Analysis of "Chills 1994" at the Beijing viewing conference: revealing the power struggle on the eve of Hong Kong's return

Jiuzhiwang Film Beijing News (Reporter: 1326 SF03 Editor: 1326XJ01) On April 24, during a high-profile viewing event that attracted a lot of attention and was also an academic screening event organized by the China Film Art Research Center, the film "Cold War 1994" written and directed by Liang Lemin showed the profound historical background behind it and the complex and intertwined character relationships to the audience in its unique presentation. This film is not only a prequel to the "Chills" series, but also an in-depth and profound insight and interpretation of the social turmoil and power struggle in Hong Kong on the eve of its return.

Director Liang Lemin pointed out at this viewing meeting that, unlike the previous two works,"Chills" and "Chills 2","Chills 1994" focuses more on the inner world of the characters in the film and goes deep into showing them The difficult choices they face, rather than just limiting the perspective to the framework of the rule of law and the great times. The film cleverly uses a rich man kidnapping case in 1994 to vividly show the fierce competition between the British side, the police force, the business community, and the underworld on the eve of Hong Kong's return, as well as their intertwined and intertwined complex relationships.

In terms of cast,"Chills 1994" can be said to have gathered many powerful actors. The return of veteran movie stars such as Chow Yun-fat, Tony Leung Ka-fai, and Aaron Kwok, coupled with the joining of new generation actors such as Wu Yanzu, Wu Kangren, and Liu Junqian, have jointly built a two-line narrative structure spanning 1994 and 2017. Among them, young Li Wenbin played by Liu Junqian and Cai Yuanqi played by Wu Yanzu represent the police force and British forces respectively. The interweaving of their destinies seems to indicate that the police force will be divided in the future.

Director Liang Lemin conducted an in-depth analysis of the historical inevitability of 1994 as the starting point of the "Cold War Universe" at the viewing conference, revealing that under the appearance of a power struggle, a 23-year-old secret police battle actually began slowly. The film not only tries its best to restore the unique texture of that era on the visual level, but also deeply explores the growth and transformation process of the characters in terms of plot, especially the complex process of Li Wenbin's gradual transformation from an idealist to a powerful figure. process.

The creative ambition of "Chills 1994" is to comprehensively analyze Hong Kong's history through the mutual reflection of historical reality and fiction. The rich kidnapping case in the film actually alludes to the sensational cases that occurred in Hong Kong in the 1990s, while the collusion between gangs, chaebol and the police is consistent with the context of historical development. The political metaphors contained in the lines and the struggles the characters experience in identity make "Chills 1994" transcend the scope of ordinary police and gangster films and have deeper connotations. Director Liang Lemin vividly compared "Chills" to a metaphor for Hong Kong, and 1994 was the code book to unlock this metaphor. The film uses the power struggle of the police force as a mirror to reflect the difficult situation of a city struggling to turn around in the cracks of history.

At the film viewing, the wonderful performances of the film actor and actress were praised by the audience as "a texture that AI cannot reproduce." In particular, the cross-time and space dialogue between Liu Junqian and Leung Ka-fai, as well as Wu Yanzu's subversive role creation, were all given The audience left a very deep impression. Chow Yun-fat's three-second God-sealing lens cleverly connects the grievances that spanned 23 years and becomes a major highlight of the film.

"Chills 1994" is scheduled to be released nationwide on May 1, when the audience will have the opportunity to personally experience the shock brought by this 23-year undercover police battle.