Kuang biao

The plot is compact and exciting, that reflects the determination of the government to deal with the problem of official corruption. "Kuang biao" not only restores the clothes, but also the mobile phones and vehicles used by the protagonists. This is a rare phenomenon in early TV dramas. However, the play "Kuang biao" has well balanced this point. It has not only completed the important task of education, but also made the play happy to fly. In the past, I was very curious that China's online Shuangwen has gone to the world, not only can cure depression, but also can help foreign youth detoxify. Why can't such a powerful Shuangwen model be transplanted into TV dramas?

It has a good story, but its slow narrative completely ruins the viewing experience. After watching 27 episodes, I gave up as the show felt like it was dragging on for too long. The only saving grace for me were the episodes from 10-15, which I could listen to as background noise while doing housework. However, this is not the ideal way to enjoy a TV show.

The acting skills of Zhang Songwen and Zhang Yi are the best part of the show. Unfortunately, the writer's draggy storytelling means that they spend 60% of their time performing pointless scenes. This takes away from their excellent acting skills and makes the show less enjoyable to watch.

Lastly, Wu Gang's acting in the show is also a major letdown. His delivery of lines is painful to watch and I wouldn't recommend him as an actor in any film or television.

Overall, while the show has a good story, the slow narrative and poor acting performance makes it a difficult watch. I would not recommend this show to anyone who wants to enjoy an engaging and well-paced TV series.

The drama spans more than 20 years and focuses on how hard-working and talented opportunists rise from the bottom of the Chinese social pyramid. The first 3/4 is very exciting, but the last 1/4 is a bit slow, thus I rated this drama a 9 instead of 10.

The acting of Zhang SongWen (who plays Gao Qiqiang) is incredible. He is a ruthless mafia boss but also a warm, loving father, husband, and brother. He handled the two faces very well. The scenes where he protects his family, showing warmth and strong humanity, really moved me.

The supporting actress Gao Ye (who plays Chen Shu Ting) is also very eye-catching. Her portrayal of the tiger mother is very realistic!

... to take note and think beyond the media.

This TV show is based on real events, namely the dismantlement of the government-affiliated and government-corrupting criminal syndicate in the city of Jinghai. There's no spoiler to that, really, because one can go onto wikipedia and read about those events.

What's different, and preoccupying in reality, and preoccupying for those of us who live in "democratic" countries, however, is the glaring inefficiency of our police forces.

This TV series might be "propaganda" in a way that is filmed and the very ending of contains is a deliciously quaint "thanks to the Party" movie quip, however this contains a reality.

China executes corruptioneers, while the West praises them and puts them in positions of power. I know dozens of people like the protagonist regularly making the headlines of our newspapers and our government (France) can do nothing about them. The average waiting time for a police intervention from a call call in China is under 15 minutes. The average waiting time in France is between 40 minutes and several hours. Average ER waiting times in Europe are counted in hours.

Same for other public services. All the while the rich are enriching themselves. We are, collectively, going down the Gao Qiqiang's Xinhai road.

That is very worrying, because ANYONE promising the same level of efficiency will actually rafle the ballot boxes and when you're unable to provide basic services like that, a dictator becomes a (good) option - that which most will vote for - which could end in a collapse afterwards - already seen in 2023 Russia, between this and ethnosupremacist police brutality and undercurrents of civil war in the US the future looks extremely grim - OR - otherwise - you have the Chinese system, which works, produces real results and TV series detailing how those results were produced.

This is the message of this movie and everyone better take note of it.

If so, why?

I can't even concentrate on watching the drama, the camera moves a lot and unnecessarily. They used a lot of handheld camera, and felt like without steady camera. The angle of shooting, the framing, the movement of characters are just terrible. I wondered if it was done on purpose, so I tried to watch 2 episodes but I just couldn't finish the 2nd one. I just felt dizzy watching it. I trust the story was excellent as many many people had said, but I wouldn't be able to find out myself. Acting-wise, yes OK, but I still can't sit still to watch it.

One more thing, if the story is good, cast is good, why not invest a bit more in hiring better crew? Editing wasn't good either, it's just sloppy, and no one ever mentioned this on the internet, I really wonder why. Maybe it's just me...