This award winning urban neo noir is not set in the often found mythological countryside of many recent Chinese films emphasising an historical aspect but in a gritty (dare I say Scandi?) realistic industrial setting. Indeed the opening grisly sequence is set in a coal sorting factory where the body parts from a recent crime are discovered.

After the initial police failing to uncover the guilty party the film moves forward a few years to a similar set of crime features and the same policemen are put in charge of what may be a "copycat" killing.

The atmosphere and especially the lighting of the snow covered town are the two elements that lift the film above a normal run of the mill crime thriller, that and the downbeat performance of the leading actor ( possibly channeling his inner Brando) make this an interesting film watch.
Any regular viewer of the genre will pick up the tropic clues and arrive at a conclusion before the film does but don't be fooled Yi'nan is a student of Western film and acknowledges several seminal directors on his way the film's conclusion.

In a recent interview when asked about the film the director said about it's grim poetic style "It is beauty but a cruel beauty"

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Standort: DVD

Interessenkreis: Film: französische Produktion