The wild goose lake
&Prive HD
*ing: Hu Ge, Kwai Lun-Mei, Wan Qian, Liao Fan, Yicong Zhang, Dao Qi, Huang Jue, Tang Wei, Chloe Maayan, Yongzhong Chen
Rated: 6/10
It’s dark yes, definitely thrilling but in its very own unique kind of way. Emanating from a cop-killer youth involved in a turf war with fellow gangsters, it moves on to a series of set pieces that enhance the story at various levels. However, the ambience largely remains rainy and dark, when it is not red blue or psychedelic.
Whether these shades are good props is a matter of discussion, depending on what your idea of a thriller is. But, over and above that the story in itself is gripping and unfolds slowly enough to not let you off the hook.
Add to this the almost muted character of an unapologetic matter of fact prostitute Liu Aiai who grabs the scene from the time she asks for a light from the youth under a leaky sky in the middle of the night, to the last scene which scripts the suspense and revelation to the last seconds, there is something really dramatic about this understated thriller from the celebrated director Diao Yinan.
Aiai is crucial to the film though she does well to keep the theatrics away from her story and role in the film as does Zhou Zenong around whose predicament the film beautifully revolves.
All in all a differently enabled film if you are not into a ferocious pace circuit.