Righteousness frees and breaks.

雪迷宫 / Snow Maze

"THE FIRST SHOT" - {SPECTACULAR}

Imperfect stories I hold dear are many. Imperfect stories I barely hesitate to rate above 8,5 and even dare to consider mentioning it to other people around me who do not know anything or care about Asian TV shows are not.

The First Shot ? Since Signal, the very first drama I watched 5+ years ago with my partner, I had not seen another thriller/action like this.

The only major flaw I can pinpoint is how its finale was a bit rushed. A common issue. Unfortunately, everything still unsolved got wrapped up in 5 minutes like they forgot they had a train to catch. 10 to 20 additional minutes would have been so much better to settle everything clearly and give a proper goodbye to everyone without making it look like an amateur Movie Maker edit. Had this been different, would this have become my first 10 rated drama ever ? Who knows. Probably not. Still, it's a pity.

What about the remaining imperfections ? Some tiny specks of dust here and there, slightly misplaced styling of actors for the era it's set in, as well as the occasional anti-drug and police 'propaganda' you might already be used to or fed up with if you watch a lot a Chinese police dramas. No harm done. It's not like it's wrong. I don't like drugs. It's just a bit heavy-handed. Subtlety is not their forte.

Therefore, I think 9,5 does its excellent quality justice while taking into account its few flaws. On a bad day, it's an overweight 9. Now let's talk about this quality I'm praising so much.

Good writing like I don't see often. Like, seriously. Airtight. For my limited brain capacity, at least. For how long have I not watched a 20+ episodes  crime show where I wasn't constantly bothered by nonsense overload fed by plot conveniences and plot holes breeding with stupid decisions ? Where neither the police nor their opponents are annoyingly brainless hoping you also are but actually competent and clever ? Where the level of realism and coherence is more than acceptable ? Even when it's imperfect, even when they make mistakes, it leads to rational consequences that propel the plot forward satisfyingly. It's dark and sad, but neither too much nor insufficiently. They rarely go the melo route, extorting tears out of you with professional mourners in the background and indefinite slow-mo when it's not needed. It's to the point. There are some heartbreaking stuff. But it's usually anchored in reality rather than forcefully dramatic.

This goes to the way the actors act as well. Raw. Impactful. Huang Jing Yu ? Dang, I never saw him before and this was my loss. Sure, they all do their job well. I've previously seen Xie Ke Yin in a more intense role and her performance never left me. But there's just something about this guy that doesn't look like pretending. The face. The voice. The body language. Nothing is out of place. Nothing reminds you the cameras are rolling. No wonder Wang Zi Qi took him as his acting goal. And his Zheng Bei is really something. So kind yet so rough. So thoughtful yet so hard on himself. Unyielding. Silently holding, bearing, enduring everything. A good leader. A principled man. But the cost is high and you just feel it.

As I said, there are barely any extreme demonstrations of emotions in this drama. No tragic hour-long ugly crying. No frequent and big laughters. It's in the details. And yet, providing you have a heart, you truly feel everything. Joy, pain, rage, fear, regret, grief. Love. Even the dynamics between these people feel true to life. Their teamwork is true teamwork. You don't really see someone more or less than the other, or immovable duos that never part. They all have their own role to play and they all interact with each other at various levels. They have built an extremely moving camaraderie, but there is also a peculiar bond between Zheng Bei and Gu Yi Ran. This odd poker-faced but surprisingly fiery fellow Bei reluctantly drags from the South ends up looking like the first truly intimate friend and confidant he ever had in his life, rather than simply being the +1 little bro he compulsively wants to add to his already long "let me take eternal responsibility for every bad thing that happens to you" list he suffocates himself with. Ran doesn't want such an unbalanced relationship. He doesn't mind confronting him. He forces him to be vulnerable and honest with himself where the others wouldn't dare say anything to him - or wouldn't even understand how he feels. He's the only character who actually does that. But he also endures his fair share of well-deserved questioning and scolding, and moves on after some self-reflection. In my opinion, their relationship is a goal : it ends up representing a true, supportive and healthy friendship, where both deeply cares about and wants the best for the other but neither is afraid to either be vulnerable nor call out on each other's BS when necessary. They are all very good friends. But these two are clearly the highlight. All of that really gives life to the value of friendship and found family tropes at the core of this story. There is so much more to say about these characters. They are honest, rich and human. They feel real.

It seems I'm describing the most perfect thing ever. I'm not. You can always find flaws if you want to be a nitpicky, annoying, eternally unsatisfied pain in the neck like I am. But when the irreproachable rhythm is rocking you steadily along this balanced road punctuated by excellent fight scenes, heartwarming bonding, suspenseful conflicts, effective character development, efficient teamwork, smile-inducing comedy, heart-wrenching reality, comfortable found-family feels, surprising plot choices, why would I even care about a few pebbles cracking under the wheels ? It was so enjoyable I got increasingly anxious at each passing episode thinking things just had to go south at some point.

And you know what's best ? When I realized beforehand this was written by the same two screenwriters that had worked on Being a Hero, I got torn between watching it immediately and be done with it or just delete it from my plan-to-watch list. If you haven't read my review for this one : it wasn't good. Either they exponentially improved their skills and cohesion, or someone else was involved in the script. I think Zhang Yi Mou in particular clearly knew what he was doing.

The directing is also of primary importance. This is so well shot. Dynamic, creative. The colour palette is gorgeous. The environment is immersive, fitting this 1997 Northeast setting. Now I know that while the background is mostly accurate, the way the actors are styled is not. I get that it might be an issue. But other than this, and for an unknowing Western audience, it still feels authentic. Some inaccuracies don't really hurt the vibe, in my personal opinion. Even the OST is spot on. Flowing with the action rather than guiding it. Almost lyrics-less. When there are words, they have true meaning.

What more could I say ? Too much.

If you like action, thriller, drama, stories set in the 90s, realistic characters, very deep friendships, family bonds, strong teamwork, very slight romantic interactions and do not mind dark themes such as trauma, drugs and violence, please, give this show a try. It might not be such a masterpiece for you as it is for me.

But still. It's good. In case you didn't get that. 

"Everyone has their own path. What I have to carry, I will carry." - Zheng Bei to Gu Yi Ran. 

{9,5/10}