Drama

A TOUCH OF SIN-Tian zhu ding (2013)

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Winning the best screenplay at Cannes last year and despite being passed by the censors in China, this indictment of certain aspects of Chinese society has still not been given a release date by the authorities.

Four disparate stories, each based on real events that happened in different parts of Modern China within the last 15 years are woven together by arthouse director, Jia Zhangke, commenting on the current state of society in mainland China and dealing with issues of corruption and violence.

Moving from extreme revenge, injustice, protecting oneself, the thrill and power of the gun and feeling trapped (which applies to all the characters in one way or another) this film takes us on a journey that highlights the desperation these characters have to deal with.

Each episode of violence comes quickly and is over in a flash, highlighting the shocking nature of it and eschewing any kind of gratuitous sensationalism.
At one point, there is a bus journey and the passengers are watching Johnnie To’s Exiled, which is filled with the action violence we are so used to seeing. Maybe this is a comment on our desensitized nature when it comes to violence on the screen.

The first part has a very western feel to it as in Ford/Leone as opposed to imperialist dogs, as does the second part to an extent. The third part has a touch of the Kill Bills/Lady Vengeance and the final chapter, the most downbeat one comes across as a realist commentary.

Getting some finance from Office Kitano, Takeshi Kitano’s production company and making such a splash on the international critical scene means that China will find it difficult to ignore. Talks are still happening as far as a release date in China.

Working with his long time collaborator and wife Zhao Tao, Jia creates a world full of realism and human challenges and gives a nod to the wuxia classic A Touch of Zen. The literal translation of the Chinese title, Tian zhu ding, is ‘Determined by the fate’ to which each character is subject to.

This film falls short in its economy of time and pacing, at times slow and slightly rambling, it is clearly a film of import, highlighting the difficulties that modern China is facing, wanting to be part of the world stage yet at the same time needing to assert and keep in place old ideals.

A Touch of Sin is worth a look for a serious piece of social commentary on this ancient land.

BUY THE BLU RAY DVD HERE

DOWNLOAD THE FILM ON iTUNES HERE

3/5

 

 

THE PURGE: ANARCHY (2014)

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Like an eighties B movie this film posits some interesting ideas much like the first film but it would have worked better as a graphic novel rather than a film. The characters feel like they are straight out of a comic book and somehow the imagined translation onto film loses power.

It is entertaining in an eighties style with a modern slant.

The plot is simple enough, one day a year, all crime, including murder is legal. A way for the government to allow the population to purge their dark urges, so the crime rate throughout the rest of the year is kept at a minimum. James De Monaco directs the second part in this series coming off the back of the first and IMDB tells us that he is busy directing the 3rd one at the moment.

A couple, Shane and Liz, played by Zach Gilford and Kiele Sanchez break down on their way home, merely hours before the Purge begins.
A lone man, Sergeant, Frank Grillo (Captain America-The Winter Soldier), fills his car with guns and weapons and heads out into the night. Two sisters, Eva and Cali Sanchez, Carmen Ejogo and Zoe Soul head out into the night to try and find their father, who has ‘sold’ himself as a victim in order to provide for his daughters.

These are our protagonists and their job is to stay alive during this dangerous, deadly time.

If you’re a fan of great thrillers of the eighties, Escape From New York, The Warriors, Assault on Precinct 13, etc, you will enjoy this. It draws inspiration from a lot of these films and does it reasonably well. It is probably equally as good as The Purge and while neither of them are what anyone would call a classic, there is enough in each of them to keep the audience entertained.

The idea is prescient in this day and age, holding a mirror up to society in a sci-fi stylee.

If you’re in the mood for a thriller that requires little brain-work this is for you.

It does, however, ask questions about the state of the nation and dissatisfaction of the people who live there. It is far from mindless and is a definite step up from the usual studio fare.

Violent and suspenseful, for those who like their thrillers a little bit twisted.

BUY THE BLU RAY DVD HERE

DOWNLOAD THE FILM ON iTUNES HERE

3/5