to jump off the building; Ma Li's mother fights the bad parents; The three climaxes came at the same time, the dramatic tension was full, and the theme of the film was about to come out.
At the end of the film, Lei Jiayin appeared, and the speech of "Law, you can't bow to lawlessness" moved the audience. Three lines, no waste pen; Two styles, without a hint of separation. It's been a long time since I've seen a movie so soft and silky. The master's skill lies in the exploration of new themes and new techniques, and also in the careful polishing of genre films. The third word is "play". Zhang Yimou has been in the film industry for 40 years and has made more than 20 films, and this is his first film that makes me feel "like a joke". He completely let go of the baggage of a film master and became an old naughty boy, and the whole film presents a sense of relaxation.
His motivation for filming was like a joke. Just liking "Hurricane" and "The Long Season" made this game a surprise. It's not so much about making movies, it's about team building for good actors in 2023. He was filming like a joke. Zhao Liying was asked to play the victim, Zhao Liying proposed to make the character deaf and mute to increase the appeal, Lao Mouzi was also very persuasive, and immediately arranged this deaf and dumb role, and the result was excellent.
The characters in the film are like a joke. In the film, the first love of Ma Li's character is called Li Kui, and in this year's Spring Festival Gala "Cold House", Shen Teng played Ma Li's first love, whose name is also Li Kui.
The dream is linked, and it is estimated that Lao Mouzi will smile when he watches the Spring Festival Gala. The self-homage in the film is also like a joke. Han Ming, played by Lei Jiayin, went to the convenience store and met the little boss played by Qiao Shan. Qiao Shan was watching TV, and it happened to be a clip of "Man Jianghong", two Lei Jiayin appeared at the same time, and the fourth wall was broken. Lao Mouzi played directly, and in the end, Lei Jiayin's passionate speech was exactly the same as in "Man Jianghong". The dialogue in the film is also like a joke. Lei Jiayin and Ma Li's bickering scene contributed the most laughs in the whole film. The two of them were in a hurry, constantly saying jokes, one after another.
There are also some bizarre passages in the film. For example, Deputy Tian played by Wang Xiao has a crush on Lu Lingling played by Gao Ye, and this emotional drama is a little incomprehensible; For example, the hero played by Yang Haoyu died in a car accident, and this way of receiving a boxed lunch is very bloody; All in all, "Article 20" gives people the feeling that Zhang Yimou played directly during the filming process. I don't want any artistic achievements, any exquisite dishes. I'm just going to make a steaming hot pot, and all the useful and useless ingredients are stewed in the pot with a spoonful.
This kind of presumptuousness is a kind of courage. Zhang Yimou is the leader of the fifth generation of directors, they like grand narratives, they like to preach, the director is sitting on the front of the box, and the audience is walking on thin ice, this delicate relationship has always existed. But this time, Zhang Yimou really let go. He can pay homage to himself, but also laugh at himself. He can play rotten stalks, and he can also put down his body. After watching so many Zhang Yimou movies, this is the most relaxing one. At present, although "Article 20" is not a seed player in the Spring Festival stalls, and the box office is even behind "Bear Infested", there are surprises hidden in the low-key. So, don't worry, Zhang Yimou, the show has just begun. I believe that "Article 20" will definitely rely on the fermentation of word-of-mouth to achieve a reversal, and the final box office is likely to exceed 2 billion.
Zhang Yimou used a mentality of fighting without a fight this time to win another victory in the fiercely competitive Spring Festival stalls. Zhang Yimou, who filmed "Alive" and "Hero", deserves respect; Zhang Yimou, who knows the opening ceremony of the Double Olympic Games, deserves respect; Zhang Yimou, who stably outputs a 7+-point commercial genre film every year, is still worthy of respect.