The Longest Day in Chang’an is a drama that can make you rave and rage. The production values were excellent, building a world that seemed real. For the most part the acting was also above average. What was rage worthy were all the characters from the ruling class that lied, cheated, stole, tortured, and murdered to move up or keep their vaunted positions. Completely out of touch with the people’s reality, the more they talked about the great Tang or serving the people, the more they ignored the truth, often seeking to find scapegoats for any problems that arose.

“Humans have always acted differently than their words”
The basic template was simple. Bad guys were in town to cause problems and the Crown Prince was about to be passed over for the Right Chancellor. Li Bi, a young prodigy, headed up the Peacekeepers Corp which had a database of information to draw from. The database picked death row inmate, Zhang Xiao Jing, to solve their problems. All he had to do was track down the bad guys and round them up before the Emperor’s giant lantern is lit at 2:00am on the night of the Lantern Fest and make the Crown Prince look good in the process. This being a drama filled with political intrigue, nothing was that simple when everyone was vying for position and trying to be on the winning side, especially when being on the losing side of power could mean death. Much of the action also occurred because of a military squad’s loyalty and near annihilation due to bad military management ten years prior.

“Kindness must be repaid, vengeance must be served”
Ex-soldier and ex-Sleuth Hound Commander, Zhang Xiao Jing , was a hardened warrior who was completely devoted to the surviving 9 from a disastrous military campaign and the daughter of their leader. He also held to the dream of what Chang’an could be for all people and would fight to protect the commoners with his last breath. Lei Jia Yin gave a strong, if not varied, performance as the super fighter who seemed to always be fighting large numbers or having to sacrifice to gain information. I was curious how a prisoner confined in a tiny cage for months would have had the stamina to run across Chang’an over and over all day and night as well as fighting almost non-stop.

“If I can’t save the present, I can’t save the future”
Jackson Yee as Li Bi, was more limited in his range as the leader of the Corps who found that despite his intelligence, he was often outplayed by people outside of and within the Peacekeepers. Rayzha Alimjan as Li Bi’s servant, Tan Qi, at least gave a strong female presence in a largely male cast. I was surprised and pleased to see Djimon Hounsou in the role of the Underworld Lord. Feng Jia Yi played the much older and retired on duty Emperor, with his white beard and eyebrows reminding me of Lo Lieh’s iconic character from Clan of the White Lotus. The most mesmerizing performance, however, was from Zhou Yi Wei as Long Bo. His every move was captivating in a nuanced and menacing performance that in lesser hands could have been ham-fisted.

“Numbers are the truth”
How many times did someone pull out mint to chew on? I stopped counting at 17 times. How many times was Zhang accused of being the perpetrator of a crime? Around 1,756, 230. The Emperor has indigestion. Dang that Zhan Xiao Jing! How many times did someone promise protection and then renege on it? The odds were not good for the person being promised. Pinky swears didn’t count for anything in Chang’an. How many characters did I wish would erupt into flames, but didn’t? Around 10. “A good man will be rewarded” or blamed by the bad man who will then be rewarded in his place. How many times were the good guys captured? Let me pull out my calculator.

“Truth doesn’t matter as much”
What Longest Day in Chang’an did well was world building. The excellent sets, teeming streets of extras, and costumes that looked worse for wear as the day went on, transported me back in time. The multi-layered narrative, intriguing characters, and well-choreographed action scenes were engrossing. Again, Zhou’s Long Bo was captivating and Zhang’s dogged determination was admirable if not exhausting. Where it didn’t work as well was when it became bogged down in the details and desire to give small history lessons. By giving many minor characters important screen time it side-lined others. Certain elements also became redundant. And a character that was talked about often, the Crown Prince, had relatively little screen time making it hard to tell if all the hearsay stories about him were true. Whereas, the despicable Right Chancellor's every loathsome move was shown. Despite focusing on numerous characters, the big reveal at the end was rather anti-climactic as the “mastermind” divulged pages of exposition regarding his evil plan in order for it to make sense and even then left a golden clue dangling.

“Human beings need to hold onto some kind of dream. That is what will drive them forward.”
Zhang and his buddy Wen, both knew Chang’an was not an ideal place, but both hoped it could be. There were people who fought to protect the citizens, even a Catholic priest who could do parkour! The suffering was largely due to the corrupt political system. The royalty and officials constantly looked for a way to destroy their rivals and rise in power with little thought for anyone else. Commoners, soldiers and servants were expendable and interchangeable. Even the terrorists who desired to set the system on fire had no compassion for those who struggled to make a life and living in Chang’an. The Longest Day in Chang’an was gripping and well worth the time even when I was ready for the day to end.

17 January 2024