The Best Director

Chapter 502: 502

Bang——! Bang——! Bang——!

“Oh!” The change came so swiftly that a series of gasps followed one another in the dimly lit screening room, and after three gunshots rang out, on the big screen, Billy, Brown, and Barrigan lay dead in the broken building’s hallway on the cement floor, their blood bearing witness to the cruelty.

“It’s unbelievable!” Though the audience felt a suffocation in their chests, they couldn’t help but silently praise the film, feeling utterly shocked! The atmosphere that the film had been building up to this point suddenly burst forth! They began to understand why the film was named “The Deceased.” Evelyn took deep breaths, one after another. Although she had known all along that Billy wouldn’t make it to the end, she had still held out hope, which was now, of course, gone; Gwen hadn’t seen or asked about “Infernal Affairs,” her brow furrowed, could Colin really be the winner here?

“A masterful killing game!” “Ruthless violence.” The critics were not shy in their praise either, declaring it a heart-pounding, exhilarating explosion, with all eyes now on the closing scenes.

As the mournful sound of a bagpipe began to play, the story reached Billy’s funeral. All those in attendance were either expressionless or wore looks of sorrow, Colin’s silent demeanor as if the whole affair had nothing to do with him, the psychologist’s eyes brimming with tears, Billy’s police uniform a silent sentinel next to the casket. The sound of the bagpipes and salute shots stirred a complex and indescribable mood in the audience; in fact, there wasn’t much music throughout the film, just a few memorable segments; but the sound effects were truly impressive.

After the funeral, Colin went out shopping and returned home that day. He stepped out of the elevator carrying a bag of bread, and an old lady with a Yorkshire terrier was walking towards the elevator in the hallway. Colin bent down to pet it, but the dog was pulled away by the old lady, who gave him a wary glance, leaving Colin feeling rather foolish.

“YES.” Kirk Honeycutt from the “Hollywood Reporter” nodded in agreement. This shot wasn’t suggesting that even strangers hated Colin, but rather reflected the real world to some extent. After 9/11, America became like what the fat guy in “The Hangover” said, “Everyone went crazy,” filled with alienation, deception, distrust, and a sense of crisis. These were the textures brought about by the constant confrontation between the police and the gangsters, Billy and Colin, and they were also one of the themes that ran throughout the film.

Under the gaze of countless spectators, Colin opened the door to his apartment and was immediately stunned by what he saw inside. The camera swiveled and “Oh!” the audience exclaimed in surprise—it was Frank’s man who had escaped from the construction site!

“Cop, I won’t make you suffer.” The bearded man didn’t bother to say much, just laughed as past gangsters had when they killed, lifted a silenced pistol, and without a word from Colin, shot him, ‘Pip!’ With the muffled gunshot, a spray of blood burst forth, splattering the door and outside hallway, and Colin, shot in the head, fell to the ground, the bag of bread tumbling from his hand.

“Another one dead!” “To be killed by a criminal…” the audience couldn’t help but widen their eyes as Colin was killed by a criminal who had mistaken him for a cop! Although the villain was dead, there was little sense of relief. But before they and the critics could think further, there was a new development!

Dignam, dressed in a tight-fitting tracksuit, wearing a cap, gloves, and paper shoes, walked down the hallway. He might have originally planned to kill Colin, but seeing the situation as it was, he immediately lifted his silenced pistol and aimed at the gangster stepping out the door, ‘Whoosh——! Thud!’ The blood spurted out, and the bearded criminal fell to the ground, dead. Dignam stepped forward, looked at Colin lying in the pool of blood, surrounded by scattered bread, his furrowed brow slowly relaxing, and then he turned and walked away.

Accompanied by old-fashioned music, the camera panned upwards to show the skyline of Brooklyn, New York, full of buildings. A rat scurried from the edge of the window, foraged a bit, and then disappeared into the other side, out of camera range. After the building shot lingered for a few seconds, the film ended.

Reviewers all felt a rush of excitement, and the final shot of the rat and the skyline meant a great deal. The rat was not only a nod to old gangster films and a tribute to them, but it also deepened nearly all of the film’s themes—survival, good versus evil, delusion, betrayal, lower-class society, identity. The skyline, densely packed and oppressively isolating, is like those skyscrapers that one cannot see through. A person can never truly know what others are thinking, what they’re doing, or whether they can be trusted. When walls are built between people, this type of loneliness is incurable.

The entire ending was uncontrollable; no one knew what would happen the next second, neither Colin, the bearded thug, nor Dignam. And it was precisely the choice made in an instant that determined life and death, that determined everything.

Watching the credits roll on the big screen, the audience’s feelings remained unsettled for a long time, WHAT-THE-FUCK!

“Jesus!” This story is so sad! Lisa hadn’t yet returned to her senses, her thoughts churning nonstop. It was amazing that Stephen would release such a film on Christmas—it really harmed people! Ah, Heath was simply amazing! His portrayal was so haunting that his sad, angry, pained, smiling face lingered before her eyes. “Billy” made her feel so much; Michael Pitt’s explosive performance made her think that “Colin” would surely turn him into a big star, a truly exceptional actor.

“Incredible!” Clair applauded forcefully, her face beaming with a radiant smile. This was a masterpiece! Next to her, Adam was also clapping vigorously. The applause spread in an instant, and hundreds of spectators in the theater began to clap! Looking around, most faces were calm, some with smiles, but the applause was thunderous.

Perhaps people are always products of their environment, which certainly seemed to be the case for Billy and Colin. “The Deceased” depicted their lives and transformations from youth to death with great clarity and depth, expressively conveying this theme.

“I used to be on the wrong path, and I want to be a good person.” Colin’s change stemmed from his change of identity and life; he liked the life of a policeman, the life of being a good person, the positive adulation and the cop girlfriend, rather than the shady gangsters and the unspeakable darkness of prostitutes. But he was not righteous; he simply liked the perks that came with righteousness. He was the sort who “looked like a policeman,” and so given a choice, he still didn’t turn himself in; he never really thought about being a good person.

It was tragic that Colin always wanted to rid himself of Frank, yet the principles he staunchly believed and practiced were taught to him by Frank himself.

Billy changed too. It’s not just living a life inconsistent with one’s ideals that can lead to tragedy. He started out as a justice-driven, fiery young man, becoming an undercover cop to prove that he wanted to be a real policeman. But later, he didn’t want to do it anymore; he didn’t want to be undercover or even a policeman. He said he would go home once he settled the money and got back his identity and wouldn’t bother with this shit anymore. Where did the sense of justice go? What caused his change?

It was because, despite being a righteously driven cop all along, he received no benefits, praise, or recognition—only anguish and unrest, even unable to sleep. He stopped liking it.

Nancy, applauding with a smile, knew that this was also one of the reasons “Sorry, I’m a cop” didn’t show up on screen. Undoubtedly, people tend to favor encouragement and rewards, prefer to live in groups where they gain more recognition; not to silently give, not to feel uncomfortable in a niche group, regardless of whether the group is just or evil, or whether their own actions are righteous or evil. Luckily, today, universal values and the largest group on Earth belong to the light.

Human nature is so complex, and at times good and evil are hard to distinguish. Both men betrayed themselves yet remained loyal to themselves.

“Best film of the year! Definitely!” “A great movie!” “Haven’t seen such an awesome violent film in a long time!” “Wow——” The cinema hall was filled with discussions and praise. Most ordinary viewers couldn’t decode much of the meaning on the spot, but the sensory experience brought by the film was everything. Moreover, what was key was the mesmerizing entertainment value of “The Deceased.” It was naturally not as unparalleled as “Firefly,” lacking the humor and laughter, yet it had the tension and thrill that Wang Yang never failed to deliver.

The pacing of the entire film was tight, with not a scene wasted. From the moment the two joined the police academy to the end, it was filled with heart-pounding action—a true classic worth watching over and over!

However, Chinese exchange student Ye Feng was very disappointed. It’s not that “The Deceased” was bad, but perhaps his expectations were too high. This film is far inferior to “Infernal Affairs”! The plot didn’t change much, which would have been fine, but they cut some parts and lost others—the strong silent types were gone, Chan Wing Yan’s ex-girlfriend was gone too… And many classic scenes were a mess, such as Inspector Wong’s death, the rooftop standoff, and Lau Kin Ming’s inexplicable demise at the end, really far from the Hong Kong version.

“Huhuhu!!” Listening to the spontaneous applause and cheers from the audience around him, he couldn’t help but express to his friend Li Ming next to him, “There really is a cultural difference between East and West! They’re so excited about such a lousy film.”

Infernal Affairs” would terrify them! But then again, what do these foreigners understand about artistic conception! Do they understand the code of the streets, the bonds of brotherhood? So many classic lines were missing, just FUCK, FUCK, FUCK! And plasma sprayed everywhere. As expected, you can’t rely on ABC Wang Yang, who failed to capture Lau Kin Ming’s inner turmoil, or Chan Wing Yan’s subtle feelings towards the gang… It was simply a destruction of “Infernal Affairs.”

“This is a good film!” Li Ming didn’t agree with Ye Feng’s opinion. This guy started watching “The Deceased” with prejudice. Why didn’t he consider that if they had just remade it to look like the Hong Kong version, why not show “Infernal Affairs” directly? In fact, the two films are incomparable, both are great!

He thought the most brilliant part of the Hong Kong version was how both undercover agents were influenced by their respective environments, leading them to doubt their original beliefs and identities, struggling painfully within their hearts; “The Deceased” also had these elements, the changes in the two men were obvious, but it was tougher and more real, without the artsy sentimentality. Those people all seemed like ordinary people, and that applied to other aspects as well. Li Ming felt that “The Deceased” truly deserved its 7 Golden Globe nominations, and Wang Yang’s greatest strength was blending Eastern and Western cultures and elements.

For example, Colin’s death by gangsters is a cycle of cause and effect, retribution that is not clear-cut—an element of Eastern culture that’s also a thought-provoking dramatic conflict. Colin’s greatest fear was the exposure of his undercover identity, and he was desperate to cover up this secret, only to die because of it in the end. Where’s the difference when a cop faces a loaded gun compared to a criminal? Whether Colin wanted to shout “I’m not a cop” in the end is unknown.

And the entire ending sequence, the shooting relations among Billy, Brown, Barrigan, Colin, and the criminals, and Dignam also formed a circle! These didn’t confuse Western audiences as much as “Live not as good as dead” or “Infernal Affairs,” yet they contained a full essence of Eastern flavor. Finally, when Dignam kills the criminal, it’s another example of eradicating evil and promoting the good, with a whiff of Western personal superhero entertainment, with justice ultimately prevailing, as it always does. This is the difference between police and criminals.

The film left an impression in many places that beneath the completely Americanized New York underground society flair, Michael skillfully managed the whole story, the entire movie, with traces of both Eastern and Western culture, saying a lot—a truly awesome feat.

Clap clap clap! Li Ming joined the applause, knowing this wasn’t “Infernal Affairs,” this was “The Departed.”

“Huhuhu—” Across 3765 theaters in North America, there were claps and cheers, from regular viewers to media critics, showering praise on the exciting and entertaining “The Deceased”!

Packing up their repressed feelings, Yang’s fans left the theater cheerfully, while Yang’s critics tightened their faces, “shooting simultaneously” without messing up. The young director and his team had truly created a legend, undeniable. Everyone knew that the era of “Amazing Director” was fading, as films like “Shepherd” were likely to be bombarded, since the recently silent Michael, that Pokémon, was about to shock the world again!

“As a fan of the ‘Infernal Affairs’ trilogy, I’ve been unusually focused on this remake. A subtle Hong Kong thriller turned into a Hollywood blockbuster? I was skeptical about its prospects, honestly. But I think we need to remind ourselves that this is Wang Yang, the magical Yang who never disappoints,” Antony-S’s five-star rating clearly shows his opinion. He described, “The movie had so many surprising changes, astonishing aspects; the entire auditorium was plunged into deep thought, delighted to see Wang Yang deliver another great work.”

“Unbelievable movie, Ledger, Pitt, Nicholson, their performances were unbelievable, unbelievable lines, unbelievable music, unbelievable Wang Yang!” Alonso-A must have been really excited, using incredible five times in a breath. Tom-M also excitedly gave it a full score: “This is a damn good movie! It has so many great reasons, everyone should go to the theater to watch it, and watch it twice! You need to sit properly and appreciate all its twists and turns!”

Michelin-P, who also gave it a full score, had other reasons to like it: “This movie has a lot of sexy men, and the director is very HOT… lots of blood.” Jennifer B only gave it four stars: “Love the movie, hate the ending. Just a reminder for those who haven’t seen it, it won’t go the way you think it should, Wang Yang has done this before.”

The same four stars from Krista C: “Very violent, lots of blood! Not suitable for children, Yang is even more ruthless in killing characters, be mentally prepared, but you must watch it.”

Violence, blood, brutality – these audience review keywords were almost as numerous as perfect, splendid, great, incredible, with plenty of DAMN and even FUCKING being used to express amazement.

“It’s crazy!!!!” Stephen T scored it full marks; “It’s that rare kind of movie, an all-star cast! Ledger’s best performance, Wang Yang’s magic as always, I think I’m falling for him!” Jasmine G was a little bit smitten; “Super cool movie, but the ending is really disgusting and terrible!” Bobby P gave it four and a half stars, probably just dissatisfied with the deceased; “Any excellence you can list about a movie, it’s all in there, a radiant achievement! A dream-like masterpiece! It’s this year’s Oscar for Best Picture,” raved Paul M. Leslie A swore excitedly: “Hahaha, Yang haters, go fuck yourselves! You idiots. Wang Yang, you’re awesome!”…

As time ticked away, ‘The Deceased’ was shown one screening after another; reviews and comments on various websites kept increasing. If anyone had opened its Rotten Tomatoes page, they would have found… a 95% audience approval rating! An average score of 4.3/5, the audience’s favorite film of the winter.

Rat-a-tat-tat-tat! The sky was a clear morning azure, and the newspapers fresh with the smell of ink were placed on the shelves and thrown at every doorstep by paper boys. The reviews for ‘The Deceased’ from mainstream media, tabloids, and online outlets were already out, and the many fans and friends of Wang Yang couldn’t wait to check Rotten Tomatoes, my God!

“Wow——” Jessica’s joyous exclamation echoed through the bedroom; in fact, she had already refreshed Rotten Tomatoes many times, and checked IMDb, critic blogs, newspaper columns, and other places. What a happy Christmas! Keke, walking around holding a teddy bear, was pleased with herself. “Wow——” Natalie was silent for a few seconds after seeing the numbers on the screen, then burst out laughing; she’d left her mark in another classic. “Wow——” Seeing the fresh Rotten Tomatoes, Rachel was beaming; Wang Yang’s work is crazy. “Wow——”…

Exclamations arose all over the world, 100% fresh rating from the audience critics! 100% fresh rating from the top critics! The initial response from the movie review community to ‘The Deceased’ was a perfect 100%/100% – a masterpiece.

※※@@novelbin@@

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PS: Wow, I’m asking for some monthly tickets, the current ranking is too sad. Can we charge back into the top 100? Please, everyone! (