The well-received movie "Removing the Three Evils Around the World" has an investment of only 10 million. This film is like lifting the fig leaf of major mainland directors and attracting attention for its brilliance.
With the gradual subsidence of the Spring Festival movie boom and the "withdrawal" of "Mr. Red Carpet", a Taiwanese film "Removing the Three Evils Around the World" has recently attracted unexpected attention in the mainland. The film has successfully won praise from the audience both during the screening stage and after its official release.
The title of the film is "Removing the Three Evils in the Week", and the story is inspired by the allusions of "The Legend of the Book of Jin Zhou" and "The New Language of the World". The director has skillfully created and processed on this basis. The film borrows the fable of "eliminating the three evils everywhere" to tell the ultimate process of a killer who pursues the value of life, reveals the truth of life through killing, and finally discovers that everything is just a ridiculous lie.
The "three evils" in the film are Chen Guilin, Aberdeen and Venerable, corresponding to the English name of the film "pig, snake, pig". These three animals represent the three wanted criminals in the film, and also symbolize the themes of "greed, hatred, and stupidity" that are often mentioned in the film.
In just four days after its release, "Three Evils" won 320,000 viewersWith an excellent score of 2 points, it ranks first among many Chinese New Year films. As of press time, the cumulative box office of the film has reached 1400 million, which is already an impressive achievement for a non-big-budget movie.
The film's crime genre is full of violence, gore and sexually suggestive scenes, and its scale has reached the upper limit of mainland theatrical films. So when it was released in the mainland, it was cut a lot. From screening to official broadcast, almost every stage has been modified to varying degrees. What we're seeing now is 30 version, but luckily, these deletions don't affect the ** experience.
There are many reasons why the film was well-received. Both the rhythm design and the control of the soundtrack are excellent. Combining details, echoes, and dark humor, the experience is outstanding. Many of the plots are absurd but plausible and full of drama. Each character in the film shows ** acting skills, and the image is very three-dimensional, which makes the audience have endless aftertastes after watching it.
The vividness of the film lies not only in the strong visual impact, but also in the successive fights and physical injuries, and the repeated emphasis on pain, but also in the negative energy that emanates throughout the film - the struggle against insecurity. Evil and "injustice" that leave room for evil run through almost throughout, showing the intertwined confrontation of black and gray.
The director does not adopt a realistic approach in the film, but incorporates romantic, legendary and symbolic colors. Therefore, there are many miracles on the protagonist Chen Guilin, such as Guan Sheng's apparition, the metaphor of "greed and hatred", **resurrection, doomsday judgment, etc., making it a hodgepodge of the East. and Western religious and cultural symbols.
The first half hour of the film focuses on shaping Chen Guilin's psychological state, showing the emotion of the Confucian creed: "A gentleman is not named after illness". This way makes the audience think deeply about the value and dignity of a murderer. As his heart becomes more sincere and serious, viewers find his behavior becoming more and more ridiculous.
Ruan Jingtian's performance in the film is amazing. Chen Guilin, played by him, is a key figure in driving the development of the plot. As the plot develops, the audience gradually understands his motives, which also makes his behavior more rational. Even in the part where the plot develops slowly, Ruan Jingtian's interpretation of the inner world of the characters is still impressive.
However, it wasn't until Chen Guilin entered a psychiatric sanatorium that I was truly impressed by Ruan Jingtian's acting skills. From the initial anger and helplessness, to the process of gradually accepting and trying to get rid of himself, to the anger again after seeing the little boy's mother being deceived, this series of emotional changes is vividly interpreted.
Black humor and action scenes are the film's biggest highlights. From the fierce pursuit at the beginning, to the image of the arrogant and fearless outlaw, to the bloody scenes of the *** organization, Chen Guilin became a righteous man in the film, which brought great satisfaction to the audience.
The biggest turning point in the film occurs after Chen Guilin gets rid of the two evils, only to find out that he is not terminally ill, but deceived by his grandmother's doctor. Such a twist is incredible, and the audience is amazed by the director's creativity.
Facing Chen Guilin in prison, the doctor, who knew that his life was short, finally told the truth without hesitation. Seeing this scene, I thought that Chen Guilin would definitely scold the doctor loudly in anger to vent his inner anger. But the truth was unexpected, and he chose to face it with a smile. In this way, the story of the film "Eliminate the Three Evils Everywhere" can be truly complete, and the moral depth of the film can also be improved. The character of Chen Guilin has completed the transformation and sublimation at this moment.
I have to admit that the director does have a soft spot for the role of Chen Guilin. He gives this character the ruthlessness of a gangster and the resoluteness of a killer, but also gives him a pure, innocent, and kind side. It's really hard to say what kind of person he is. The audience felt that this character carried too many attributes imposed on him by the creator, and it was a bit too idealistic. He seems to be the ideal knight image in the creator's mind: chivalrous under his own rules and become a legend.
The whole film is full of metaphors, and the plot has ups and downs. The hero wields a sword with all his might, but he is also full of sincerity and obsession. He was obsessed with his "heroic value", but in the end he became a prisoner of "injustice". The killing scenes in the church feel like cult work, and the shaving in prison feels like a new life. It's a beautiful picture woven with passion and ingenuity, sharp, deep, and crazy. The confession and execution scenes in the finale are like still water. On the surface, it seems to weaken Chen Guilin's heroic image, but in fact, it is the inevitable result of self-destruction after his soul awakening.
Many people love "Three Evils" not only because it is a large-scale and compelling crime action movie, but also because it contains black humor and metaphorical connotations that are worth playing.
The production cost of "Removing the Three Evils Around the World" is only 10 million, but it presents such a high-level movie, which really embarrasses mainland filmmakers! In contrast, Zhang Yimou invested 400 million yuan in the filming of "Article 20", and the production cost of "Man Jianghong" is still a mystery, not to mention Jia Ling's "Hot and Hot". Therefore, it is necessary for us to introduce more films like "Eliminate the Three Evils Around the Week", and there will be no progress without competition.
The launch of "Eliminating the Three Evils Everywhere" has given a resounding slap in the face to the mainland film industry in recent years and taken off the fig leaf of mainland filmmakers. Major directors should now reflect on how to eliminate the three evils of "traffic, publicity, and plagiarism". Isn't it more important to improve the quality of the film than to simply engage in publicity?