Let’s first talk about the biggest regret of the national drama in 2023-the spy drama.
To be precise, in the past year, the domestic spy drama market has been fully revived. All spy drama fans were looking forward to the arrival of a big-time spy drama, but unfortunately, they all fell short.
Liu Yunlong ’s Sixth Brother has not appeared, and no one in the domestic spy war drama has surprised everyone.
Two months have passed since 2024.
Zhang Songwen's "Lonely Boat" is expected to "cross the river" in April, Yu Hewei Wu Yue's "Deep Sea 1950" will still take some time.
To break the domestic spy war in 2024, we have to watch CCTV.
A blogger broke the news that the 40-episode spy drama "The Wind and Waves" is expected to be launched on CCTV's eight prime time slots on March 22.
If it premieres as scheduled, it will be the first domestic spy drama this year. The expectations of
are already overwhelming. Not only because of the strong lineup of Wang Yibo , Wang Yang, Wang Xueqi , etc., but also because of the type of the play: financial spy drama .
In the past year, domestic spy dramas have frequently failed. It is not that there are no first-class actors such as Jin Dong, Wang Jinsong, Zhang Zhijian, and Ding Yongdai, as well as ace screenwriters and directors. The biggest problem is: domestic spy dramas are no longer difficult to produce. Climb the high mountain called Liu Yunlong.
So this time, CCTV takes action again, using the new genre of financial spy drama, can it find a place for domestic spy dramas?
Changfeng Breaking Waves comes from "Book of Song·Zong Chou Biography" written by Shen Yue of Liang Dynasty in the Southern Dynasty.
"When I was young, Bing asked me about my ambitions, and he said: 'I would like to ride on the long wind and break the waves of thousands of miles.'"
The last time, it was the CCTV spy drama starring Wang Yang that brought surprises to the domestic spy war. "Rebel", let's see this time, can this lucky star of domestic spy war dramas help domestic spy wars to ride on the long wind and break through thousands of miles of waves?
01. Changing the "direction" of shooting spy wars, this drama has found a breakthrough feeling.
What I am looking forward to more than the lineup is actually the story of this drama, because it creates a "new idea" that has not been seen in spy war dramas for a long time. The new word
corresponds to the old word, of course.
What is the traditional style of spy dramas of the Republic of China? Let me put it bluntly - Liu Yunlong's style.
From "The Conspiracy" to "Kite", Liu Yunlong's spy dramas have become an insurmountable mountain for domestic spy dramas with their wits and agility.
Finding moles, sending intelligence, killing werewolves, and games within games, he has already reached the extreme limit and it is difficult to break through.
Sun Honglei's "Latent" and Zhang Jiayi's " Cliff " have brought the duel between the thick and dark officialdom and peak acting skills to the extreme.
At this point in the traditional spy war, there is no room for breakthrough.
It’s not that domestic directors don’t work hard, it’s that even Liu Yunlong himself has a hard time getting past that peak.
This is why the synopses of the spy war dramas of the Republic of China in recent years all look the same.
But the story of "The Wind and Waves" alone is refreshing.
In 1928, young Wei Ruolai (played by Wang Yibo) was determined to serve the country. While working in a bank, he became a disciple of Shen Tunan (played by Wang Yang), but he witnessed the corruption and darkness within the Kuomintang.
Financial corruption and darkness are shocking and have seriously damaged economic operations.
Wei Ruolai felt hesitant. At this time, the appearance of Communist Party member Shen Jinzhen ( Li Qin ) brought hope to Wei Ruolai.
In the end, he parted ways with his mentor and joined our camp.
After the baptism of blood and fire, he eventually grew into a unique financial expert on our economic front and made great contributions to the final victory.
combined with the trailer, three major innovations are ready to come out:
is a major innovation, a new type, financial espionage.
In the spy dramas of the past few years, the story is either about red agents playing lurking role, or our agents catching spies.
Especially the spy war dramas of the Republic of China, the protagonist often moves between the Japanese invaders, Wang puppets, military commanders and other multiple power camps. There are endless moles and endless twists and turns. No matter how exciting
is, too much will make you tired.
When the audience is tired of aesthetics, the integration of financial and espionage elements, and the unfolding of the suspenseful financial front of espionage, are naturally eye-catching.
Before and after the Anti-Japanese War, Shanghai was an important intelligence game center not only for the British and American groups, German and Italian forces, Japan, the Wang Puppet regime, the Chongqing government, and even Yan'an.
At the same time, the central bank on the Bund in Shanghai is also an important financial battlefield.
The financial battle here is equally turbulent.
And this time, the main stage of "Chang Feng and Waves" is the financial market in Shanghai.
examines this tumultuous financial history from within the enemy.
has two major innovations, a new story and a master-disciple battle.
"Long Wind and Waves" is full of traditional espionage elements, such as thrilling explosions during arrests.
During interrogation, plasma spray was used to extract a confession.
But what caught my eye the most was the literary drama between Wang Yang and Wang Yibo -
Especially the male protagonist's line, "Have you stayed true to your heart?"
It is not difficult to predict that a financial expert from our side and a Kuomintang expert As a senior financial consultant, the master and apprentice will have a life-and-death fight.
However, it is not a battle like "无名", but a game of wits.
three major innovations, new growth.
In past domestic spy games, the protagonist’s combat power was basically written to death. What
grows is mainly the protagonist's ideological realm.
But "Chang Feng and Waves" is different. Wei Ruolai grew up step by step from an ordinary employee of the Kuomintang Central Bank. Under the arrangement of the organization, he moved from Shanghai to Jiangxi and participated in the non-gunpowder work of smashing the Kuomintang's economic blockade of the Central Soviet Area. During the war, he gradually grew into a unique red financial expert on our economic front.
This growth in financial professional strength is simply like Guo Jing’s learning process, from a novice to a peerless master.
story is wonderful.
02. The lineup is extensive and more than 10 talented actors have been invited in one breath.
The director of "The Wind and Waves" is Yao Xiaofeng, who has been nominated for the Magnolia Best Director Award twice for "Big Husband" and "Tiger Mom and Cat Dad". Dramas such as "Justified" and "Brothers Halfway" all broke 8 points. Yao Xiaofeng, who was born in
photography, is good at controlling images. In the trailer, when showing the cruel group portraits of war, the subjective shots of several protagonists and the large panorama seem to be sculpting historical images.
’s directorship is certainly impressive.
But what I personally look forward to more is the screenwriter Weng Liangping.
This screenwriter actually doesn't have many works, but two are enough, one is "Ask the Cangmang" and the other is " vs. ".
Especially those who have watched "Ask the Cangmang" should have more confidence in this drama. This screenwriter has something.
Look at the actors again.
The protagonists of this drama are Wang Yibo and Li Qin, and the main supporting roles include Wang Yang, Wang Xueqi, Gao Lu, Yang Kun, Zhu Tie, Zhang Tianyang, etc.
What attracted me at first glance was not the protagonist, but the ace supporting cast.
The first person to bear the brunt was Wang Yang.
Speaking of spy drama villains, how could this audience forget Chen Moqun, the drag king in "Rebel".
A thug in a suit, suspicious by nature, unkind, ruthless and cunning. But it just makes the audience unable to take their eyes away.
plays the right role and works the same.
"Celebrating More Than Years" is a small character who appeared in less than 10 episodes to receive a box lunch, which is unforgettable.
He plays the master Shen Tunan, the male protagonist who is difficult to distinguish between good and evil, and he is absolutely outstanding.
This person is professional, intelligent, ambitious, and hesitant. He is definitely not a one-sided executioner, but a financier of the Republic of China who was deeply confused. I dare say that the charm of the character is definitely not less than that of the king, not 80% or 90%. , 100%, another acting feast.
The second acting ballast is Wang Xueqi.
From "October Siege" to "Search", it would be redundant to comment on Wang Xueqi's acting skills.
He is a real veteran actor with many faces. Even in a fantasy drama like "Under the Stranger", he is just a supporting role, but he still plays a dazzling role, and he is the protagonist.
In the trailer, his face is hidden in the darkness, which seems to indicate that the character is uncertain.
I don’t have much expectations for him, just top-notch spy drama acting skills.
actresses, I look forward to Gao Lu.
From the intellectual and warm Sister Lizi in "Home, Nth Power" to the villain in "Do You Know", Gao Lu is an actress with unrivaled acting skills and good looks.
Spy war dramas have always been a blessed place for such beautiful and powerful actors. Gao Lu is really charming in a cheongsam. If the character is eye-catching, with her acting skills, the character will be out of the circle in minutes.
With such powerful actors backing the lineup, the foundation of this drama has become much more stable.
Coupled with veteran and powerful players like Yang Kun and Zhu Tie, the overall acting skills of the series will definitely be online.
03. The powerful acting is too eye-catching, but the success or failure of the series lies in the male and female protagonists.
With so many advantages, the series is not without its hidden dangers.
Even more, its hidden dangers are extremely intuitive, and it is a question of "the answer is hidden on the surface of the mystery".
In a simple sentence, veteran actors gather together, and the leading actor's skills are put to the test. In the trailer of
, in just a few seconds of the antagonist scene, Wang Yang showed the character's sense of city.
As for Wang Xueqi, the trailer gave a glimpse, but the sense of oppression of the character is evident even in the stills.
The pressure naturally comes to the male and female protagonists.
I don't think Wang Yibo has no acting skills.
"Unknown" has a box office of 931 million. Whether it is a spy movie or a literary film, it is remarkable, and Wang Yibo is indispensable.
After filming "Unknown", director Cheng Er immediately approached Wang Yibo to continue filming the next film. This was actually a recognition of Wang Yibo's acting skills and professionalism.
Among many traffic niches, Wang Yibo can quickly establish a stable box office appeal. It cannot be an accident.
Wang Yibo is no stranger to spy movies.
My worry is that the role of the male protagonist is too important.
The focus of the story of "Wind and Waves" all rests on him alone. It can be said that Wang Yibo's role this time is more important than that of "Unknown".
He has to be in line with the atmosphere of the times, he has to perform the demeanor of an underground financial worker, and he has to take on the role of an old actor. Only if he can sustain the play can the play be successful.
Let’s talk about the heroine Li Qin. It is rare to see a 90-year-old actress who is not praised for her dedication and hard work. However, her acting skills in recent dramas have been frequently questioned.
There is a scene in the trailer where the heroine is facing danger and points a gun at her. Li Qin's eyes are filled with tears, but also with a hint of determination. His acting skills are very stable. If such acting skills can be used throughout the whole drama, then this will be Li Qin's comeback. battle. Whether
is a "shortcoming" or a bright spot can only be tested in the feature film.
04. To get out of the cold winter, domestic spy war dramas still need to overcome these three problems.
The domestic spy war drama market in 2023 is actually the best in recent years.
It is rare that in a year, there are so many spy war dramas such as "无码", "Thin Ice", "Pictured Plum", "Plum Blossoms of Hearts", "Secret Agent Mission", etc., but unfortunately, only the final score of 6.4 was "" Clubs of Hearts" and "Agent Mission" with a score of 8.0.
This is of course because spy war classics such as "The Pretender" and "The Cliff" have raised the standard of spy war dramas.
However, the spy drama has fallen into a cold winter, which essentially lies in its own three problems.
First, the focus is wrong.
Liu Yunlong’s classic spy dramas often have higher requirements for the characters’ careful thinking and plot logic.
For new masterpieces like "Renegade", the script is also refined.
However, in recent years, the screenwriters of spy dramas have not only declined in reasoning skills, but many have also abandoned logic for the sake of gimmicks.
To put it bluntly, it is a treasure trove elsewhere. The spy drama has turned into an idol drama. If the audience does not give negative reviews, it will not give the screenwriter face.
Secondly, the protagonist’s acting skills can’t hold up.
The script is one thing, but the actors' inability to hold up the play is also another thing.
"Cliff" is a classic, with Zhang Jiayi, and "The Conspiracy" will never get tired of watching, with the outstanding acting skills of Wang Baoqiang and Liu Yunlong.
In the past, spy dramas usually starred middle-aged actors. Before Yu Hewei became famous, he acted in many spy war dramas. Let’s not talk about whether the plot is good or not, but his acting skills are already very impressive.
In recent years, domestic spy dramas have frequently encountered the problem of young protagonists being unable to hold on to the drama.
is over-reversed at the end.
For example, "Infernal Affairs" starring Jin Dong and Wang Zhiwen.
In fact, the drama did a good job both in terms of overall acting performance and spy plot setting. The problem with
is that the director pursues reversal too much, and everyone has at least two, three, and n levels of identity. By the end, the audience is confused, and maybe the screenwriter himself is also confused.
This caused the plot to collapse in the later stages and the characters to be incomprehensible.
is a good drama, but its reputation has been lowered.
Judging from the materials of "Long Wind and Waves", it can be said to be a counterattack against the above problems.
Whether it is the talented cast led by Wang Yang and Wang Xueqi, or the unique setting of financial espionage, people have high expectations. Although
has hidden dangers, I still choose to look forward to it.
After all, domestic spy dramas need a break. The official English name of the
drama series is war of faith, which is translated into Chinese as War of Faith.
also hopes that this 2024 domestic spy drama will help the audience regain their confidence in spy dramas.
