In 1997, " Ma Yongzhen", directed by Yuan Kui and screenwriter Liu Zhenwei, starring Takeshi Kaneshiro, Yuen Biao and Xuan Xuan, was released. The box office suffered a blood loss and only received 3.01 million Hong Kong dollars, ranking 51st in the annual box office list. As a high-level action movie,
has a dismal box office, which shows the decline of Hong Kong movies and the decline of action movies. Although
lost the box office, this action movie is a rare masterpiece. It integrates funny, action, and thought, not just fighting for the sake of fighting, but funny for the sake of being funny. You can appreciate the deep meaning of the director and the thoughts expressed. The story of the
film is very simple. It tells the story of a handsome Shandong guy Ma Yongzhen (Kanejo Takeshi) fighting for hegemony in Shanghai.
Ma Yongzhen was born in poverty. Due to the severe drought in Shandong, he followed his brother Ma Daxiang (played by Yuan Hua) to go to Shanghai for a meal, and wanted to find a promising job. As a result, no promising job was found. The brothers had to work as Coolie No. 1 and Coolie No. 2 on the Huangpu River to carry sandbags.
Ma Yongzhen was very unwilling. Seeing a beautiful carriage parked on the pier, she touched with envy, and got acquainted with Tan Si (Yuan Biao) who is also a Shandong native of Shanghai.
Tan Si appreciates Ma Yongzhen's skill and tells Ma Yongzhen a truth, "Is there anything in Shanghai that was not stolen?"
So Ma Yongzhen relied on one person and one knife to take over Yang Shuang's six factories in succession. With Tan Si and Yang Shuang one-third of the world.
fame, wealth, status, money, and beauty, all with fists. Ma Yongzhen began to float, and even Tan Si's words could not be heard.
was later framed by Sunny Sky (played by Zhou Jialing) with a divorce, and was almost eliminated by Yang Shuang (played by Yuande). Ma Yongzhen, who was resurrected, began to re-examine the past after helping Tan Si get revenge, and decided to withdraw from the arena. With her lover Jin Lingzi (Xuan Xuan) and her brother Ma Daxiang, she left Shili Yangchang, the feasting Shanghai. In short,
is a routine for heroes to travel through the rivers and lakes, heroes become famous, and heroes wake up. Although the story outline is very simple and clichéd, the deep meaning behind the film and the imagery elements in the film are worthy of study.
1, train
, the movie starts with the two brothers Ma Yongzhen taking a train to Shanghai, and ends with the two brothers Ma Yongzhen taking a train to leave Shanghai.
When I first went to Shanghai, the train came galloping in with white smoke, with the brothers Ma Yongzhen, who wanted to break into the world and get ahead. At that time, Ma Yongzhen was passionate, ambitious and dreamy. Passion, impulse, passion, and romance, just like a white smoke, galloping train, so fast and full of energy. When
left Shanghai, the train started slowly at dusk and left slowly. Just like Ma Yongzhen's state of mind at the time, so calm and indifferent, and his heart is like still water. Let go of fame, fortune, desire, and return to the ordinary world.
"The day I left Shanghai, it was dusk. The Huangpu River is like a gold brick. Many people wanted to get it. As a result, they even lost their lives."
Director Yuankui used the two states of a train to come. It is wonderful to express the changes in Ma Yongzhen's heart.
2, Jasmine
In addition to the train, the prop Jasmine in the film also reflects the director's intentions.
When Ma Yongzhen left his hometown, he brought jasmine flowers. He likes jasmine flowers. He thinks jasmine flowers can bring good luck.
"When I was a child, I heard my dad say that he has to leave his hometown alone and take the seeds of his hometown. When the time comes to blossom and bear fruit, his career will be smooth sailing. I hope this jasmine can grow tall."
Jasmine really brought him. Fortunately, in Shanghai, he quickly met the big brother Tan Si of the underworld. With Tan Si's care and his own efforts, Ma Yongzhen quickly stood firm on the beach and competed with Tan Si and Yang Shuang. This jasmine tree was also planted in a flowerpot by Ma Yongzhen, with luxuriant branches, growing bigger and bigger.
The bigger Ma Yongzhen’s career, the bigger this jasmine flower. Ma Yongzhen’s destiny seems to be tied to this jasmine flower.When Ma Yongzhen was killed by the sun, the pot of jasmine was also broken to the ground.
Jasmine in the film can be divided into tangible and intangible. The tangible is the real flower, and the intangible is Jin Lingzi, Ma Yongzhen's favorite singer.
Jin Lingzi’s "Jasmine Flower" captured Ma Yongzhen’s heart. Since then, Ma Yongzhen will never forget this jasmine flower. Even if there is a magnificent sunny sky, Ma Yongzhen’s deepest love is the elegant and light fragrance of Jin Lingzi. Jasmine.
After some twists and turns, Ma Yongzhen picked the jasmine flower as she wished and left Shanghai with her. Visible jasmine is fame, fortune, desire, and invisible jasmine is tranquil and ordinary, and the director's mind is really original.
3, pear
In the film, Yuen Biao played Tan Si. When he appeared, he held a pear in his hand, a gang boss, and he held a pear instead of a gun or a knife. Director Yuan Kui's intentions are obvious, to show the ambivalence and sentiments of Tan Si, the big brother of the underworld.
The pear in Tan Si's hands represents his unforgettable original intention, his righteousness, and his inner persistence. But people can't help themselves in the arena. Although he wants to wash his hands in the golden basin, it is not so easy to retreat from the whole body. Hostile forces such as Yang Shuang and Patrol Fang couldn't let him go. He can only hold a pear in his hand, looking for a moment of tranquility. In addition to representing his original intention,
Lizi also interprets his emotional entanglement with Sunny Sky. In the film, Tan Si cut the pears very well, as is the sunny sky. Tan Si had a happy time with Sunny Sky. They could have been an enviable pair. But Tan Si knew that he was a desperado who licked his blood with a knife head. There will be today and no tomorrow, and the day will be unpredictable, so he doesn't want to hurt the sun.
But Sunny Day felt that Tan Si didn't love her, so he felt revenge and was used by Yang Shuang. When Tan Si was about to be shot to death by Yang Shuang's patrol house, what Yan Yangtian gave him was a pear wrapped in cloth. Cloth and Lizi are inseparable from life and death. Tan Sida was moved by biting her finger and wrote a blood book: "If we can start again, I hope tonight." Farewell to life and death. Tan Si and Sunny Sky could never start again. Tan Si was still standing when he died. He was still an unyielding man until the moment he died.
"When I was young, I heard from the elders in the country that some people would never kneel down to others in their entire life. When he died and reincarnated, he would be an upright man in his next life."
But Tan Si is the only one to kneel down. People are sunny, and Tiehan’s tenderness is evident.
4, photo
Jin Lingzi's photos, appeared three times in the film. For the first time, Ma Yongzhen took the photos away after listening to "Jasmine". The second time Ma Yongzhen looked at Jin Lingzi's photo and became a robber. For the third time, Jin Lingzi found that Ma Yongzhen's photo was still hidden under the quilt. The three photos all hinted to the audience that Jin Lingzi had already been printed on Ma Yongzhen's heart and could not go away. In the end, Ma Yongzhen's hand was no longer holding the picture of Jin Lingzi, but the person who completely held her.
5, song
There are three songs in the movie, three different songs, the expression is very meaningful.
"Jasmine": Jin Lingzi is a famous spring singer, known as the golden voice, her singing voice is moving. At that time, Ma Yongzhen was still a poor boy. With the help of his brother Xiao Jiangbei, he was able to come to this drunken high-end entertainment venue. He didn't know Jin Lingzi, but he heard that Jin Lingzi sang very well, so he came in and listened.
Two groups of Yang Shuang and Tan Si fought together. Ma Yongzhen rescued Jin Lingzi from the chaos (in fact, he thought it was his eldest brother). Jin Lingzi fell in love with Ma Yongzhen at first sight. When Ma Yongzhen left Yihuchun, he sang this song "Jasmine". The singing is moving and beautiful, as if confessing to Ma Yongzhen.
"What a jasmine flower, what a jasmine flower, the garden is full of flowers and the fragrance is also fragrant, but it's not bad. Slaves are willing to pick one, and those who look at the flowers will scold me. Slaves are willing to pick one, and are afraid that they will not sprout in the coming year. "
, and Ma Yongzhen, who was outside the door, was also fascinated by this beautiful singing.Surprisingly, she found that the singer-songwriter Jin Lingzi on the sign at the door was the woman he had just saved. The song "Jasmine" made two strangers fall in love. When Ma Yongzhen’s obsessive expression and Jin Lingzi’s sweet smile are presented in the camera, the singing of "Jasmine" is really beautiful.
"Play to the End": Sunny Day's most beloved man is Tan Si, but Tan Si is unwilling to marry her, and even asked her to find a man to marry. After Ma Yongzhen rescued Tan Si, Tan Si gave Ma Yongzhen a pot of spring. As the owner of Yihuchun, Yanyangtian naturally has a grudge against Tan Sixin. Tan Si didn't take her seriously, and the sun began to indulge himself. On the night when Ma Yongzhen came to a pot of spring, he sang this song "To the End". It was sung to Ma Yongzhen on the surface, but it was actually sung to Tan Sihe himself. "I just want to see your masculinity, and play a game that you love and I want with you vigorously."
"Hold Yourself Closely": the theme song of the movie, when all love, hate, and hatred, all sound in the train When the smoke disappeared in the long sound, Anita Mui's "Hold the Person Before You Close" sounded. "It should have been in love, it should be matched, but it was destined to go together but failed. I have to love it forever. I only wish to hug the person in front of me, hurry up for a lifetime, and kiss deeply. I will never love others after this."
is rich in Mei Yanfang In the magnetic chanting and singing, people feel that what fame, fame, fortune, and dominance are not as practical and precious as holding the person in front of them.
In short, although this movie has a poor box office, it is still quite interesting. Gunfight, action, funny, fight, fire, love and hatred, you can always find a scene to watch. No matter how bad, the appearance of Takeshi Kaneshiro is also a visual enjoyment.
