E yi

This movie is not about suspense or mystery at all but aimed solely at lecturing the viewers. This movie makes you feel like being treated as a kindergarten kid who needs to be told the basics of right and wrong, in a didactic and patronizing way. The protagonist keeps verbalizing the moral of the movie ad nauseam and many supporting characters are portrayed in a repetitive manner. I don't know about others but I personally didn't pay for a holier-than-thou lecture disguised as a movie.

While the plot was entertaining to some degree, many parts of the story was too cliché and even cringy. There was a shot of a character turning to the camera (or the audience) and raise a question, and that shot was highly anticipated by anyone who has basic theatre literacy.

The film Malice is about a news reporter who is investigating the supposed murder case of a 10 year old cancer patient and her nurse after they both plummet to their death from the roof a hospital.

Although the film at times feels like a made for television special, it did have it's moments of intrigue. The first half could use some time to breathe as I felt it flash fowarded the story quite a bit, instead of allowing the audience to feel the emotional weight of the situation.

However, the second half does have enough of said weight to make the journey, and the outcome, feel like the trip was worth it. The film also features enough twists in it's story to keep the audience going and gives them something to chew on after it's conclusion.

Overall, not a bad release. I found myself becoming more invested in the story through the second half and the outcome made some very good points on how the media affects the public's opinion and the responsibility journalists have to keep the story straight. I would recommend this one to fans of Chinese dramas and to up-and-coming journalists, for it has a good moral lesson to teach about the dangers of telling just one side of the coin.

3.5 investigations out of 5.