I gave this 10 stars, for very specific reasons, both technical and artistic, which are detailed below.
This is a superb production; it honours the thriller genre, which has become a very sophisticated genre in recent years, but also brings its own spirit, at times lively and charming, at others very dark.
The story takes place in two eras: 2017, or 'now', and 1997; the visual recreation of the earlier period is meticulous, as well realised as a very good feature film; and the cultural and social fabric of that time, its complexities and contradictions, is beautifully evoked. Events are centred around the Hualin Steel Works, a huge factory, more like a small city with its own housing, hospital, and a large security force. The Steel Works is in steep financial decline; the middle-aged workers belong to the old China of Mao-style Communism ("I was a Model Worker!" says Wang Xiang), while the younger characters belong to the new China, still in its infancy. Economic fears, severe personal financial fears, and fear of what the future holds, pervade the community; corruption and crime are high, and, Wang Xiang, the hero of the story, struggles to be a good man in society where the costs of doing good are high, and where the community and many of those close to him have stopped believing in the morals of the past.
The narrative style is subtle, sophisticated and genuinely enthralling. The story unfolds slowly; the interwoven timelines blend gently, jumps in time at first catch you unawares. The story contains many minor characters, some of whom graduate to major characters; facts and details, hints and suggestions, are revealed here and there; a lot of guesswork and deduction is required of the viewer. Slowly the dark threads are drawn together. There is a thematic thread about 'fate', in the shape of forces outside personal control; and much of the cast consists of anti-heroes (those trying to do the right thing, but failing), and sympathetic villains (forced into wickedness by desperation), while the truly evil lurks for a long time in the shadows.
To aid with the viewer grappling with this perplexity and darkness, the script is generous with character comedy, particularly in the 'now' timeline, woven together with scenes of friendship and unresolved sadness.
The soundtrack is excellent; the show is visually cinematic; the acting is wonderful (Qin Hao, who plays Gong Biao, for example, executes one of the most convincing performances of aging 20 years that I have ever seen, so good that it was hard to believe he played both roles). My Chinese guide tells me the dialogue is also rich in idiom, accent and dialect.
In short, this is a brilliant and unique work of story-telling that both honours the genre and goes beyond it.
