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Contains plot details
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This is a fascinating noir suspense film, particularly in terms of "suspense." The director uses several sounds that may lead the audience to misunderstand them as gunshots, like popping corn or other loud crashing noises, before suddenly interspersing real gunshots and intense fighting; coupled with the setting in a not-so-modern town, the overall impression is that of an old and chaotic area. The film gave me a sense of oppression—I didn’t know what would happen, and nothing that did happen was surprising. The tense atmosphere carried all the way to the end.
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It’s hard to explain what exactly was portrayed, as there are actually very few lines in the film. A lot happens, and each event is sudden. The common point is that everything is filmed beautifully. Although there are not many scenes of confrontation, the sense of conflict and intensity is strong, leaving one feeling as though the film ended too soon. But that's not the main story; it's merely part of the process. It’s only by the end that one realizes that the character played by Liao Fan, the police captain, is the key figure that connects the whole film.
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My favorite scene in the movie is the one where they dance in the square. It appears a little bit in the trailer, and I initially thought it would be like an Indian musical where everyone suddenly dances together, but it’s not like that. Upon reflection, that scene doesn’t have much logic, but combined with the plot arrangement and character positioning, I really think it was filmed exceedingly well—super cool!
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Overall, I feel that Gwei Lun-mei's performance is groundbreaking, Hu Ge's character portrayal is very on point, and Liao Fan may have little screen time but has a strong presence. Although it’s different from typical films, there is a lot to appreciate, and it’s a nice change of pace~~
