The crime action film " Abandon Three Evils in One Week " directed by Huang Jingfu and starring Ethan Ethan beat all major Spring Festival films and went from third place on the box office list to first place in the box office list in just three days.
As of 14:00 on March 4, less than 4 days after "Zhou Chu's Three Evils" was officially released, the box office has exceeded 140 million yuan. Maoyan Pro continues to raise its mainland box office forecast, reaching 378 million yuan. If this figure can be reached, the film will surpass "My Girlhood" (358 million) and become the runner-up in the box office of Taiwanese films in the mainland film market.
The film tells the story of a wanted criminal, Chen Guilin, who was told that his life would come to an end, so he decided to surrender at the police station, only to find that he was only ranked third on the wanted list. Chen Guilin, who vowed to become famous and known to the world, regarded himself as a contemporary Zhou Chu, determined to "do big things", investigate the whereabouts of the first two wanted criminals, and eliminate them one by one.
The allusion of "Zhou Chu eliminates three evils" quoted in the film is taken from "Book of Jin: Biography of Zhou Chu" and "Shishuo Xinyu". According to records, the young man Zhou Chu was tall and powerful, but he ran rampant in the countryside and became a disaster for his neighbors. Later, Zhou Chu single-handedly killed the tigers and dragons that were causing harm to the world, and he also corrected his evil ways and returned to the right path, thus eliminating all three evils.
"Zhou Chu Removes Three Evils" was released in Taiwan, China, in October last year, with a box office of 46.64 million (NT$), equivalent to approximately 10.623 million RMB, ranking fifth among local Chinese films in Taiwan. The film was released in mainland China on March 1 and was released on Netflix on the same day.
In view of the fact that this film is a rare film among Chinese films in recent years that combines gangster revenge, criminal action and violent aesthetics, the viewing experience on the big screen is better than streaming media, and it is highly sought after by movie fans. With a high reputation, the current box office It has not been greatly affected by the simultaneous launch of streaming media, and the trend is good.
Blood plasma and bullets
When "The Three Evils" was released in Taiwan, China, it was advertised as "the worst movie in Taiwanese film history". A poster produced by the film studio for the film's release in mainland China warned "minors to watch with caution." These marketing rhetoric are exaggerated, but they are also consistent with the reality of the film. Among the many comments about watching the movie, "large scale" is a frequently mentioned word, which in turn arouses the curiosity of more viewers and goes to the theater to find out.
Before "Zhou Chu Removes Three Evils", Taiwanese films that performed well in the mainland market were often romance films. The top three films in the box office list all fell into this genre, namely " is sadder than sad." "Story " (958 million), "My Girlhood" (359 million) and " When Men Are in Love " (264 million).
"Zhou Chu Eliminates Three Evils" allows the audience to see another side of Taiwanese commercial movies. In addition to romance movies, new works are constantly being produced in suspense, thriller, crime and other genres, and the themes are bold and creative. "That Time a Ghost and I Became Family", which won the box office championship among Chinese-language films in Taiwan last year, combines fantasy, comedy and other genres. "Zhou Chu Destroy Three Evils" has a new idea in the crime action film genre.
Of course, the action scenes with strong visual impact in the film are also related to the fact that Huang Jingfu is a Hong Kong director. In 2005, Huang Jingfu won the honor of New Director at the Hong Kong Film Awards for his crime action film "江湖". This film brings together many Hong Kong stars such as Andy Lau and Jacky Cheung. The audio-visual design of the film is exquisite and elegant, and the gangster action film has a romantic temperament, which left a deep impression on Hong Kong film lovers.
"Zhou Chu Eliminates Three Evils" has a sense of tension that is not inferior to that of action blockbusters. For example, at the beginning of the film, the chase scene between Chen Guilin and detective Chen Hui in a long and narrow alleyway, and the close-to-hand fight scene using all props in a cramped space, with punches to the flesh and blood dripping, is reminiscent of classic scenes in Hong Kong police and gangster movies. The killing scene in the climax of the film made some movie fans dream back to the crime thriller "Twin Eyes", which was also directed by Hong Kong director Chen Guofu and cast by Taiwanese actors.
"Zhou Chu Eliminates Three Evils" mainly revolves around the story of Chen Guilin tracking down and eradicating the wanted criminals Hong Kong Aberdeen and Lin Luhe. The pursuit of the two wanted criminals divides the film into two parts, with obvious changes in style before and after. .The first half focuses on close combat with force, while the second half focuses on showing psychological games, which is more absurd and thrilling. On the small island that looks like a paradise, Chen Guilin was almost deceived by Lin Luhe and his gang, who had adopted the pseudonym Venerable, and revealed his wealth and life. When Chen Guilin discovered that this organization that advised believers to put aside their external possessions and worldly concerns was actually looking for opportunities to make money and commit all kinds of evil. Chen Guilin decided to "do justice for heaven".
The climax of the film takes place in a spiritual retreat that appears to be pure and benevolent. After His Holiness was shot dead by Chen Guilin, his lover took his place and sang the soul-cleansing lyrical song "New Creation" that appears repeatedly in the film. Chen Guilin believed that the people in the organization were helping the tyrants and had no intention of repenting, so he decided to eliminate those who remained one by one. So, on one side is the pure singing like an angel, on the other side is the killing of blood and bullets, accompanied by some black humor, such as Chen Guilin's decision to let those who have the will to survive leave, but some of them are stubborn and regard death as home.
This scene combines absurdity, violence and beauty, bringing the aesthetic style of the entire film to its extreme, making some viewers say it is extremely enjoyable. What makes people feel satisfied is not the yearning for violence and killing, but the moral concept of punishing evil and promoting good, and eliminating evil, which is fully vented during the movie viewing process.
Innocence and evil mixed
The Spring Festival period is often the off-season for the film market. After the Spring Festival blockbusters, the alternative style of "The Three Evils" brought a long-lost sense of freshness to the audience, and also proved that the market needs more The supply of films with novel themes and diverse types provides consumers with more movie-watching choices.
If we dig deeper, there are still many flaws in the narrative of the film. For example, there is a vague emotional line between Chen Guilin and the rescued girl Cheng Xiaomei, which is portrayed in a relatively old-fashioned way. The interaction between Chen Guilin and Chen Hui, that is, the police and criminals, The portrayal of the characters' relationships as mirror images is also superficial, and these dramas drag down the overall rhythm of the film. However, the actors' performances still find the rationality for the existence of these diverse characters. Starring Ethan Ruan broke most viewers' inherent impressions of male protagonists in idol dramas and demonstrated his progress in acting over the past decade.
was born as a model. In 2005, he starred in the youth idol drama "Green Forest" and became known to the audience. Three years later, he starred in "Fated to Love You" and set a historical idol drama ratings record in Taiwan. In 2010, Ethan Ruan won the Golden Horse Award for Best Actor for his crime action film "Monga". In recent years, he has also honed his acting skills in suspense and action films such as " chasing " and " rage ". Last year, he was nominated for the Golden Horse Award for Best Actor for his role as Chen Guilin, but ultimately lost to "Fudu Youth" "Wu Kangren who gave an even more amazing performance.
In "Zhou Chu Eliminates Three Evils", Ethan Juan more accurately interpreted Chen Guilin's mixed characteristics of innocence and evil. In a disordered environment, he established his own way of existence. On the one hand, he has committed countless serious crimes and is an unforgivable and extremely evil person. On the other hand, in the process of eradicating evildoers, he rescued women who were bullied. When he saw a fraud organization murdering innocent mothers and children, he put himself in danger. He regarded the only relic left by his grandmother, a children's watch with a pink piggy on it, as a treasure. There is kindness and purity in the sinful soul, which also makes the audience sympathize with his fate.
Other supporting actors in the film also contributed remarkable performances. For example, Xie Qiongnuan, who plays Zhang Guiqing, used her delicate and moving performance to portray the image of a doctor who has been practicing medicine for the underworld for many years and has suffered soul torture. Prior to this, she had played many roles that impressed the audience in popular Taiwanese dramas such as "The Distance Between Us and Evil" and "The Story of a Fairy Girl". Chen Yiwen, who has contributed outstanding performances in Taiwanese films such as "The Sun Shines ", plays the most wanted criminal Lin Luhe this time, and he appropriately captures the hypocrisy and greed of a very evil person.
It should be noted that "Zhou Chu Eliminates Three Evils" has performed well in the market, but it has also been questioned by "plagiarism".Recently, Taiwanese director Qian Renhao posted some documents on Weibo, claiming that "The Three Evils" was suspected of plagiarizing his original script "Lawless" conceived and written in 2015. From the information he showed, it can be seen that there are similarities between the film and the script in names, lines, and some plots. Qian Renhao said that he has filed a complaint against "Zhou Chu Eliminates Three Evils". At present, the court has not yet made a ruling on this case. In October last year, Huang Jingfu issued an article denying plagiarism and stated that the inspiration for the film came from his previous work. "One Attitude", the producer of "The Three Evils", also filed a defamation complaint against Qian Renhao.
No matter what the outcome is, creativity is always the core of the script, and protection and respect for originality are the prerequisite for the healthy development of the film market. Only by ensuring this, can creative films such as "Zhou Chu Eliminate Three Evils" be continuously created and produced.
