Film Name: 怒水西流 / The River of Fury
This title is something I came up with after watching the newly released movie “The River of Fury.”
I now understand why I can go to the cinema to watch nearly a hundred movies a year without any burden—because I’m not afraid of watching bad movies (I simply skip those that don’t interest me, such as the recent “Always Have Always Will” and New Life”). On the contrary, if a film is so bad that it’s uniquely entertaining—even to the point of being utterly dreadful—I’ll still discuss it with interest (contemporary examples include “Captain America 4” and the live-action adaptation of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”). As for films that are simply boring, I’ll laugh them off and forget about them the next day (like this year’s “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” and “Fire on the Plain”).
What I truly dread are films like “The River of Fury”: it’s not bad, and you can tell the director and production team put in a lot of effort, the actors’ performances are competent, but the film just isn’t engaging. It has technical skill but feels raw, it has ideas but they’re shallow—it seems to meet all the basic criteria, but upon closer inspection, there’s little to commend it.
This is akin to facing a poorly written exam paper. A lenient grader might reluctantly give it a passing grade, while a stricter one would fail it outright. The problem is, you can’t bring yourself to harshly criticize it… Ultimately, it all boils down to two words: mediocrity.
To be more specific, “The River of Fury,” as a suspense crime film, lacks any real suspense. It doesn’t even attempt to create an air of mystery. The few clues that remain are practically shoved in the audience’s face, as if the filmmakers are afraid viewers might miss them. Every time you think to yourself, “It can’t be that simple, can it?” the outcome turns out to be exactly that simple.
Additionally, the character development and relationships in the film are also poorly executed. Key plot twists and emotional moments are introduced abruptly without proper buildup, feeling more like random additions. For example, the crucial backstory involving Guan Xiaowei and Yan Huiyu’s family is only revealed toward the end of the film. In terms of viewing experience, it feels less like a twist and more like a revelation that “the story doesn’t hold up, the characters lack depth and complexity, the thematic emotions are too shallow,” leading to last-minute additions—though these scenes were likely planned from the start, the end result feels like a disjointed, poorly executed adaptation.
“The River of Fury” is Feng Yongqin’s first feature film as both director and screenwriter, so one shouldn’t be too harsh on a newcomer… However, when it comes to creativity, it really does require some talent and inspiration. Given Feng Yongqin’s low starting point, it’s hard to say that the future holds much promise.
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