The underworld in Hong Kong has a long history.
This is both a social phenomenon and a cultural phenomenon.
A detailed analysis can be written into a doctoral dissertation. Let's briefly summarize it for everyone to have a rough understanding.
Tiandihui
In 1760, Tiandihui was established with a huge branch.
The Heaven and Earth Society is only an external statement, and internally the Heaven and Earth Society is called the Hongmen. Regarding the establishment of Hongmen, there have always been different opinions in the public and academic circles.
There are roughly two credible claims.
It is said that it was founded by Zheng Chenggong. Zheng Chenggong defeated the Dutch East India Company and recovered Taiwan. Later, in order to recover the Central Plains, he established the Tiandi Association in Fujian Province and Taiwan Province, and later spread it to Guangdong, Sichuan and other places.
It is said that it was founded by the Fujian eminent monk Wan Tixi, that is, the second monk Hong Zheng Kai. This is closer to the legend.
According to legend, Kangxi sent monks from southern Shaolin in Putian, Fujian to the army camp, expedition to Tibet, and returned victorious, but was framed for rebellion, and the imperial court sent soldiers from the Eight Banners to set fire to southern Shaolin.
The Buddhist Pure Land, the thousand-year-old temple, was instantly destroyed, and only a few people escaped the sea of fire and survived.
Among them, there are five Shaolin lay disciples who established the Hongmen in order to avenge their deep revenge, and were later called "Hongmen Five Patriarchs".
Wan Yunlong is the leader and Chen Jinnan is the military advisor. In the name of "Heavenly Father and Earthly Mother", and taking "anti-Qing and restoring Ming Dynasty" as his own responsibility, he also called himself the Heaven and Earth Society, and worshipped Zheng Chenggong as his patriarch.
In the film "Underworld", Du Qifeng abandoned the theory and quoted the legend. Make the film mysterious and romantic.
Triad.
The Triad was born out of the Heaven and Earth Society and is a branch variation of the internal organization of the Heaven and Earth Society. The scope of activities is mainly in Guangdong and Guangxi, namely Guangdong and Guangxi.
It is said that there are two theories about the origin of the name.
First, there are three rivers in Guangdong Province, namely Beijiang, Dongjiang and Xijiang, hence the name Triad. The second is that after Chen Jinnan, the helmsman of the Tiandihui, died in a battle with the Qing soldiers in Huizhou, his successor, Zhu Hongying, took the helm.
During Zhu Hongying's leadership, the gang developed rapidly, with strong people. Because it is known as the right time and place, it is called the Triad.
In 1911, the Qing Dynasty fell, and the Hongmen lost their way because they lost their goals. Since then it has started to decline.
In general, there are many local gangsters in Hong Kong, and the Tiandihui and the Triad are just the tip of the iceberg. Other well-known ones are "New Ngee Ann", "He Shenghe", "He He Tao", "14K" and so on.
In general, there are many local gangsters in Hong Kong, and the Tiandihui and the Triad are just the tip of the iceberg. Other well-known ones are "New Ngee Ann", "He Shenghe", "He He Tao", "14K" and so on.
To Qifeng's movie "Underworld" is about the century-old gang - He Liansheng. They call their gang a "society", which means nothing illegal.
In the early days, Hong Kong was just a small village, poor and backward. Later, due to the entry of commercial capital, it began to gradually become prosperous and prosperous.
After being occupied by the United Kingdom, although there is law and order, the government is too tired to supervise, and various places outside the law are abundant, providing fertile soil for the underworld to form gangs.
As mentioned earlier, this is both a social phenomenon and a cultural phenomenon. Because gangs have long become the norm in society, those who do not join gangs will be isolated and bullied. Only by holding a group can we have a livelihood by begging for food.
This kind of social phenomenon was moved into "Underworld" by To Qifeng. As he said, great movies are great because they are literary.
The so-called literary nature makes this film seem a bit obscure, and just from the surface, it is unclear what the director's intention was. If you look through the surface of the image, peel off the fighting scene, and look deeply, you can understand the purpose of the film. Fighting aside, the heart of the film is about Hong Kong's past and its future amid economic trends.
We can see the underworld culture of Hong Kong, the sophistication of people in Hong Kong, and the way of life of Hong Kong people.
"Underworld" is uncharacteristically in style, which is obviously different from To Qifeng's other films.
This film is restrained, and although it is a gangster theme, there are no guns from the beginning to the end of the film. The fight scenes are bare-handed and hand-to-hand.
Among the many Hong Kong directors, some went west to Hollywood, and some went north to the broader mainland market. Both of them are in a different culture, and there is always a sense of incompatibility.
And Du Qifeng has been sticking to it.
He has been making films that belong exclusively to Hong Kong. He has a special affection for the city. In his own words, "I love this city".
The story of the film is simple, but exciting.
The boss of the Heliansheng Club is called the "Speaker", and the leader is elected every two years by the elders of the club.
The main competitors of this "talker" are Ah Le played by Yam Dahua and Da D played by Tony Leung Ka Fai.
Big D is like today's nouveau riche, simple-minded and short-sighted, thinking that money can solve all problems. He did not understand the principle that one mountain cannot tolerate two tigers, so his life went to Huangquan.
Ah Lo is a representative of traditional Hong Kong people. He is well versed in the laws of social survival, familiar with the world, and has a smooth and foresighted person. As a result, he finally got the leading stick and became a talker.
The film has the style of a martial arts movie, that is, an object can represent the protagonist to become the leader of a gang, such as the "dog-beating stick" of the beggar gang.
It is not the thing that is valuable, but the identity it represents, which is a common phenomenon in Chinese culture. What Ah Le and Da D carry is the past and future of Hong Kong, which is worth pondering when watching movies.
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