Character analysis in the movie Bloody Streets

zz Douban

The main line of the story is clear and traceable. It is also a story of betrayal and revenge like Zhang Cheh. John Woo tells the story of the deep and carefree brotherhood, until it encounters a sudden change and becomes divided, and then again. From the time when the brothers are killed due to greed, to the final tragedy of revenge, they are all influenced by Chang Cheh. Under the same general framework, John Woo has added new content and the expression techniques are richer and more varied. First of all, the story has been moved from the Qing Dynasty to the background of the turmoil in Hong Kong and the Vietnam Civil War in the 1960s and 1970s, which allowed the original description of personal love and hatred to be closely connected with the characters in the turbulent era, and a hellish presentation of Hong Kong and Vietnam. The despair and sadness of being unable to call home in such a vast world can naturally remind people of Hong Kong people’s fear and uneasiness about being at a loss to predict the return of Hong Kong in 1997. For example, when Tony Leung picks up his girlfriend from get off work, the huge banners cluttering the streets, and the scuffle between the police and protesting students and workers all hint at the tragic ending in which the protagonists who intend to stay out of the incident will have no choice but to be influenced by it. In what was supposed to be a warm proposal scene, Liang told his girlfriend that "there are many lovely places in the world." The seemingly open and stretching long lens focused on the sharp and towering factory buildings behind the two of them, and their personal destiny was in the era. In the background, it should be an ambition in John Woo's movies to go beyond simple personal love and hatred or the sympathy between heroes.

The seemingly abrupt and almost absurd arrangement of Tony Leung getting into trouble for his brother on his wedding night, and the three of them collaborating to leave Vietnam, seems more reasonable with the excellent character explanations and the foreshadowing of the background. The wonderful portrayal of Jacky Cheung's character (it's worth noting the details of being knocked on the head by his mother and having his head broken by a gangster) makes the subsequent changes seem to be a matter of course. On the wedding night, Jacky Cheung borrowed a loan shark to prepare for the wedding. While waiting for someone, the lively scene of the wedding was cut in parallel with Jacky Cheung's expression of being happy for his old friend but also feeling a little disappointed. The mutual trust between poor brothers helps each other. People are moved. The undercurrent of instability in the tender atmosphere makes the story excellent at the beginning, providing the possibility of flashbacks in the future and hints at the fate of the characters. In this section, John Woo tried his best to focus on the performance, and he was very skillful in portraying the little people living in the slums. It may also be a memory of John Woo's childhood life. John Woo immigrated to Hong Kong with his parents when he was five years old. His family lived in poverty and lived in A slum with prostitutes and gamblers. John Woo talked about his childhood in an interview, saying that the first thing he did when he got up every morning was to find something for self-defense, because he knew he would be beaten as soon as he went out. John Woo, who grew up in such a violent environment, should say that his portrayal of the characters of Li, Liang, and Zhang living in the slums is definitely better than the simple and reckless heroes in Chang Cheh's films.

The Vietnam part of the film was very soul-stirring. If the explanation of Li Zixiong's transformation is still a bit cliched and blunt, then Tony Leung's appropriately expressive performance puts the person John Woo wants to portray in extreme situations. His psychological state was vividly expressed. Although Tony Leung himself did not like his performance in this film and thought it was "too hard", I personally admired his performance in this film. Liang himself undoubtedly prefers the deep and restrained acting style. This type of role has almost become a label for Wong Kar-wai's movies. In "Infernal Affairs", Tony Leung has brought this kind of performance to a certain level. In Tony Leung's early years, he exaggerated In the process of transforming Hong Kong-style acting into a dull and melancholy image except for comedies, the performance in "Blood on the Street" is undoubtedly in a transitional period. It is also rare to see Tony Leung Chiu-wai's fiery and intense performance and complex and detailed inner drama. Perfect combination.

I have the impression that Jacky Cheung is always in a supporting role in movies. When filming "Jianghu", he also laughed at himself that he would always be the number two character in the movie, and even the underworld could only be the second best. To be honest, I don't like Jacky Cheung's performance very much. I can't even remember a few of the movies he starred in. My impression is just a common problem among Hong Kong actors. His performances are extremely exaggerated and a bit noisy. Jacky Cheung himself said that his favorite thing is singing after all. As for acting, especially the roles he played in the early years, they were just a way to make some extra money while still young, and there was no real acting skills. However, the performance in this film is very exciting. Jacky Cheung was also nominated for the Best Supporting Actor at the Hong Kong Film Awards for this film. This should be attributed to his unique vision of casting, Jacky Cheung's simple and green acting skills and exaggerated acting style. The temperament of Hui Zai in the film is very suitable, especially the scenes where he is forced to kill and is tortured by a bullet in the head. John Woo also focuses on showing the hellish life of Fai Zai after being shot in the head. In the weird and terrifying scene, Under the blue and green lights, Fai Zai is in a state of madness, killing people in exchange for money, and the scene where he is in so much pain that he can't control himself. It makes people unconsciously think of the opening scene of Tony Leung Chiu Wai, who was robbed of debts for his wedding banquet, but still smiled to cover up his injured head. Looking back at the time when I saw this scene, I burst into tears almost at the same time as Tony Leung. This emotion was exaggerated in the slow motion of Tony Leung tearfully beating Fai Zai to death, and the tragic knot lingered in my heart for a long time

《 "Blood on the Street" has a more profound reflection than the hero film "A Better Tomorrow". "A Better Tomorrow" focuses on showing that people are unwilling to sink in adversity and let fate dictate them. They rise up to resist and try their best. This is what Xiao Ma said. It’s a heroic and tragic song that says, “I am God, and he who can control his own destiny is God.”

In "Blood on the Street", the protagonists are helpless. Under the torrent of the times and the mercy of fate, they run for their lives but cannot escape. This is reflected in the bridge meeting between Tony Leung and Zhen Chuqian. The play is shown to be sad and helpless. The two people sitting by the river looked at the branches and leaves floating in the water (the branches and leaves in the river were made specially), and talked about their luxurious desire to leave by boat. The sadness that penetrated into the bone marrow was matched by the gunfire in front of them. Comparing the two shouting "I'm Hongkong people! I'm Hongkong people" for help, a certain subtle psychology of Hong Kong people is expressed without leaving any trace but without mourning

The revenge in the final chapter is The continuous cutting of flashbacks is finally completed, but there is no revenge-like pleasure at all. After Tony Leung killed Li Zixiong, he hugged and let go and looked up to the sky and howled, allowing the audience to see the suffering and fate of the so-called hero in the flames and smoke. The ruthless tragic result, everything was finally settled in the understatement of music, heroes and anti-heroes, friendship and betrayal, departure and return. This film that John Woo truly loved also made no waves in the noisy Hong Kong film industry and almost disappeared