Yin bao zhe

Finally we got a serious enough Chinese movie in 2017. A thriller well scripted and thoroughly developed, well directed with great casting job. This film shall be easily the best film out of China in 2017. It's quite serious, no clowns, no jerks but serious characters. If I have to be picky a little bit, those thugs hired by the villain in black were the weakest cast, most of them didn't look intimidated enough and just looked like cardboard figures. Other than these deadbeat gang-bangers, this film is as tight as a live clam's shells.

The main characters, the explosive expert and his lover, both were extremely well casted and they both performed award winning acting jobs, looked like real and also very subtle at the same time. No wonder they both are the A-list movie stars in China. This a hypertension thriller with the least flaws to be picked about. Having such an opportunity to watch a film like this, I'd say there's still some hope in the Chinese movie industries.

Well, the synopsis for the 2017 Chinese action thriller "Yin Bao Zhe" (aka "Explosion") definitely sounded interesting enough. And I opted to watch what writers Zheng Chang and Meng Li had to offer with this movie, without ever having heard about it.

And while the synopsis did sound interesting, the reality was something else, because "Yin Bao Zhe" was a swing and a miss. The narrative of the storyline is so dull and slow paced that it is difficult to remain awake and alert throughout the 106 minutes that the movie ran for, even with all the explosions going on.

The storyline was just not in my liking. Sure, there were parts here and there that were good and entertaining enough, but the overall picture was just a subpar movie experience. It was too slow paced and almost didn't even make it from A to B in the narrative. And it didn't help much that the character gallery in the movie was so mundane that you just simply don't care an ounce about any of the characters.

I feel like director Zheng Chang wasted a somewhat good potential here, because "Yin Bao Zhe" definitely could have been set up for a lot more than what it managed to deliver.

If you enjoy Asian action thrillers, then I wouldn't recommend that you waste your time, money or effort on "Yin Bao Zhe". It just simply is too mundane and slow paced. And for an action thriller, it was terribly devoid of thrills.

My rating of "Yin Bao Zhe" lands on a three out of ten stars.

Zhao is an explosives expert. Following an explosion at a mine that leaves four dead, Zhao is fired and threatened by mine owner Li Yi. Zhao nevertheless returns to the mine to investigate, and it soon becomes clear the explosion was no accident, and he did not make a mistake.

Li Yi is then blackmailed by Cheng Fei, whose son is in a coma, and it appears Cheng Fei is out for revenge. When people start dying, Zhao becomes a suspect. Now, Zhao finds himself on the run from the thugs out to kill him and the police, and it becomes a cat and mouse game for Zhao to stay ahead of the pack.

The film has a good premise and could have been so much better. I believe the director is to blame. The performances from most of the cast lacked enthusiasm and better editing could also have resulted in a faster paced, more exciting movie.

There are a few very good action sequences, but this didn't entirely compensate where the film lacked. Towards the end it became generic and predictable. 'Explosion' had the potential to be a true nail-biter, but it somehow missed its mark. It also wasn't believable that the characters couldn't kill their enemies despite perfect opportunity.

Regardless, 'Explosion' was nevertheless still an entertaining movie that kept me interested throughout.

Well scripted, a very serious movie, good actor... 2 thumbs up.

Explosion is a sinister mixture of a desperate action film, an emotional drama and a conspiracy thriller. The movie tells the story of a blast technician who has once been to prison for having developed and sold explosives. As he now tries to live a normal life using his talents in mines and supporting his pregnant wife who owns a tiny restaurant, he gets involved in a conflict between two pitiless businessmen. He nearly gets killed in an explosion that brutally kills four coworkers and wants to find out how this disaster could happen. As he investigates, he becomes both the prime suspect of having caused the explosion on purpose and is seen as a menace by the two businessmen who want to hide what really happened in the mine. The blast technician soon has to clear his name, face powerful enemies and must protect his wife.

Explosion convinces on many levels. First of all, the movie has a truly sinister atmosphere. This is especially due to the settings. It's often raining or snowing, many scenes take place at night, the viewers get to explore abandoned or destroyed factory halls and mines and several places show dirt and pollution. The movie shows the dark side of China's industrial boom which gives the film a realistic touch which is far away from many idealized films of that country with strong propaganda elements. The film recalls Black Coal, Thin Ice but the locations are less static and more diversified which makes Explosion easily the superior movie.

The mixture of genres is another strength of this film. Observing the main character trying to clear his name, reorganizing his life with his pregnant wife and facing his childhood friend and police officer who is torn between helping and arresting him give the movie a humanistic touch despite all the grey settings. These dramatic sequences meet a conspiracy thriller involving two businessmen fighting each other by any means necessary. The film shows corruption, greed and vengeance as powerful motives leading to a few twists and turns. The film's solid atmosphere is often interrupted by realistic pursuits, gun battles and of course numerous explosions.

The film also has an interesting plot. The movie has a very short exposition and literally starts with a bang. From then on, the main character's personal investigation is a tense rising action. This leads to a first climax where several character get assassinated and the main character has to go into hiding. The resolution shows how the blast technician tries to find a way to clear his name and start a new life which turns out to be impossible. This leads to a final showdown and resolution in an abandoned factory hall where all three genres meet in equally balanced and strong proportions. The finale is filled with action, emotion and tension.

The characters are also quite convincing. The unpretentious main character is a desperate and quiet man who simply desires to live in peace and dreams of a better future. His desperate wife's struggles are authentic enough to make the audience really care for her. The police officer being torn between arresting and helping the accused might be the movie's most vivid character which gives the film a solid dose of energy. Even the clever villain has his very personal motives to go on a killing spree and one almost empathizes with him. Even the side characters including resilient contract killers, hectic chiefs of security and a brutal businessman are quite interesting.

There aren't many negative aspects concerning this movie. Parts of the plot were somewhat predictable and reduced the tension at times. The unusual ending felt somewhat underdeveloped in my book but was at least somewhat original.

In the end, if you like movies with a gripping, realistic and sinister atmosphere, you will most definitely enjoy this profound action, crime and drama movie. Explosion has intellectual depth without being static. This movie represents what the critically acclaimed Black Coal, Thin Ice should have been like if the director had been less pretentious. Explosion certainly deserves more attention and praise than it currently gets. Give this great film a chance at your local cinema or purchase it once it's going to be released on BluRay and DVD.