China
could use more forest rangers like Lao Zhu. So could the tragically despoiled Tibet,
but we have to settle for stationing one of the few ecologically minded rangers
in the Tianshan mountains. He believes in protecting wildlife, but dogs are his
true love, perhaps even more than his family. A disgraced former ranger out for
revenge will target both in Liu Jianhua’s The
Blood Hound (trailer
here), which
screens during the 2017 Chinese American Film Festival in the LA area.
People
still eat dog in China’s provinces, but not Lao Zhu. Zhang Biao is a different
story. There is already bad blood between them, so when Zhang moonlights
poaching rare white wolves, Zhu does not hesitate to call in the constabulary.
Unfortunately, Zhang’s arrest hastens a series of misfortunes for his family,
all of which he blames on his honest rival. When he is released from prison, he
starts killing Zhu’s dogs. However, a scheme out of Titus Andronicus to trick Lao into eating his mutt Rambo falls
apart when the wonder dog escapes Zhang’s cronies. Zhang then turns his
attention on Zhu’s popular older daughter, but his intentions get more
complicated when he ends up falling for her.
Frankly,
it is probably good just to have a Chinese film that suggests a little wildlife
preservation is not a bad thing. In many ways, Blood Hound looks like an attempt to reverse-engineer a more
politically palatable analog of Jean-Jacques Annaud’s Wolf Totem. Just updating the setting from the Cultural Revolution
to modern day probably goes a long way. Xia Liu’s screenplay also clearly
suggests the People’s Police diligently enforces wildlife protection
regulations, which is highly debatable in real life. Regardless, even though cinematographer
Ma Deling feasts on the Tianshan vistas, Wolf
Totem a much more artistically accomplished film.
In
fact, Blood Hound is rather prone to
door-slamming family melodrama. It seems like old Zhu is constantly yelling at
a family member, up until the ridiculous third act, wherein Rambo basically
turns into Lassie. Still, Huang Hong and Liu Xiang-jing are appropriately
grizzled and hardnosed as Zhu and Zhang. They promise score-settling a la
Charles Bronson and Lee Marvin in Death
Hunt, but the film delivers something more like a Hallmark TV movie, with
the old grouch and rash poacher learning important life lessons from dogs. As a
welcome bonus, the up-and-coming Zhu Lin is also quite engaging as Zhu’s
dog-loving younger daughter.
It
would be a mistake to dismiss outright a film with as many good intentions as The Blood Hound. There are some
impressive performances and you have to appreciate a dog named Rambo. However,
it also has more than its share of awkward moments. If you want to see a film
that illustrates the man’s predatory encroachment on wolves’ habitat, Wolf Totem is your best choice. Notable
more as a curiosity than as significant cinema, The Blood Hound screens tomorrow (11/7) and Wednesday (11/8) as
part of this year’s Chinese American Film Festival in Alhambra, CA.
