Chapter 756: Everyone is Praising It

Originally, because *Dragon Inn* was only selected for the screening section, many people did not hold high expectations for this film.

There is a difference in psychological expectations.

With Director Liu Bige, screenwriter Lu Yan He, and leads Shang Yongzhou and Chen Bige, even with such a cast, the fact that it wasn't selected for the main competition section lowered everyone's psychological expectations for the film.

This is the influence of a top-tier film festival.

Many people who came to the premiere actually arrived with the mindset of watching a mediocre work filled with stars.

Even more so, after the incident between Liu Bige and Huang Tai, everyone was more curious about how Liu Bige would publicly respond to the matter.

As it turned out, the moment *Dragon Inn* began playing, everyone habitually focused their attention on the big screen before them.

The film opens with a grand scene of horses galloping, followed by an introductory voiceover; prisoners are released, put on horses, and then shot down one by one. As the prisoners roar in anger before their deaths, the background of the story is slowly revealed.

The pacing is extremely fast.

Yet, it is not the fast pace of a commercial film, but rather the story background being introduced rapidly—it doesn't feel like a film at all.

And yet, the visuals are so cinematic.

This scene is actually the prelude and setup for the entire story, but this prelude and setup itself is plot-heavy, keeping the audience breathless.

Then, as the prisoner Yang Yuxuan makes his entrance, the young eunuch played by Yan Liang and the supervisor played by Zhou Yuning also appear.

A gasp suddenly erupts from the audience.

Lu Yan He is taken aback.

Then he realizes that everyone was stunned by the handsomeness presented in the close-ups of Zhou Yuning and Yan Liang on the big screen.

Commonly known as—

Being dazzled.

Zhou Yuning and Yan Liang both possess regular, heroic features; such a style, when styled with eunuch makeup in this film, has an even greater visual impact.

In fact, the original versions played by Donnie Yen and Lawrence Ng were truly unforgettable. They possessed a magical quality where ruthlessness and femininity coexisted.

Many people play eunuchs by leaning towards "feminization" and "sissiness," but the two of them did not do that; their femininity was more of a psychological trait rather than a physical one.

What they performed was a kind of femininity carrying a man's ruthlessness, not the soft gentleness of a woman.

Zhou Yuning and Yan Liang are both the type of actors who act with their feet on the ground; their fundamental skills for playing these two eunuch roles were very solid, making them unforgettable from the moment they appeared.

What surprised Lu Yan He the most was Yan Liang.

He truly underwent a complete transformation.

Indeed, the best way for an actor to prove themselves is to completely change their acting path.

This look, this style—it was something Yan Liang had never had before.

For Lu Yan He, *Dragon Inn* is a very special existence.

Of course, he is referring to *New Dragon Gate Inn*.

It is just that, because this space-time does not have *Dragon Inn*, *New Dragon Gate Inn* became *Dragon Inn*.

For Lu Yan He, there is a standard for judging whether a Wu Xia film is good or not—though it is just his own standard—

Does it answer the question of what Wu Xia is?

Wu Xia is definitely not a narrow concept.

It certainly has all sorts of interpretations.

But any good Wu Xia story must have a moving answer to this.

Wu Xia films are no exception.

And what Lu Yan He felt in *Dragon Inn* was the chivalry that fears no power, and the mutual loyalty of strangers meeting by chance.

This is a very Chinese kind of romance.

Lu Yan He has always felt that Wu Xia novels must be an outstanding representative of Chinese romantic literature.

Of course, this remains just his one-sided opinion.

In the film *Dragon Inn*, various factions gather at this small inn in the desert; it is fraught with crises, everyone has their own hidden agendas, testing each other, and then, a great battle is on the verge of breaking out.

There is not much time for them to think.

They can only make choices in the flash of lightning and the shadows of swords.

Naturally, the protagonists in Wu Xia stories must choose to follow their hearts.

In such stories, everything is stained with blood.

However, when Qiu Moyan, played by Chen Bige, "dazzlingly" strips the clothes off Jin Xiangyu, played by Liu Zi, during their fight, this scene in the theater triggers gasps one after another.

Lu Yan He hears the gasps around him and smiles to himself.

He, too, was blown away by this scene when he watched the movie back then.

The two exchange words, and in the clash, within a small space, their movements become shadows.

The pipa and guzheng music speeds up and slows down with the characters' movements and dialogue.

Liu Zi has her top ripped off by Chen Bige and takes advantage of the momentum to land on a rack, covering her chest with one hand. In the lens, only her shock and panic are visible as she looks back away from the camera; under the butter lamp, her skin is like congealed fat, her eyes trembling.

Chen Bige curls her lips into a smile.

Such cinematic shots are also seen in many spy and agent films, but it is extremely rare to see them filmed so hazily, poetically, and ambiguously without being blatant.

The next second, Liu Zi's trembling eyes vanish, and she immediately becomes sharp-tongued, acting as if "you think this lady is really afraid of you," mocking Chen Bige a few times, taking the opportunity to run, performing a swallow-style grab, but Chen Bige is quick-witted and grabs Liu Zi's lower garment—*rip*.

On the roof, it is just about dawn.

Liu Zi's body curves become a graceful silhouette.

But Liu Bige does not linger on this shot for more than a second; then, the camera pushes to Liu Zi's neck and above.

She begins to sing without any concern in such an exposed environment.

It is clearly a scene full of ambiguity and suggestion, yet it is filmed naturally, wildly, and while it creates romantic thoughts, it lacks evil intentions.

It has the narrative rhythm of a complete commercial film, yet possesses top-tier cinematic aesthetics.

Seeing this, many people become serious and earnest.

This film has exceeded their expectations.

Up to this point, the way the film is presented is not at all what they had previously imagined.

Is it filmed poorly?

Is it mediocre?

After seeing this film, they truly cannot say such things.

Especially when Zhou Huai'an, played by Shang Yongzhou, and the group of Eastern Depot people, including Zhou Yuning and Yan Liang, arrive at Dragon Inn one after another, and the conflicts intensify, the plot becomes even more tense.

Although foreigners may not understand Wu Xia well, they are at least not encountering this genre for the first time.

Moreover, the style of this Wu Xia film is relatively realistic; every action taken by anyone is not the kind of unconstrained, fantastical movement.

Most importantly, this film is of the type with strong plot and strong character relationships; such content makes it easier for foreign audiences to understand.

Of course, there are still many things that only Chinese people can understand.

This includes Wen Shengming.

Wen Shengming is an old-school actor.

He is the type of old-school actor who listened to storytelling and crosstalk in teahouses as a child, watched sketches and plays after growing up, and only slowly entered the film and television era later on.

People, more or less, will remain in their own era.

No matter how great an artist, it is always like this.

Wen Shengming knows this himself.

Yet, in this hour and a half, he actually has the illusion of seeing a film from his own era.

That kind of very traditional Wu Xia chivalry has not been seen for a long time with the decline of the Wu Xia film genre.

How did these two young people, Liu Bige and Lu Yan He, make such a film?

When the last few people crawl out of the desert, rolling in the wind and sand, riding away into the sunset, the desolate and grand music begins to play.

A sense of bitterness rises from the depths of Wen Shengming's heart.

It is said that art is high-end and has a threshold. In reality, in China, from a very early time, art did not just come from the temples, but also from the jianghu.

*Dragon Inn* is a Wu Xia story with a very traditional theme.

However, Lu Yan He's script shapes several characters with different personality traits into vivid, distinct figures. Liu Bige's filming allows this story to transcend a simple narrative and truly achieve storytelling through the lens.

Such a small inn is filmed as a place of mixed fish and dragons, with undercurrents surging.

In an hour and a half, the past of every character converges here, bursting into the most brilliant chapter without feeling thin.

The ending of this film is not tear-jerkingly sentimental, but that desolation of "the lone smoke in the desert rises straight" remains at the end of the story, along with the dust raised by the horses' hooves, waving goodbye, leaving one speechless for a long time.

When the film ends and the lights in the hall come on.

The applause that erupts on the scene completely exceeds his expectations.

There are so many foreigners here; did they all understand it?

Can they understand Wu Xia films?

Wen Shengming turns his head, sees the excited and thrilled expressions on their faces after they stand up, and feels that his previous thought was too arrogant.

Art has never been something that requires others to understand the creator's intentions one hundred percent.

Art is something that allows everyone to read into it what they understand and feel empathetic about.

Wen Shengming also stands up and joins everyone in applauding the film.

*Film Life*: "The moment the film ended and everyone stood up to applaud, I realized that we were all wrong. We all thought that this Wu Xia film, which was only selected for the screening section, must have been filmed too mediocrely to be selected for the main competition. In fact, after experiencing the slight disappointment brought to us by *Even Faking Death Won't Work*, the third film brought by Liu Bige, *Dragon Inn*, is a work sufficient to push his status in film history further. I find it hard to believe that such a soul-stirring Wu Xia masterpiece was filmed by a director in his thirties, and the script came from a young man of only twenty-five. Yes, we have said it many times, but even if Liu Bige is a genius director who won the Venice International Film Festival Jury Prize with his first film, and Lu Yan He is an even more needless-to-say genius screenwriter, in this situation, we still find it hard to believe that *Dragon Inn* came from their hands. *Dragon Inn* is just such a film."

This is one of China's top film magazines.

They published their review immediately.

Subsequently, entertainment critic Guan Su Chen also published a review: "Almost all friends who follow me know that I can be considered a die-hard fan of Lu Yan He. I just checked, and for his films, whether as a lead or screenwriter, I have almost never given a bad review—the positive rating is so high that even I feel it's easy for people to say I've been paid. But, heaven and earth as my witness, I really haven't received a single cent. Back to the point, I say this because I have to admit that, like many people, I thought *Dragon Inn* wasn't filmed very well, or at least it was a somewhat controversial work; otherwise, with such a cast, it shouldn't have failed to enter the main competition section. This is a film that inherits the four words 'chivalrous liver and righteous gall,' and it is also a film that does not use fighting scenes as a gimmick, yet its fighting scenes kill 99% of the action films on the market. There are too many scenes in it that are impressive. I specifically went to find out who the action director of this film was; it turns out to be Teacher Qiu Likan. Those who are unfamiliar might not know, but this old master was a master-level director of Hong Kong action films twenty years ago and hasn't served as an action director for ten years. Unexpectedly, *Dragon Inn* invited him out of retirement."

"Some time ago, the director of *Cloud Dragon Project* said that stars are not important to a film. Whether stars are important or not is actually a question that has always been discussed by everyone. However, the film *Dragon Inn* is actually a very good answer. Some films, without a gathering of superstars, cannot perform such waves and grandeur. In such a small inn, with so many characters appearing, each one is so distinct, not at all tool-like decorations. Without true superstars, one cannot suppress the 'entrances' time and time again in this film, and in the end, gathering together, after undercurrents surge, murderous intent appears frequently, seeking survival in chaos. I can say directly that if this film were performed by a different group of actors, it would definitely not have the current atmosphere."

"From Shang Yongzhou's calm and inner-contained hero, to Chen Bige's heroic woman who is both dashing and conflicted, to Liu Zi's charming, coquettish landlady, and Zhou Yuning, who changed his acting path and performed with such feminine dominance that he is unforgettable... every actor performed in a way completely different from before. Being able to let so many top big names 'overthrow and start over' in one film, such image difference is itself the cornerstone of this film's atmosphere."

"I must praise Yan Liang again. A young eunuch who manages upward very well, handsome, and with great kung fu. Among so many big names, he performed without any hesitation, and his presence is so strong that it even makes people feel that he is also a protagonist. I heard that this role was specifically reserved for Yan Liang by Lu Yan He. It is said that because of the character setting, Yan Liang's agency didn't want him to play it at first. I can only say, heh heh. I dare say that after this film is released, Yan Liang's acting path will definitely broaden a lot. He is actually an actor who can span such a wide range of roles. He exceeded my expectations."

"So, back to the point, why didn't this film enter the main competition section? It is definitely capable of winning awards!"

About three hours later, more than a dozen domestic media outlets that watched the film on-site published reviews.

Unexpectedly, without exception, they were all positive reviews.

Everyone was astonished.

As many people began to translate and share the reviews from overseas media, everyone discovered that it wasn't just domestic media; overseas media also gave the film unanimous praise.

Such a grand situation of praise even surpassed all the films in the main competition.

Many media outlets mentioned in unison: Why was *Dragon Inn* only screened in the screening section?

And Lu Yan He, still in Hexi, seeing so many people ask this question, muttered softly: "Because once this film was screened in the main competition section, you might very well not have had this attitude."

In the screening section, everyone's expectations were lowered, allowing them to see the artistic value in the film. If it were in the main competition section, could these people who are used to art films accept a film with such fast pacing and such strong storytelling?

Essentially, it is just a story of quick revenge.

Lu Yan He thought to himself, such a result is very good.

For the current *Dragon Inn*, winning an award is not the best result; having everyone praise it is. (End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 757 =====