[Film Review] Local black film comedy "Death"

Wu-chome does not watch movies very often, and is not a diligent movie lover. Although I used to have my youthful years watching art films like Kieślowski, but now I only eat once a month or so, quietly nibbling on popcorn in the cinema, watching popular movies that have become popular topics, so as not to lose myself. Become an old man who can't keep up with the times. For example, not long ago I watched "The Monster and Dumbledore's Secret", which has a poor plot and poor tension, and "Golden Secret Service: Kingsman Origin", which is full of fun and makes history fans keen to dig easter eggs. In short, don't expect many professional and in-depth film reviews from 5-chome, and take a precaution here.

In short, I was fortunate to get a ticket recently to watch the premiere of the national film " Death ". I have seen the positive and negative comments on the Internet for "Death" after the special screening, so I didn't hold much expectations, new directors, first films, low-budget, noir films . ． ． Taken together, these labels make it difficult to have any hope for the movie.

So, after watching the full 1 hour and 46 minutes of "Death", I was not disappointed, but felt that it was a ridiculous and interesting entertainment movie. Director Deng Zhongmou studied history at the University. In his early years, he was engaged in script review and analysis overseas, and later obtained a master's degree in AFI Conservatory.

It is true that "Death" has a strong narrative, with multiple interlaced lines and multiple switching scenes, and finally the plot is quite complete, and you can feel the director's talent and ambition.

The whole "Death" is about the hero (starring Fu Mengbo) as an insurance officer. During the process of work, he was gradually consumed by society and lost his motivation to live. He tried every means to find death. On the road, I picked up Yukio Mishima's novel "Life for Sale" , determined to imitate the protagonist in the book and auctioned his life on the Internet, which led to a series of absurd and violent plots.

As the propaganda said, "Death" belongs to the film noir (Film noir) comedy, and you can quickly think of the iconic character of film noir Quentin. Quentin Tarantino style: the villain in the style of comics, exaggerated bloody scenes interspersed with absurd and humorous performances, and the sexy and cold Uma Thurman played by Cai Shuzhen, similar to "Black Pursuit" Gorgeous bad woman characters and more.

It was later learned that the director was indeed inspired by Quentin's "Black Pursuit" when he was young. However, through the repeated appearance of localized images and scenes, including streets with flashing neon signs, splendid hotels, and special effects cockroaches throughout the play, the atmosphere is brought back to reality from absurd stories. In addition, played by Tsai Ming-mod, who speaks fluent Taiwanese underworld, and an old police officer with clear articulation and provincial temperament, the contrast between the two reflects the changes of Taiwan's post-war ethnic groups, which is impressive.

However, although the film's martial arts and actors' acting skills are good, the emotional rendering of key scenes is also in place. However, as mentioned above, many contents cannot stand scrutiny. Although they are advertised as "comedy" in black films, they sometimes have more serious scenes and emotional descriptions. When the two are intertwined, it is easy for the audience to make plays. Other advantages There is no way to cover up the flaws in the script structure, resulting in an imbalance between suspense and humor.

In terms of plot, the play refers to the 1968 book "Life Is For Sale" by Japanese novelist Yukio Mishima. As the core of the content throughout the play, it can be regarded as a reproduction and contemporary interpretation of classic texts. But since there is already a reference basis for plot design, more novel interpretations and transformations are necessary: what is the difference between the "life sale" in the 1960s and the contemporary "life sale"? Is the value of human life different in the time and space of post-war Japan and Taiwan today? Obviously, "For Sale" is still too weak to give an answer. As for special effects, the level of special effects in Chinese films cannot stand the test of the eyes of contemporary audiences, so they barely get a passing score after weighting.

In short, if you just hold the mentality of watching violent, bloody, and ridiculous cool movies (and you must not be afraid of cockroaches), this "Death" is still worth watching. Anyway, as emphasized in the play, this life belongs to you, you can use it however you want. Although the script is completely absurd, isn't it often the case in reality?