The Wild Goose Lake

THE WILD GOOSE LAKE - FILM MOVEMENT

Writer-director Yi'nan Diao's Nan Fang Che Zhan De Ju Hui (The Wild Goose Lake) is a slow and stoic Chinese gangster thriller that loses its tense grip with a stuttery second act that throws off what is an otherwise engaging feature.

The word stoic personifies Diao's feature ten-fold, with a slow and often thematically dense atmosphere that focuses on a visual conviction rather than a heavy emotive stance through dialogue. The screenplay from the writer-director isn't detrimental, per se, but it is clear why on the first few frames why the director puts a heavy emphasis on setting that eerily reflects mood in an intensity more brilliantly than a screenplay ever could.

The production design by Liu Qiang is wonderfully effective and atmospheric. Dark, broody and eerily emotive to set an abrasive and griping mood, Nan Fang Che Zhan De Ju Hui grips its audience in a strong first act. However, this loosens to an almost flat and underwhelming fashion as it meanders and prolongs in a middle arc that fails to hold the films dramatic prowess. The story arc comes to a full stop, and it becomes difficult for the film to not only get in second gear but push forward and evolve. 

It is the performance of enigmatic and mysterious character of Aiai Liu played by Lun-Mei Kwei that keeps the second act from being a complete dud. The actress puts forward a comprehensive role of a character that is slowly unravelling her loyalty and direction as the film unfolds and before long, the viewer is keen to solely follow this in particular character until they are reminded of why they are here in the first place. 

Lead actor Ge Hu does a decent job as conflicted crime boss Zenong Zhou, with a great emotional weight under his wings. However, in a role as stoic and silent as it is, it is often difficult to unravel the character of Zenong Zhou and engage with his plight. 

Thankfully, The Wild Goose Lake does manage to eventually find that increased gear with a gripping final act that finds that intense ground the film begins in. That being said, it does not hit the heights it perhaps alludes towards, with a climax that misses an emotional gravitas. More specifically, in factors that would not only intensify proceedings but add a thick layer of gravitas to a captivating feature. The absence of a chilling score, for one, is deeply missed and the lack thereof is an element that the film can simply not prosper without.