Wu Ming (2023)

Hidden Blade, a nonlinear, espionage  thriller Chinese movie with a chic style and well-edited.

Everything is just perfect! The style, the cinematography, the actor, the act is so on point, and the amazing plot, you're first might unsure of both where the things are going and the actions of everyone, so you need to put more attention in any minutes! The character is so well-played, watching the acting of Chinese senior actor, Tony Leung and Zhou Xun is definitely worthwhile. As well as Wang Yibo continues to fit well with Tony Leung despite the age gap between them. I like it the way Yibo speaks Japanese sounds cool. Their acting is definitely beyond expectations though!

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An Amazing Piece of Work: Aesthetic Cinematography, Strong Characterization, and Excellent Acting

It was my first time watching a historical and a political chinese movie with republican era and World War II as its setting, so I didn't really know what to expect except for the main casts, Tony Leung and Wang Yibo. Both of them are well-known figures in China and also I've been a huge fan of Wang Yibo, so I think it's worth to gave this movie a try and I'm glad I did.

Maybe this genre is not for everyone but I can say this movie is enjoyable and the plot itself is great. There are indeed many conversations happened in this movie but it gets better as the story progresses and they also successfully deliver a satisfying climax. What I love about this movie are the strong characterization and its beautiful cinematography which makes the movie feel more intense and engaging. However some part might be confusing because the time setting is non-linear and there are many back and forth between scenes, so you need to really pay attention to it. I also wished they could add some informative details in the movie because I feel like some scenes aren't fully explained.

Another fascinating thing about this movie are, of course, the actors and actresses. They have big names involved in this movie and All of them did a great job in delivering their roles. I won't talk much about Tony Leung because he is, no doubt, a veteran and his acting is brilliant as always.

Meanwhile as a fan of Wang Yibo, I can say this is one of his best performances as an actor. It might be a great pressure to act as main role alongside a veteran like Tony Leung, but I think Yibo managed to deliver his character excellently and the chemistry between the main leads work very well too despite the generational difference. I'm so thankful that they gave Wang Yibo the opportunity to be a part of this movie. This is another breakthrough for his career as a movie actor. I know many people still underestimate his acting skill since he started from idol actor, but I think you could start to throw your skepticism away after you watch this movie. I'm proud of how far he grows as an actor and I know he will continue to develop because he always pours his heart into his work.

Overall, I really recommend you to watch this movie because it's worth watching and even for those who have some worries about 'communist propaganda', I think this movie is safe for you and you can still give it a try because the plot doesn't deeply showcase the idiological aspect but rather focuses on espionage and the schemes against the japanese invanders.

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Interesting Storyline and Cinematography

Saya menonton film ini karena ingin melihat Tony Leung dan Wang Yibo adu akting di dalam film yang sama. Jadi saya tidak membaca sinopsis film ini sebelumnya. Benar-benar bebekal pengetahuan bahwa ini adalah historical movie.
Latar waktu film ini adalah saat perang dunia II, ketika invasi Jepang di Tiongkok. Secara garis besar, film ini menceritakan tentang perseteruan tentara Jepang, Partai Komunis, dan Partai Nasionalis Tiongkok (Kuomitang).
Diceritakan Director He (Tony Leung) dan Secretary Ye (Wang Yibo) yang merupakan rakyat Tiongkok menjadi bagian struktur pendudukan Jepang atas Tiongkok. Saat itu Jepang sedang menduduki Manchuria yang menjadi negara boneka kekaisaran Jepang.
Padahal bagian awal film terasa sangat lambat dan membosankan bagi saya yang menonton tanpa ekspektasi apapun. Timeline dari film ini juga membingungkan pada awalnya. Ada scene yang diulangi ketika beberapa menit cerita berjalan. Tapi semakin lama semakin amazed dengan alur cerita yang dibuat maju-mundur berulang kali ini.
Lama-lama tensi cerita semakin naik dan semakin menarik, membuat saya tidak sabar apa yang akan terjadi selanjutnya.
Director He (Tony Leung) diceritakan tidak ingin lagi menjadi bagian dari Jepang dan kembali bergabung dengan Partai Komunis Tiongkok. Secretary Ye (Wang Yibo) yang sangat loyal terhadap Jepang ditugaskan untuk memburu Director He (Tony Leung). Pada scene ini menurut saya adalah puncak ketegangan, melihat mereka adu akting dengan bertarung yang koreonya sangat sempurna. Mereka bertarung seakan salah satunya harus mati.
Sampai akhir filmnya pun kita akan dibuat benci dengan Secretary Ye (Wang Yibo) yang sangat loyal terhadap lawan. Yang saya sukai dari plot cerita Hidden Blade ini adalah ketika penonton tidak dibiarkan menerka-nerka ending yang tidak jelas. Semua rasa penasaran penonton akan terjawab.
Selain dari alur, plot cerita, dan akting para pemain yang sangat bagus, film ini juga punya kelebihan di sinematografinya. Estetika pengambilan gambarnya selalu indah. Komposisi gambar dalam satu frame benar-benar dipikirkan estetikanya. Jadi mata penonton selalu dimanjakan meskipun jalan cerita film ini sebenarnya agak gelap dan menyedihkan.
Setelah film selesai saya otomatis bertepuk tangan. Karena, jujur film ini ternyata "beyond expectation". Tadinya hanya ingin melihat dua aktor hebat bermain dalam satu film, ternyata mendapatkan bonus jalan cerita, alur cerita, serta sinematografi yang sangat bagus.

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Good movie, worth a second rewatch

This is a gritty movie about espionage during war time.

Good:
1. The fight scene between WYB and Tony Leung's characters
2. the plot twist
3. WYB's acting improved as the story went on. He was a bit wooden in the early scenes.
4. The build up and suspense. It always felt like your favorite character was in danger of getting killed
5. The set design and costumes really made one feel that they were present in that time

Bad:
1. Non linear story telling made it really difficult to follow the plot
2. No linear story telling device also made some of the scenes repetitive for viewers

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the best Chinese film in the universe

Previously, I had never watched Chinese films in theaters, this was the first time. I know wang yibo from the series "the untamed" there I really fell in love with him. I started to find out about him, started watching the series he starred in. for Chinese films it is really very difficult to show in Indonesia due to a lack of market and this is the only Chinese film that has managed to enter the Indonesian cinema market. I started watching just because I wanted to support Wang Yibo. but after watching it is really beyond expectations , everything is well made and as perfect as it gets . really from the story and the cast is really very satisfying . lots of story plot twists so that it has an unexpected ending. the most backward historical film, not boring at all. I really didn't think there was historical films will be as fun as this, very pleasant to watch and enjoy. good joob actor/actriss and staff.

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Exceeded my expectation, acting-wise

Story: Set during Japanese invasion of some cities in China, around 1930's to 1940s. A Japanese head formed a group with Chinese men to discover and fight against the communists. The story was hard to follow at first as they showed different snippets from different times but they became clearer as the story progresses.

Acting: Wow. just wow. I am astonished at Wang Yibo's performance, especially his fighting scenes with the japanese soldiers and Tony Leung. I didn't expect to see him act so so good, as he filmed this first before 'Born to fly' and his acting their was okay. In this movie, i can totally feel his pain, anguish, sadness, and grief, which actually made me think that his character is bipolar. The small changes of his facial expressions was just amazing. This, by far, is the best acting that I have seen from him and it's now making me look forward to his next projects. The rest of the actors, of course, did amazingly well despite the short appearances. However, i felt quite awkward with Zhou Xun's and Tony Leung's hugging & kissing moment.

Music: Nothing special or memorable for me but the action scene sound effects were just perfect.

Rewatch Value: I don't think I will be rewatching this movie but i will definitely re-watch the action scenes, i love them so much.

Overall: 7.5-8 stars. Despite the convincing acting and good cinematography, the plot is quite predictable so it didn't leave a 'wow' impression on me but it was still a good watch.

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Before a reWatch

Writing this here because it's still fresh in my mind and it's worth a try.

There are movies with plots that don't require real attention, you're able to forsee the expected actions and development. Then, there are the award winning movies, they have something more to tell to the audience, even their silence is speaking.

To have a smooth watch, some knowledge about '20s in Eastern Asia is required, I'd say comprehension of politics and international situation plus cultural traits specific to the timeframe. I can't say I know nothing but also not much, so the session definitely made me more analytical (might not be the case for everyone, it's subjective here!). Though at the end the dots do connect, I still have at least one scene "the ribs order scene "that I cannot connect to anything and I feel I am missing a cultural background, because you don't add a scene for the sake of it in this type of movies.

I liked the cinematography a lot! It's enjoyable. You get glimpses of scenes that only get explained towards the end. I can't recall something similar elsewhere, only an anime series comes to mind. And then these complete 2-3 seconds of black screen!

About the silence, there are a handful of scenes- I find this trick wholesome, you don't just fill in the audience with content, you also let them wonder (here comes the knowledge in hand!), question, maybe digest even? You might face some gaps with no vivid coherency, but it's there if both details and bigger picture are understood.

I didn't pay much attention to the music tbh but one scene I remember well because music was too loud, unnecessarily so.

I am not familiar with this genre, especially in the asian cinematography so it's hard for me to compare it to anything. Acting is solid, solider than I expected. I watched it because of Wang Yibo and the fact that both him and the movie are nominated for AFA.

I do plan to rewatch it for a better comprehension, if I do I will come back to update.

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Wang YiBo's 1st Big Screen Movie In The USA, All Over The World! What More Could I Ask For?

1st If You Love, And Adore Wang YiBo As Much As I Do, This Movie Is Not For The Faint Of Heart... I Was Chingy, Screaming, And Almost Brought To Tears Crying Watching This Movie. Knowing The Age In Which YiBo Filmed This Movie, And All The Stunts, And Hard Work Made Me So Sad For Him That I Wanted To Cry For Him. The Hard Work, And Dedication He Put Into This Movie. It Is So Real, And So Life Like, I Couldn't Even Begin To Tell You. This Young Man At The Age Of 24-25, Whatever It Might Have Been, When No Name/Hidden Blade Came Out YiBo Had Just Turned 25, He Did All His Stunts, He Did All The Fighting, And Punch Scenes Himself... In An Interview, It Was Said There Was Not Enough Time To Teach YiBo How To Punch, And Hit Correctly, So YiBo Said He Felt Bad, And Sorry For All The Actors That He Punching, Because He Was Really Punching Them, And Hurting Them.
I Honestly Was So Excited That This Movie Was Coming Out To The USA, I Even The Tickets To The Showing The Night Before The 1st Opening... YiBo's 1st Big Screen Movie In The USA, What More Could A Huge Wang YiBo Fan Ask For Like Me?

As For The Story Line Some Parts I Didn't Like Especially When It Came To The Prisoners, And Animals, But That Is What War Is So What Can You Do? A Feed Part Left Me A Little Tramtized.

The Stunts That Were Done By YiBo, And All The Actors Were Amazing... I Can't Imagine How Hard It Was To Get It So Real, And So Life Like Like They Did. The Visual Affects Are Insane Too. It Was Jam Packed With A Lot Of Exciment.
YES, THERE IS LOTS OF GORE!!!
Lots Of Twists, And Turns.
What Seems To Be What It Seems Is Not What It Seems!

Even Though There Was Certain Things I Didn't Like, I Ended Up Watching No Name/Hidden Blade The Day Before Is Was Released, And The Last Day It Was Released In The USA. That How Much I Really Liked It, Or Maybe It Was More To Support Wang YiBo With His 1st Big Screen Movie, 2nd Time Around I Brought My Mom Too... NO IT'S BECAUSE THAT IS HOW MUCH I LOVE AND ADORE YIBO, AND WANTED TO SUPPORT HIM.

My Mom Was Even On The Edge Of Her Seat, And I Remember She Comented At One Scene Oui Yo Lay, In Taiwanness It Like Oh My Goodness, Like Basically Her Heart Is Hurting For Him. She Even Asked Me How Old He Was, And I Had Told Her, I Know She Was Feeling The Same Way I Felt With Him Being So Young, And Having To Go Though All That.

All I Gotta Say Is Yes There Are A Few Scenes That I Don't Like, I Wanted To Jump Out Of My Skin, Because Of All The Stunts YiBo Did, But It Is A Really Great Movie, Because There Is A Lot Of Action, And Excitement. Plot Twist And Turns. What You Expect Is Not What You Think. What You Think Is Not What You Expect. Pay Close Attention To Everything, And Every Detail, Because You Might Miss Something That Is Very Important.
My Husband, And I Noticed Diffrent Things The 2nd Time We Watched It, When We Didn't Notice It The 1st Time We Watched It.

P.S. YES, AT THE VERY END YIBO IS REALLY EATTING THE DRUNKEN SHRMP ALIVE, RAW AND MOVING!!! If That Isn't Being Brave Or Up For A Challenge, And Being A Professional In His Profession I Don't Know What Is!

September 4th, 2024 @ 9:?? A.M.-10:47 A.M.

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