Outside the door of the gambling house in the late Tang Dynasty, dead vines entangle old trees, and faint crows hover, forming a desolate picture. Against this quiet backdrop, the casino is a very different scene.
The casino is bustling with people of all kinds – gamblers, ruthless swordsmen, and enigmatic knife catchers. The knife catcher is tasked with the task of portrait and arrests the murderer, and asks the boss about the traces of the suspected thief, but the boss flatly denies that such a person has gone in and out.
At the moment when the wrists of the two sides intertwined, the knife catcher suddenly made a move, performing the stunt of the wrong bone hand and the wind listening knife. His superb skills like Lou Lan slashing still seemed too unattainable to these young people in front of him. In a flash of cold light, the knife was unsheathed, and the opponent fell to the ground and died. The portrait clearly shows the characteristics of the thief: a scar on his wrist.
Chaos erupted, the peace in the gambling house was broken, and crises were surging from all directions. Faced with a life-and-death contest, the knife-licking knife catcher and the outlaws on the bounty list engaged in a fierce duel.
Despite the small space of the gambling house, the knife catcher is as elegant and agile as the knight in an ink painting. He uses a knife as a pen and wields freely in this cramped space. A knife splits the gap, and then quickly rotates, and a person is cut off the horse in an instant; Then he took advantage of the situation to make a killing move, and his movements were as fast as the wind, and he choked the throat of another opponent with precision and ruthlessness. Immediately afterwards, with the help of force, with the subtle dexterity between the wrists, he easily overturned a strong man, and then turned around and stabbed, ending another person's life.
In a short time, only the last of the thieves who were originally besieging were left, and when they saw this, they no longer fell in love with the battle, and hurriedly took the road and fled. However, the knife catcher was deaf and clear-sighted, and the knife that broke through the wall was like a thunderbolt, taking the life of the last enemy. At that moment, even every drop of blood splashed on the ground seemed to carry a thousand weights.
The picture switches to a panoramic shot, and the headline is prominently presented: "No One in My Eyes 2: An Eye for an Eye".
During this Spring Festival, the film market is extremely hot. The two blockbusters "Hot and Hot" and "Flying Life 2" are in full swing, and they contributed as much as 13 on the first day of the new yearWith a box office result of 6.6 billion, the total box office has easily exceeded the 600 million mark before 2 p.m. on the second day of the new year.
But in this lively Spring Festival, a highly anticipated work is unfortunately absent, that is, the martial arts masterpiece "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" directed by Tsui Hark.
Following "Embroidered Spring Knife 2", "No One in My Eyes 2" has become the only new work that can be called a martial arts blockbuster in theaters recently. Looking back at the new martial arts films directed by Lu Yang before, the film abandoned the traditional disputes between the rivers and lakes, and instead focused on the temple schemes, and used modern fighting style to design the images and fight scenes, the visual effects were quite innovative and the reputation was quite good, but the final box office was only 22.3 billion, I can't help but regret it.
The argument that martial arts are dead" seems to have faded out of the scope of discussion, but since 1928, when "The Burning of Red Lotus Temple" started the nearly 100-year history of domestic martial arts films, Zhang Che, Hu Jinquan, Chu Yuan and other masters have carried forward the martial arts culture. In the 90s, director Tsui Hark used advanced scientific and technological means to let the audience see the infinite possibilities of kung fu beyond reality, whether it is the character going to the sky and the earth, or flying on the wall, it is all yearning. In particular, the "Huang Feihong" series and "New Dragon Gate Inn" are deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and the spirit of "the great man" is engraved in the hearts of every moviegoer.
There is no doubt that martial arts movies have had an incomparably glorious era, but it is impossible to avoid the fact that they are gradually declining. At present, martial arts films are facing multiple dilemmas such as the shortage of martial arts actors, limited production costs, and the lack of a chivalrous and soft story line that is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Is there still a chance for revival in martial arts films? The answer received a warm response on the occasion of the Dragon Boat Festival in 2022.
A flaming blade in the snow is like a spark of fire, rekindling hope in the world of martial arts. "No One in My Eyes" starring Xie Miao was quietly launched on the Internet at a low cost of 5 million, but it unexpectedly became a shot in the arm in the hearts of martial arts fans and was pinned on high hopes.
The sequel came into being, and once considered landing in theaters, but in the end, "No One in My Eyes 2" chose to premiere on the Internet on the first day of the Spring Festival of that year. Only one day after its release, the film was like a bamboo, winning the first place on the platform's soaring list in one fell swoop, and won 230,000 people give 97 high scores.
The film did not blindly pile up action scenes because of a slight increase in cost, but paid more attention to the plot polishing, creating a lonely hero legend in the background of the late Tang Dynasty, known as the martial arts version of "This Killer is Not Too Cold". Solid and ruthless action design, sharp and hot-blooded, full of joy, the whole 90 minutes from beginning to end is full of long-lost chivalry and regretful beauty.
Although the film ends with the sacrifice of the protagonist, Xie Miao used the knife in his hand to cut a bright crack in the domestic martial arts world, opening up new possibilities for martial arts movies.
The story follows the previous work, after the Anshi Rebellion, the social order of the Tang Dynasty collapsed, although the war subsided, but it was full of devastation, and the wicked were rampant. The knife catcher, as a bounty hunter of the government, is hired by the public to arrest criminals. Cheng Blind was originally a captain on the battlefield, but unfortunately lost his sight and made a living from it. He borrowed wine to drown his sorrows when he was drunk, and fulfilled his mission when he woke up, and his original life was still maintainable, until in the last work, in order to administer justice for the strange woman Ni Yan, he paid a tragic price, and his beloved Qin Niang also died.
As fate would have it, Cheng Blind accidentally rescued the little girl Zhang Xiaoyu again. Zhang Xiaoyu witnessed the death of his playmate at the foot of the horse's hooves of the powerful children, and since then he has been obsessively entangled into a blind man, learning the art of killing enemies, and vowing to avenge his partner with his own hands. So, this vicissitudes of hard guy and immature Lori joined hands to break into the sinister rivers and lakes.
Cheng Blind wanted to stay out of the matter and no longer meddle in the grievances and hatreds of the world, but he knew that the road to justice in the world was full of ups and downs. Zhang Xiaoyu's enemy Li Jiulang, although he was relegated here because of his crazy behavior, still has a strong family power in the capital, and he has 300 thugs around him, and he treats human life like a mustard. In the face of such a fierce enemy, the righteous journey to protect Xiaoyu instantly turned into a life-and-death struggle, and the blind man, who claimed to no longer meddle in his affairs, finally chose to stand up, and in order to maintain the justice in his heart and the protection of the weak, he once again devoted himself to this struggle that could cost his life.
This work is not the kind of pseudo-martial arts story that is pretentious, exaggerates the love of children and children and is short of heroism, it adheres to the core of real martial arts and tells a purely orthodox legend.
The reason why the film "No One in My Eyes" has received so much praise is that it accurately captures and restores the soul of domestic martial arts films: first, "martial arts", pay attention to actual combat, a sword and a sword, and be happy and revenge; The second is "chivalry", with the spirit of chivalry throughout, in order to build a vivid world of rivers and lakes. Before talking about "Xia", let's first dissect the uniqueness of its martial arts scenes.
Xie Miao, who plays the blind man who became blind, has been practicing martial arts since he was a child, and appeared on the big screen at the age of nine to show his kung fu skills, until he graduated from high school, he repeatedly won gold and silver in major martial arts competitions. The action design of the "No One in Sight" series is unique, with virtual and real coexistence, which not only retains the real moves and strength of traditional martial arts, but also integrates the freehand aesthetics of modern films.
The second work continues the original cast and the original hard-core style, and the blind man's iconic "wrong bone hand" is still extremely sharp, listening to the wind and distinguishing the position, and instantly controlling the enemy invisibly. The action scenes in the film are tight and layered, whether it is the eye-catching fight scene in the opening scene or the climax of the showdown with Li Jiulang's killer in the middle, through clever editing, soundtrack, and intense hand-to-hand combat, creating a breathtaking viewing experience.
One of the most exciting martial arts scenes is the fierce water battle between Cheng Blind and a couple of national martial arts champions, Liu Fengchao and Yuzhou. This scene shows the high-level martial arts cooperation and environmental interaction, the interference of the water surface and the small space of the cabin, making every confrontation full of suspense and challenges. Cheng Blind relied on his exquisite sword technique to listen to the wind, tossing and turning between land and water, and finally broke the siege of his opponent.
In addition to the visual shock and refreshment, the presentation of "Wu" needs the support of storytelling and character character. "No One in My Eyes 2" not only shows toughness and reality in action scenes, but also outlines the complex emotions and chivalrous responsibilities of the characters through a series of well-choreographed plots. For example, the helpless choice of the blind man in the face of his former comrades, the struggle and sadness revealed in this life-and-death struggle make the flesh and blood of the martial arts world fuller.
At the level of "chivalrous soul", the "No One in Sight" series has also made great efforts. Compared with some current martial arts films that have a gorgeous shell but lack connotation, "No One in My Eyes" brings the audience into a world that is truly about chivalry, emphasizing the importance of character building. Xie Miao's interpretation of the image of a blind man is full, with both the tenderness of the iron man under the cold appearance, and the protection and sacrifice of the weak, and the emotional bond between him and Zhang Xiaoyu has become a key clue in the development of the plot.
Although the film is a little more complex in terms of storyline and fight design, and is not as straightforward as the first part, the director and lead actor Semyon still managed to jump out of the traditional martial arts framework and give Cheng Blind a more human quality that resonates with young audiences. In this era when martial arts themes are becoming increasingly scarce, the "No One in My Eyes" series has created a unique martial arts picture scroll within the limited production specifications of big online movies.
At the end, the blind man fulfilled his promise at the cost of his life, which is the most profound embodiment of the spirit of martial arts - a bowl of wine for a fair, no matter how big or small the identity is, you can be chivalrous. Although it is difficult to reproduce the once glorious martial arts era, the "No One in Sight" series still holds its ground and continues to write the immortal spiritual inheritance of martial arts. Xie Miao, who has gone all the way from "New Shaolin Five Ancestors", has now grown into the last guardian of the martial arts rivers and lakes, telling the world with his firm and persistent attitude: "Ten years of sharpening a sword, the frost blade has not been tried, today I will show you, who has injustice." ”