介绍:
"The Four" is the kind of movie that explains why imported films dominate more than 70 percent of market share in Chinese cinemas. For the duration of the film, you do not sense much serious commitment other than the commitment to profit. Director Gordon Chan has a habit of providing the public with whatever is missing in the market. And, apparently, he has found that Chinese movie-goers are missing a movie adaptation of a Gongfu novel written by Wen Rui'an, who is perhaps the third most popular Gongfu novelist in China.
But "The Four" is not so much about Gongfu as it is about superheroes and sorcery. The screenwriters, led by the director, have stripped the original work of its Gongfu essence, keeping the names to lure an audience. The major characters, including the four constables, possess abilities that are often seen in science fiction: werewolf powers, telepathy, elemental powers, and other things that remind you of the X-Men series. These are all cheap and easy ways to entertain the audience, but the online comments suggest that the viewers are not pleased.
Other noticeable efforts include the use of the camera rail system. This technique does lend a third dimension to a 2D action film. Apart from that, there is hardly any professional use of cameras. The film seems to consist of too many close shots in numerous short takes, perhaps a little too many for viewers who have stomach problems.
Fortunately, you may only have to endure the close-up assault for the first 15 minutes. After that, your can focus on other parts of the film. For example, you can concentrate on the beautiful face of actresses Liu Yifei. Her role in the film is that of a female constable named Wuqing or, and here I quote the appalling subtitles, Emotionless. This role, Emotionless, may sound challenging for Hollywood actresses, but not for Chinese ones. For an actress to be popular in China, she needs to have two faces: a pretty face and a poker face. Liu Yifei has both and therefore nails the character without much effort.
Almost every other actor and actress fails to create an impact, including the stage veteran Anthony Wong. The only other exception is actor Wu Xiubo who saved the day. His acting is perhaps the only thing about the film that makes the viewers ask for more.
Nonetheless, more will come. "The Four" is just a prequel in a Gongfu film series, and that means we will see more poker-faces and superheroes. So, it seems there are profits to make in the Chinese movie industry after all, enough to encourage investors and directors to make more films, regardless of the quality and viewers' opinions. For the matter at hand, I give "The Four" a three out of ten.
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