As far as murder mystery crime thrillers go, this doesn't necessarily elevate the genre to new heights. It may have a really good premise to be entertained by, but it's not that much different than most procedural shows you can see on TV. The production value is just not that high, plus the story and direction is generally very straightforward. Despite the by the numbers feel and look of this movie, you're still going to want to see this through to the end.
The mystery for this movie should hook you in pretty easily, and the crux of the matter is not even about figuring out who the murderer is, because it's revealed during the first half of the story. The mystery of this movie is in the "why," and the "how." While there is some detective work and some procedural aspects to the story, this is really more about the tense face-off of competing minds. Expect some twists and turns that you may not suspect.
Kai Wang as the very smart police detective Tang Chuan, and Luyi Zhang as his former classmate Shi Hong who is also a very intelligent man, are what makes this movie work. Their cat-and-mouse relationship drives this movie forward, and you might actually not be able to decide on who you should be rooting for between the two. The neighbor connected to the murder case; Ruby Lin as Chen Jing, is also really good in this and adds an alternative point of view to the murder.
Despite the fact that this movie isn't exactly what one would typically consider to be a prestigious film, it's still pretty good at telling this excellent crime mystery of a story, as well as adding some effective drama that may even move you to tears.
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