Xiaoqiang recently watched the Lunar New Year movie "The Three Brigades" starring Zhang Yi, and was deeply moved. This movie is adapted from real events. Because it reveals too many social problems, the director chose to hide many real details.
There is a shocking detail at the end of the movie that made the director burst into tears several times. It was a choice that a middle-aged man had to face. Perhaps this is the sad background of reality.
The story begins with a rape and murder case. The real culprits were a pair of brothers who roamed around to commit crimes. They climbed into the room along the air-conditioning unit, and specifically targeted young girls living alone to commit crimes. They not only robbed, but also raped and killed her. The prototype of this case is the August 22 case in 2002, which was adapted into the September 21 case in the movie.
Two suspect brothers invaded the bedroom of a 14-year-old girl, brutally murdered her and fled. The protagonist of the movie, Cheng Bing, is a member of the Third Brigade. They captured one of the two brothers. During the interrogation process, he was very angry and failed to control his emotions, and ended up beating the suspect to death. In the end, all members of the third brigade were punished by law, with prison terms ranging from 8 to 12 years. Among them, Cheng Bing was sentenced to 8 years in prison.
During the eight years, Cheng Bing worked hard in prison and endured hardships. He did not forget his identity as a policeman, although his fellow inmates always reminded him that you are no longer a policeman and you will never be a policeman again. But he still did not give up his responsibilities and ideals. Although his heart was hit, he still chose to move forward.
When he was released from prison, his former brothers had returned to their families and became small bosses in the catering industry. However, under his influence, a group of brothers gave up their current lives and prepared to reorganize the third team with him. From the beginning, everyone was in high spirits and enthusiasm. But they have no idea that the pursuit of the murderer lasted for twelve years, and how many twelve years can there be in their lives. This may be the foreshadowing of their eventual disintegration.
This road of life is destined to be a silent farewell, and loss and separation are its main themes. At the beginning, their cooperation was perfect. Although they were a step slower every time and successfully allowed Wang Eryong to escape, they also destroyed many kidnapping and trafficking dens by the way.
Before a year had passed, Ma Zhenkun in the team couldn't hold on anymore. He couldn't see any hope, so he wanted to quit. Once he continued to chase, his family would definitely be torn apart, because in these years, his whole family has been in He is supported by his wife alone. His seriously ill mother has also been taken care of by her for many years. In order to earn more money, his wife will set up a stall at night to make money to supplement the family. Although he is chasing the murderer, it is quite difficult for the family. To a homeless person. Now that his wife has injured her leg, there is no one to take care of the children at home. If he does not return to his family, he will lose the family and even bear a debt of gratitude that he will never be able to repay in his lifetime.
With Ma Zhenkun's departure, Liao Jian also chose to leave a year later. His concern was his son. Since his son could not leave his company, and the hope of chasing the murderer was very slim, so on New Year's Eve, he The night before, I finally broke down emotionally and chose to quit.
Now there are only three people left in the team, and the suspect is wandering around major provinces and cities, hiding himself extremely secretly. Therefore, chasing the murderer is destined to be lonely and helpless. Xu Yizhou was originally alone and one of the important figures in the team, but after he found the one he loved, he also chose to leave Cheng Bing.
At this point, only Cheng Bing and Cai Bin are left in the third team. They serve as each other's spiritual support and should be the team's last hope, but this road is destined to be a journey without an end. In the end, because Cai Bin suffered from cancer, he had to choose to quit, and it must be out of his control.
He said goodbye to Cheng Bing on the bank of a river. This scene is also the most impressive scene in the movie.At that time, the two of them swam to the other side together. At first, you chased me and did not relax at all. But halfway through the swim, Cai Bin stopped due to lack of physical strength, while Cheng Bing kept swimming toward the other side. The two of them were in front of each other. One after another, a sharp contrast. At this time, Cai Bin began to advise Cheng Bing that people can't always look back at the past, but should look forward. He wanted to guide Cheng Bing to let go of his obsession, let go of himself, and return to a normal life. But Cheng Bing swam to the other side without looking back. This might be his best reply to Cai Bin. Everyone's choice is different. For some people, letting go of their obsessions, returning to their families, and starting over is "looking forward." For Cheng Bing, who has lost everything, giving a result to the 9.21 major case is "looking forward." Look ahead."
There is no right or wrong in their choices. Everyone just chooses the way they want to spend their life. At this point, only Cheng Bing is left in the Third Brigade. He has never forgotten his original intention. Although he is no longer a people's policeman, he still does not forget his mission. This may be the helplessness and sadness of a middle-aged man. Even if he returns to his family, he will become at a loss and find it difficult to let go of his heart. Therefore, even if all this is God's arrangement and deliberately prevents him from catching Wang Eryong, he must fight against this fate to the end.
Perhaps Cheng Bing had countless thoughts of giving up during the twelve years of chasing the murderer. Especially when his wife persuaded him to look back for the last time, he must have been suffering in his heart. The scene when he looked back in the car, with his old face reflected in the car window, made it seem like half a lifetime had passed, and he was still living. There is no way out of the sea of suffering. This scene makes people unable to let it go for a long time, and it is also the highlight of the movie.
I originally thought this was a suspense film + police film, but it was not until the end that the director suddenly realized that this is a realistic film. Farewell is its spiritual core, and reconciliation with oneself is its central idea. Cheng Bing's obsession is like a Shawshank prison, trapping him in a sea of misery and never being able to return to reality.
At the end of the movie, Cheng Bing walked through a backlit crossroads. Opposite him were his teammates who had left. This scene was like a magical reality world, as if they had never really appeared. Those who gave up midway were just Cheng. Bing has countless different lives, they are just countless parallel lives that Cheng Bing has given up on. But Cheng Bing stood alone at the tenth intersection and finally made his real choice.
(Clang Film Editor/Mingyue)