Xu Wei, a native of Sichuan and former cameraman, made his directorial debut with Lost in White (2016), a serial-killer thriller set in the snowy northeast of China. Almost 50 years old now, after an eight-year gap Xu has returned with The Victims!, a mystery procedural that twists like a Rubik’s cube. Actually shot in 2020 under the working title (literally) “The Cold of the Blazing Sun,” it was supposed to have been released in April 2022 but like dozens of films fell afoul of Covid lockdowns; it has now finally found a slot, ironically less than three weeks after Remember Me, his third directing gig, which was shot early this year. Both pictures were produced by Beijing QC Media and cost around RMB100 million each — not huge but over twice as much as Lost’s paltry RMB43 million take.
In addition to taking credit for script adaptation, Xu shares co-direction credit with his wife He Wenchao, an actress who is now 41 and best known for her lead role in arty noir Trap Street (2013), but who also directed one previous feature (lesbian teen crush movie Sweet Eighteen, 2012) and three shorts. It’s too early to tell who did what on The Victims, since neither has yet shown a distinct directing style: however, given Xu’s lack of technical skills and visual flair (which he has always farmed out to another d.p.), it seems likely that he took more care of the actors while He dealt with the camera side.
Written by film academic Wu Jing (her first script) and Zeng Jiaxin, this is a movie that is all plot and procedure, never pausing for even a moment on anything that isn’t strictly necessary. In Fujian province’s Gangtian City (doubled by Xiamen), police detective Yuan Wenshan (played inscrutably by Feng Shaofeng) is called to investigate a murder outside a remote hotel-restaurant called Siskin Villa. As he doggedly follows each clue in turn, each witness in turn with the audience at his shoulder. The Victims looks like it’s going to be a pure whodunit, without any of the bells and whistles of recent examples like Lost in the Stars (2022). It’s only halfway through, when the case seems solved but Yuan Wenshan then wonders whether he’s been looking at everything from the wrong angle, that the film earns its Chinese title as layer after layer of apparent truth are peeled back. The title is four-character phrase that literally means “Siskin [a type of finch] in the rear!” and refers to an unseen or unexpected danger lurking behind. The English-language posters state “The Victim” as if there is only one victim.
Given the ultra-procedural structure and Feng’s poker face, it’s testament to the cast that they imbue their characters with as much depth as they do; in fact, thanks to Zhou Yuan’s (Remember Me) smart editing and cross-cutting and Zhu Yunbian’s (Jade Dynasty 2019) mostly atmospheric but effective score, the film is absorbing for most of its running time, every “i” dotted and “t” crossed in a plot so dense it may be more than some Chinese whodunits can manage. However, despite coming up with multiple twists later on, the film could still lose a good 10 minutes from its already taut length here the (final) ending feels over-stretched compared to the rest of the picture.
It would be unfair to single out any actors as they all blend seamlessly into this plot-dominated fabric, though it should be noted that veteran actress Tao Hong (A Beautiful New World 1999), besides helping creatively produce, has landed one of her peachiest roles here; gradually assuming a lead position with her customary aloofness. Experienced Taiwan d.p. Qin Dingchang’s widescreen visuals (Hear Me 2009; Warriors of the Rainbow 2011; Kano Kano 2014) are always well-composed and serve the script, with umbrous and rainy moments but no overall noirish look.
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