Author of this article: Li Xiaotian
Taiwanese movies have not produced explosive masterpieces for a long, long time.
The last Taiwanese crime film that was thrilling and emotionally charged was "Monga" which was released in 2010.
4 years later, I finally waited for " to eliminate three evils in ". The overall quality is even better than "Monga".
By coincidence, the leading actors in "Zhou Chu Eliminate Three Evils" and "Monga" are both Ethan Juan..
"Monga" is essentially a cruel youth film. Several good young people join a club collectively. They originally wanted to work together to achieve dominance, but unexpectedly, the cruelty of society quickly shattered their youthful frivolity. The so-called friendship eventually turned into fighting and hurting each other. It was tragic and cruel, and it was heartbreaking to watch.
"Monga" made the young Ethan Ruan famous. But he quickly drifted away. Before he could secure his position as the number one niche player in Taiwan, he quickly fell into decline. He was successively surpassed by Zhao Youting and Peng Yuyan.
Nowadays, the movie "Zhou Chu Eliminates Three Evils" announces that Ethan Ruan is coming again and returns to the front line.
Of course, these are not important. What is important is that "Zhou Chu Eliminates Three Evils" is really good-looking. What is very rare about
is that it is adapted from a literary classic, but it is not a copy, it is a new edition of a classic, and it has been modified in such a way that there is no sense of violation, but it is very smooth. It can even be said that it is not an adaptation but a reference.
Classical new series, there have been them before, earlier ones like "91 The Legend of the Condor Heroes". Although it is named after Jin Yong's costume drama, the plot is a story about modern people. Fortunately, the martial arts flavor is strong, and the overall performance is not too bad. But it's still awkward. More recent ones are like " New God List: Nezha Reborn " and " New God List: Yang Jian ". This series modernizes the story of "Fengshen Bang". Although the painting style is good, the overall acceptance level is not high. A little embarrassed.
"Zhou Chu Eliminates Three Evils", the original story comes from "Shishuoxinyu". Zhou Chu, whose history spans the Eastern Wu Dynasty and the Western Jin Dynasty during the Three Kingdoms period, served successively as Zuocheng of Dongguan of Dongwu, Taishou of Xinping of Jin Dynasty, Taishou of Guanghan, and Zhongcheng of the imperial censor. He was an upright official and did not fear the powerful, so he was marginalized by powerful ministers. In the sixth year of Yuankang in the Western Jin Dynasty (296), he was awarded the title of General Jianwei and was ordered to lead troops to conquer the Qiang people in the west. In the spring of the following year, he died on the battlefield in Liumo (now Qianxian County, Shaanxi Province). After his death, he was awarded the posthumous title of General Pingxi and the title of Xiaohou.
In terms of history, Zhou Chu is not a famous figure. Relatively speaking, the one we are more familiar with is Zhou Chu's father---Zhou Li. Anyone who has watched "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" will be familiar with the name Zhou Li. He was a general under Lu Xun of Soochow in the late Three Kingdoms period.
Zhou Li's most famous deed is launching the Battle of Shiting. At that time, Wei and Wu were engaged in fierce competition for the Jianghuai region, and both wanted to wait for opportunities to annihilate each other's main force. In 228 AD, Zhou Li, the then governor of Poyang (now Poyang, Jiangxi Province) of the state of Wu, followed the example of his predecessor Huang Gai and used a false surrender strategy to write to Cao Xiu, the commander-in-chief of the state of Wei, expressing his willingness to rebel against Wu and return to Wei, and requesting Cao Xiu to send troops to support him.
You must know that Zhou Li was the governor of Poyang. His surrender was not simply from Wu to Wei, but also to the Wei State along with Poyang. Naturally, Cao Xiu did not dare to neglect, so he personally led an army of 100,000 to Wancheng to meet Zhou Li. At the same time, Emperor Wei Ming Cao Rui ordered Sima Yi to march towards Jiangling and Jia Kui to Dongguan, and the three armies marched at the same time.
In August, Sun Quan arrived in Wancheng, appointed Lu Xun as the chief governor, and appointed Zhu Huan and Quan Cong as the left and right governors respectively. Each led 30,000 people to attack Cao Xiu.
Cao Xiu received the report and knew that he had been deceived by Zhou Li. However, Cao Xiu felt that he had 100,000 troops on his own, and Lu Xun's three troops together only had 90,000, and he had Sima Yi and Jia Kui on his left and right as cover, so he was not afraid at all and continued to advance.
In Shiting, the Cao and Wu armies met on a narrow road. Cao Xiu, who arrived early, even set up an ambush and waited for the Soochow army to get into his pocket. As a result, Lu Xun was not afraid at all and personally led the central army to attack Cao Jun. At the same time, he ordered Zhu Huan and Quan Cong to serve as the left and right wings to advance in three directions. The Dongwu army was so powerful that Cao Jun could not resist and was defeated. The whole army retreated and was completely defeated.
The Soochow army covered them up all the way, and Cao Xiu was about to die. Fortunately, the rescuer Jia Kui rushed over quickly and rescued Cao Xiu.
Zhou Li was responsible for leading the army to intercept Cao Xiu's army in this battle, disrupting its deployment, causing Cao's army to be defeated, and achieved great military exploits.
The Battle of Shiting was initiated because Zhou Yi pretended to surrender and he attacked bravely during the battle. At the post-war celebration banquet, Sun Quan personally commended Zhou Yi for his contribution. "The merits of the emperor can be written on bamboo and silk", which was further added. He was awarded the title of General Pi and the title of Marquis of Guannei.
As a result of the Battle of Shiting, Cao's army was severely weakened and was unable to launch active attacks on Shu and Soochow for more than 20 years. Moreover, after this battle, Cao Xiu was so ashamed that he wrote a letter to apologize and died of illness soon after. With the death of Cao Xiu, the internal balance of Cao Wei was completely broken. The Cao/Xiahou family was no longer capable of generals and could only allow Sima Yi to rise and gradually control the power of Cao Wei.
For Soochow, it had been beaten by Cao Wei and had always been on the defensive. The Battle of Shiting completely slowed Soochow down. A year later, Sun Quan proclaimed himself emperor, and Soochow reached the peak of its development.
As for the Shu Han, in the same year that the Battle of Shiting was launched (228), the Shu Han had just experienced the Battle of Jieting at the beginning of the year, losing troops and generals, and returned defeated. But when Zhuge Liang heard that Cao Xiu was defeated at Shiting, he launched the Northern Expedition again. Zhuge Liang led the army from Sanguan and surrounded Chencang. As a result, Wei general Hao Zhao defended the city well. Zhuge Liang attacked Chencang several times but failed to capture it. In the end, he had to return in frustration and recuperate. It is rare for the three countries to enter a period of peace for a few years.
So, Zhou Li played a big role in changing the situation of the Three Kingdoms.
After Zhou Chu came from a famous family, he was willful and indulged in lust since he was a child. He ran rampant in the countryside and was regarded as a scourge by the people. Zhou Chu himself wanted to make changes. He found that it was a bumper harvest year in his hometown of Yixing Yangxian (today's Yixing City), but the people were still unhappy, so he asked what was going on. Someone told him, "If the three evils are not eliminated, what joy can there be!" The three evils in Yangxian are the tiger in the south mountain, the dragon in the west, and the surrounding areas in the city.
Zhou Chu knew that everyone was delaying him, so he decided to eliminate harm for the people. He went into the mountains to shoot tigers and went down the mountain to fight for dragons. After three days and three nights, he chased for dozens of miles in the water and finally killed the tigers and evil dragons. When he floated up and down with the giant dragon in the water and drifted downstream, everyone thought he was destined to die, so they celebrated. When Zhou Chu came back from killing Jiao, he found that everyone was actually celebrating his death. Zhou Chu was deeply shocked and determined to change, so he went to visit the great Confucians Lu Ji and Lu Yun. Lu Yun told him that "change in the morning and in the evening". He had time to change himself, so he was motivated, studious, and righteous, and finally achieved something. , he was named a general and became a famous minister.
However, "Shishuoxinyu" is not an official history, but a collection of various rumors. It is said that Zhou Chu was born around 236-297. His father, Zhou Li, was a general under Lu Xun. Zhou Chu and Lu Xun's son Lu Kang (226-274) should be of the same generation. Lu Ji (261-303) and Lu Yun (262-303) were Lu Ji's fourth and fifth sons. The literary reputation of Erlu only came to prominence after entering the Western Jin Dynasty. He led the Taikang poetry style and was known as the "hero of Taikang". Er Lu's grade and time of fame are both later than Zhou Chu's. Even if Zhou Chu goes to the Lu family, he should visit Lu Kang. Lu Kang was the last famous general of Soochow, and because of the relationship between Zhou Li and Lu Xun, the Zhou and Lu families were considered aristocratic, and it was worthy of Zhou Chu to ask for advice on growing up.
Therefore, from a chronological point of view, it is very inappropriate and probably not true for Zhou Chu, who was a teenager, to visit Er Lu, who was younger than him and not yet famous, to ask for his opinions on growth. According to the original text, Zhou Chu went to visit the literary master Er Lu. Er Lu should be older and has become a famous scholar, and Zhou Chu is a junior, but in fact he is not, so the story line of "Zhou Chu eliminates three evils" does not fit. Yes, it should be false, just anecdotal information. But as a literary classic, it is still worthy of inheritance.
The film "Zhou Chu Eliminates Three Evils" also clearly mentions that the protagonist found life guidance based on the story of Zhou Chu's elimination of three evils, and decided to imitate Zhou Chu's deeds to fulfill his life obligations.Therefore, the story of the film is a reference, not an adaptation. It is not a copy of a literary classic to create a completely original story.
Taipei society (gangster) killer Chen Guilin has become one of the three most wanted criminals in Taiwan, but he still feels that he is unknown and his life is meaningless. Especially after the death of my only relative, my grandmother, I felt even more lonely and meaningless in living.
After a lot of questioning, Guan Gong was asked to surrender nine times. Regarding "throwing the 筊", the "Wandering God" activity in Fujian during the Spring Festival has made the throwing of the 筊 well-known. The so-called "jia cup" is thrown by believers after some prayers. If one yin and one yang appears (the convex side is yin and the flat side is yang), this is the "Holy Grail", indicating the approval of the gods. If two yangs appear, it is a "laughing cup", indicating that the gods are temporarily undecided and need to ask for instructions again. If two yins appear, it is a "yin cup," indicating clear disapproval from the gods. In "Zhou Chu Eliminates Three Evils", Chen Guilin asked Guan Gong nine times in a row whether he needed to surrender. As a result, all nine times were "holy grails", and Guan Gong was urging him to surrender.
As a result, when Chen Guilin went to the police station to surrender, a wanted warrant for him was posted on the wall. Even when he told the police that he was Chen Guilin, he was still ignored by the police officers. No one seemed to know. The name is the same as Chen Guilin.
At the same time, Chen Guilin discovered that there were two other people listed with him as the three most wanted criminals in Taiwan, namely Lin Luhe (Niu Tou) and Hong Kong Aberdeen. To the police, these three people were people who had been hiding for many years and had no news about them. Chen Guilin felt that since he wanted to surrender, he should learn from Zhou Zhou, eradicate the other two villains, and then get rid of himself, eliminate harm for the people, and then make himself famous and leave some traces in the world. How many Live a more meaningful life.
As a result, Chen Guilin embarked on a journey to find Aberdeen and Lin Luhe, embarking on a mission that even the police could not complete alone.
Moreover, Chen Guilin is not a policeman. He will naturally pay attention to legal compliance when he attacks Aberdeen and Lin Luhe. Violence and bloodshed are naturally inevitable, and this has become the biggest highlight of "Zhou Chu Destroy Three Evils".
Regarding the story structure, the victim first gets rid of the other two villains, and then he gets rid of himself. This story has never happened before in any crime movie. The story is very unexpected and completely different from the usual Hollywood vigilante elimination. The harmful screenwriting techniques are truly classic literature that will never go out of style.
However, the movie "Zhou Chu Eliminates Three Pests" is obviously different from the literary "Chou Chu Eliminates Three Pests". The literary "Zhou Chu Eliminates Three Evils" is just a childhood story of a big shot. If compared with common movie types, it is a youth coming-of-age film. The movie version of "Zhou Chu Kills Three Evils" is a typical violent crime film.
Not only that, the movie version of "Abandoning the Three Evils" also injects "greed, anger, and ignorance" from Buddhism into the film, and blends Buddhist principles into the film, which greatly improves the ideological level of the film and has A profound level of thought.
Zen Buddhism has always advocated "sudden enlightenment" and "sudden awakening", which is the pursuit of the practitioner's sudden awakening. As for all states before awakening, they are still ignorant.
is like "Meat Futon". You think it is obscene literature, but in fact it is about cultivation, and the final awakening is the key point. Use the most promiscuous roots to overcome the deepest calamity. Of course, "Meat Futon" in the Hong Kong film and television series really only has the surface, not the inside, and has become a real third-level film.
It's like Lu Zhishen in "Water Margin". No matter how much killing and killing happened before, no matter how much wine, meat, and spicy food he consumed, once the time comes and he hears the sound of the Qiantang River's tide, he will immediately have an epiphany. "I have never cultivated good deeds in my life, I only love killing people and setting fires. Suddenly I opened the golden shackles, and there was no lock here. Hey! The tide came from the Qiantang River, and today you know that I am me."
The same is true for "Zhou Chu's Elimination of Three Evils". Of course, it is not for the purpose of persuading and teaching people, but for the purpose of making the world clean.
"Greed, anger, and ignorance" are also called "three poisons" in Buddhism, also known as "three stains" and "three fires". These "three poisons" harm the body and mind, causing people to sink into the cycle of life and death. They are the root of evil, so they are also called the "three unwholesome roots." "Greed" means craving for a favorable state, and having to get it. "Angry" refers to resentment towards an adverse state, being irrational and motivated. "Idiot" means not knowing right from wrong, making mistakes and taking wrong actions, leading to all kinds of evil deeds.
Obviously, the obsessed Chen Guilin represents "greed", the moody Hong Kong Aberdeen represents "anger", the cult leader Lin Luhe represents "insanity", and finally the "three poisons" are removed, and society can be peaceful.
In Buddhism, pigeons, snakes, and pigs are usually used to represent the three poisons of greed, hatred, and ignorance, which correspond to "greed, anger, and ignorance." The English name of "Zhou Chu Eliminates Three Pests" is "the pig, the snake, and the pigeon". This is the free translation of "Zhou Chu eliminates the three evils" into "greed, anger, and ignorance."
When watching "Zhou Chu Eliminates Three Evils", you must be clear about this confrontation and understand it correctly, so that you can see it more clearly and understand it more thoroughly.
Whether it is Chen Guilin, Hong Kong Aberdeen, or Lin Luhe, the characters of the three characters are not fabricated out of thin air, but are concrete based on "greed, anger, and ignorance" and the embodiment of Buddhist principles. Why Chen Guilin has such a deep obsession, why Aberdeen is a moody and furious bad boy, why Lin Luhe hides so deeply and transforms into the leader of a cult, are all predestined.
If you look at this movie with this perspective and understand the story in the film, it will seem easier.
As for the entire film, director Huang Jingfu is from Hong Kong, and the chapter about killing Aberdeen still has a strong Hong Kong film style, but when it comes to the chapter about killing the cult, it is completely beyond expectations, absolutely wonderful, and will definitely be watched It has become a classic in Chinese films.
Chen Yiwen, who plays Lin Luhe, is really great. He is the best in the whole film. He plays a gangster who was involved in 50 serious shooting cases and killed 6 policemen. His disguise is superb. . When he's artistic, he's like a master, when he's fierce, he kills people without blinking an eye. His transitions are extremely smooth, and his face changes are like juggling, and he can fly up.
The Aberdeen played by Yuen Fu-wah is also pretty good. He plays a gangster in a way that makes people hate him so much that he deserves a beating. Moreover, he is not simply tough, but very slippery. His whole body is full of vigilance, and he looks like a poisonous snake.
As for Ethan Ethan, his role as Chen Guilin is still slightly inferior to Chen Yiwen's superb performance, but overall it is also very good. As mentioned at the beginning, this film completely saved him and made him return again One line. Chen Guilin in the film is both a bit sober and a bit naive, like a pig, very similar to the pig corresponding to "greed". At the same time, he is very brave and still has kindness in his heart. Where he slaughters cultists, it is obvious that he does not want to kill them. , as long as those believers still have some humanity left, he will let them go, and only kill those who have completely fallen. In that scene, Ethan Ruan did a great job of tearing apart Chen Guilin's ferocity and humanity. This paragraph alone is enough to make a god.
The supporting female characters in the film, although I can’t pronounce their names and although they don’t have too many roles, their performances are extremely good and they control their roles very well.
All in all, "The Three Evils" is a hearty and passionate crime film that is well worth watching and highly recommended.
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