Luo Hongzhen's ambition can be realized from the name of the film.
It is not just the story of an ordinary taxi driver who was forced by life to have nowhere to go, then took risks and crossed the border to kill; it's not just the story of a gang boss who hired a murderer because of his feelings; it's just a story of a madman who will do anything for money and finally set himself on fire; it's not even just a simple and good-looking commercial film with the main plot line and some complicated branch lines.
It's a bit like a 'Desperate World' routine; then it's a bit more tragic than an old-fashioned Hong Kong gangster movie; it even has a warm and moving side; you can put it in your preference, but Luo Hongzhen is The [Yellow Sea] is just that piece of land between mainland China and the Korean peninsula, the endless, lost, and fateful place called the Yellow Sea.
The 157-minute film is a test of patience. But when I saw the gray-blue scene of Yanji city in the morning fog that was half looking down from the camera, I already felt the production level of this film.
In so many movies in the past, when you have to be extremely obsessed with the shooting hardware level of the film its visual quality has already declined. The lines and dialogues that make people complain, the use of shots that people can't agree with, and those ridiculous plot settings, you always waste too much space to criticize them, so even if there are some desirable highlights, you will also turn a blind eye.
Therefore, in terms of production level, [Yellow Sea] gives me no room to complain. However, probably to save time, the police disappeared for most of the next half of the time.
Luo Hongzhen divided the film into four chapters, namely: Taxi Driver, Murderer, Koreans, and the Yellow Sea.
When you put these four chapter titles together, you will find what Luo Hongzhen wants to express. The social connotation of the film is the reality of the marginalized Koreans living in China. In China, they are not accepted and understood by the Chinese, and they are called 'Korean sticks'. In South Korea, they are at the bottom of society without identity. You will even see that Professor Kim will tell the driver, "It's okay, he is a Korean, and he will give some alms to the stranger. Even women with proper status are only fit to work in some low-level service industries or to marry an older small businessman to make a living.
And the Yellow Sea. It is the sea of fate that lies in the hearts of the Korean people. They were lost on both sides of the sea and couldn't find their destination. Luo Hongzhen finally arranged for Jiu Nan and his wife's ashes to return to the Yellow Sea, which was the best outcome for this fateful cup.
As for the last bridge section of the railway station under the extraordinary scenery, I can only think that it is the good wish of Luo Hongzhen, so I don't like it, it is superfluous. Since it is a fatal tragedy, there must be a happy ending like a tragedy.
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