Hei Bai Mi Ma (2023)

Roteiro fraco, mas a edição do drama deixou-o ainda pior. Apesar do drama ser de ação, ele se arrasta ao longo dos 24 capítulos, pois o enredo é pobre. As cenas de flashback que antecedem os capítulos ficaram um pouco sem sentido, assim como, as cenas posteriores ao 'fim' que nada acrescentaram. As atuações são medianas e, mesmo os protagonistas não brilharam com suas atuações. Há várias cenas de luta, mas elas não convencem. Algumas cenas desafiam a inteligência de quem assiste, como o corpo inteiro do tio da protagonista após aquela imensa explosão, mas o pior é a cena do policial se esfaquear para tirar o rastreador que tinha engolido e, certeiramente, conseguir achar o objeto dentro de si e passar para o protagonista,

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No Honour Among Thieves

Screen productions of organized crime stories seem to have enjoyed something of a revival in the past 12 months. And yes, in most instances criminals are actually organised and savvy. More so than the police I might add. But what they lack in spades — is unity. Unfortunately the prospect of untold wealth does that to people. There's little honour among thieves. Which is something of mixed blessing for the cops at least. Wang Ziqi plays Chu Yihan, a young hot head who becomes embroiled with rival factions of the Northwestern Wolves, a powerful cartel once headed by a mysterious figure known as Gu Mulan. Yihan’s mother, Lin Ke also a cop was sent to infiltrate the organisation years earlier but disappeared along with Gu Mulan. Her whereabouts have been a mystery for 5 years. Yihan along with all her former colleagues are eager to find answers and a resolution to the case but his superiors would rather he leave this matter well alone. Su Xiaotong takes a backseat to the cops and gangsters as folk dancer Gu Linnan or Nana. She’s a peripheral figure for most of those early episodes but it’s only a matter of time before she becomes an unwilling eyewitness to how the family business operates.

The Northwestern Wolves were once a force to be reckoned with in the desert region but after a major falling out, every member of the cartel’s leadership went their separate ways. Five years later, one Lao Qiang or "Gun" re-emerges from this low trust environment and what ensues is a cat and mouse game with Yihan and the police right in the middle of the hot zone. Yihan’s mentors and superiors are leery about having him in the hot seat for a whole range of reasons but he is adamant and honestly they don’t have that many options. Wang Ziqi is definitely firing on all cylinders in a role quite different to the one he played in The Imperial Coroner. He would have to as he's surrounded by veterans. Yihan's a bit of a maverick among his peers but shines as an undercover cop. He’s a one-man fighting machine, a cut above most. But more importantly he's quick on his feet (literally and idiomatically), is capable of making stuff up as he goes and adapt accordingly. He's certainly got the swagger and bravado down pat for the role. His superiors are constantly in fear for his life and the guilt they feel about his mother’s absence is acute.

The set-up for his character and relationships with all the men who are potential paternal figures is done in a series of fast-moving action sequences. They’re after a hit man known as Long Qi and his trail leads the cops to a small eatery somewhere among the rocks sand dunes. The road to an arrest in a cop show is seldom smooth sailing. So Yihan and Long Qi are locked into one confrontation after another till he’s safely behind lock and key at HQ’s interrogation room. Yihan is close to Cheng Fan who is his father figure in the force — the man who practically raised him when his mother went deep undercover. He was also his mother’s handler. Cheng Fan has a serious heart issue -- a consequence of a bomb blast. During an investigation into some trouble that Nana encounters, he collapses.

Romance is side dish here and anyone who wants to watch this for that may end up feeling unsatiated. However, that is not to say that romance is unimportant. Instead it is spread thin and works differently within the narrative. Yihan and Nana have more of a fledgling relationship littered by obstacles due to background differences. It feels doomed to be over before it starts. Cheng Fan is pursuing marriage with Mu Xiaowan, a doctor at the local hospital who is also a single mother. Sha Xiaofei, the son of "Gun" is in a very passionate relationship with Yiy, who should be on a catwalk rather than rubbing shoulders with gangsters. In fact, it is fascinating that none of the key females here really fit the milieu. They are inadvertently dragged into the fray because of family or men in their lives. Yet, they have a strong presence in the story because they are positioned as reminders of what normality looks as opposed to violence and the illegal accumulation of wealth.

So what is this show about? On one level it is a treasure hunt. The cat and mouse game is largely over a warehouse of arms and the cartel's long lost booty. That part of the show with the scheming, double-crossing and table-turning reminds me of the US TV show Justified. It's a race to who can decipher the clues to find the loot. On another level, it is a story about family. More specifically a story about two young people who are "chasing for the truth" ie. in pursuit of the past. Nana is looking for her father while Yihan is looking for his mother. It isn't a straightforward road as they disentangle the truth from lies, half-truths and breadcrumbs. There's something of a Rushmon angle to it. Thirdly, it is a morality tale about the corrupting power of greed and its consequences not just on the perpetrators but the people who love them who get caught in the crossfire.

The great thing about this show is that everything that happens matters. The plotting is good. There are no over long stretches of dialogue that go nowhere. Or unnecessary flashbacks. It’s almost shocking that there’s no filler and the impact on the pacing is palpable. Even when I wonder if a scene or a character seems irrelevant, the story eventually arrives at an explanation. The storytelling is reasonably good. The actors are excellent. The collective experiences of the older actors in particular bring some gravitas to some obviously staged moments. Especially the men who are/were part of the Northwestern Wolves in some shape or form.

What's perhaps not as good are the production values. The budgetary constraints are obvious for the most part. There are plenty of desert car chases but no helicopters in sight. I'm not sure about the logistics of all that. But I forgive it shortcomings because I'm used to watching old tv shows and movies. And I'm quite partial to the hand-to-hand fight sequences here as well. No doubt in this kind of action adventure romp that there are occasions when suspension of disbelief is certainly required.

In the final analysis this show is a blast. Each episode is better than the last. It’s a joy for a seasoned watcher of crime telly to be caught off guard now and again but be thoroughly entertained. There’s a certain degree of unpredictability and all kinds of beautiful craziness arise when the cops and mobsters collide.

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