In
China’s western provinces, it is every man for himself. There is no OSHA
regulating mine safety. The media doesn’t report on what goes on below ground
and the cops only care about playing their own angles. When Zhao Yu-dong is set
up to take the fall for a blasting disaster, the smart play is to take the hush
money. It is not like he would even have to worry about jail time, because
nobody would dare report the incident. However, the egregiousness of the “accident”
and Zhou’s hardheadedness make him go lone wolf in Chang Zheng’s Explosion (trailer here), which is now
playing in New York.
Zhao
never wanted to be a blaster, but he followed in his father’s footsteps anyway.
He certainly has enough experience to know one stick of dynamite should never
produce the massive conflagration that resulted. He would like to start a new
life with his fiancée Xiao Hong, but only a minimal amount of investigation
turns up evidence of foul play. Before he knows what hit him, Zhao finds
himself in the middle of a violent feud between two mining oligarchs. Li Yi was
his predatory boss, but the vengeance-seeking Cheng Fei will become his main
nemesis.
Of
course, Zhao cannot count on any help from the cops, especially including his
opportunistic former friend Xu Feng. They have already settled on him as their
prime suspect for the subsequent murders they know about—and they have still only
heard vague rumors of the original blasting mishap.
Explosion is a truly
subversive film, because it presents itself to be an action movie chocked full
of pyrotechnics, but it simultaneously delivers some very pointed social
criticism, with respect to workers rights, workplace safety, public corruption,
and to a much lesser extent, the despoilment of the environment (the latter is
never directly addressed, but the arid ravaged landscapes silently speak
volumes). Yet, it still functions as particularly lethal film noir, most
definitely in the tradition of Black Coal, Thin Ice (bad things just seem to happen in and around Chinese coal mines).
Duan
Yihong is terrific as Zhao. He projects a sense of danger even when he is
getting the snot beat out of him, which happens often. Probably nobody is
better at playing tough but vulnerable women than Yu Nan, who shines again as
Xiao. There is also a wickedly effective tag-team of villains, including Cheng
Taishen as the sinister mastermind, Cheng Fei, and Yu Ailei portraying his
chief fixer.
Don’t
worry, Chang does not let the social realism prevent him from blowing up a
bunch of stuff. The wardrobe department also deserves credit for Li Yi’s
flamboyantly evil-looking blue suede boots. This is a slam-bang thriller that
should not be flying so low under the radar. Very highly recommended, Explosion is now playing in New York, at
the AMC Empire.
