This director is vindictive.

Chapter 183: Putting Solid Armor on the Brave and Kind
After this news came out, it sparked quite a bit of discussion. Of course, many people were just there to watch the fun and make fun of it.

"As expected of you, Chen Mo, hahahaha, the f*cking special effects are great! And then it's gone!"

"This kind of Chen Mo is quite likable. He really doesn't say any polite words!"

"Yeah, for other movies, if the director endorses them, he would at least help promote them against his conscience, but he really can't do that!"

"That's right. The former star of 'Legend of the Demon Cat' was Zhang Yuqi, and the latter star of 'King of Women' was Zhao Liying. They both held shares in Shengshi Films. And Zhao Liying seems to be the earliest silent girl. Even so, he still spoke without mercy. Tsk tsk."

"How else can one say that his vision is truly piercing? I went to see Journey to the West: Kingdom of Women last night, and honestly, it was no different from what Chen Mo described. The special effects were indeed okay, but the plot, as a comedy, was awkwardly funny, and as a romance, especially the inexplicable love between the Imperial Preceptor and the River God, was simply a mess. If it's a comedy, it's not funny, and if it's a romance, there's not enough plot to move the audience. Therefore, I think this film is a failure."

"Let's see who dares to ask Chen Mo to endorse their platform in the future! This time he didn't even bother to hide it. When asked to comment on the movie, he actually gave it directly to the drama. The special effects are pretty good."

"The first sword I strike upon landing is to kill the one I love! Chen Mo is awesome!"

Later, the reputation and box office of "Journey to the West: The Women Kingdom" also proved that Chen Mo was right again and again.

Then netizens started making fun of it again.

"First it was Fan Binbin and Yang Mi's 'Jade Dynasty,' then it was Zhang Yuqi's 'Legend of the Demon Cat,' and now it's Zhao Liying's 'Journey to the West: Kingdom of Women.' Who's left? Gao Yuanyuan and Jing Tian? No, he also took over Jing Tian's 'The Great Wall.' Tsk tsk, this is really true. Isn't he afraid of a fire in his backyard?"

"Other people use Hushubao or something like that, but Chen Mo is different. Whenever he meets a close female friend, he gets more excited and uses more force!"

"Upstairs, I suspect you're driving!"

"Thinking about it carefully, it really is! Could this be the reason why Chen Mo can stand firm among so many female celebrities? Is it because he treats everyone equally?"

"God, you treat everyone equally. Just give everyone a beating if you catch them, right?"

Chen Mo himself felt a little embarrassed when he saw the ridicule from these netizens who were eager to create chaos in the world.

Looks like, seems like, probably, seems to be really like this?
Is that what I really think?
But Fan Binbin and Yang Mi’s “Lost Dynasty” was just a coincidence, right?

Zhang Yuqi's "Legend of the Demon Cat", that thing just happened to coincide with the release date, right?

As for "The Great Wall" and "Journey to the West: The Women Kingdom", I swear to God, Chen Mo really doesn't have the habit of lying against his conscience!

But netizens don’t see it that way!

Especially as "Journey to the West: The Women Kingdom" was beaten to pieces in this purgatory-like Spring Festival period.

Look at other films, their box office starts at 1 billion, and they can't even reach 3 billion. But what about "Journey to the West: The Women Kingdom"? It has a large investment and a decent cast, but in the end it can only survive in the cracks, barely making it out of the bottom of the box office.

The key point is that Chen Mo’s words came true.

The rating of "Journey to the West: The Women Kingdom" is really low!

And this time, because Zhao Liying was the main star of the promotion, if the movie inevitably flopped, Zhao Liying would have to take the blame.

It's different from "Lost Dynasty". "Lost Dynasty" at least has Guo Xiaosi, who is quite famous, and it is a fan movie through and through, so people can't blame Fan Binbin and Yang Mi.

"The Great Wall" and "The Legend of the Demon Cat" are both works by great directors, and as such, the first thing people blame is the directors.

But "Journey to the West: The Women Kingdom" is different. Not many people are familiar with the director of this movie.

What else can I do? It must be you, Zhao Liying, who has to take the blame!

In fact, Xiao Zhao was really hurt this time.

Because although the other films are bad, the characters in the films and their looks and costumes are indeed not bad.

For example, Zhang Yuqi’s role in "The Legend of the Demon Cat" received a lot of praise.

But it’s really hard to describe Zhao Liying’s role as the Queen of the Kingdom of Women in “Journey to the West: The Women Kingdom”.

"From now on, when watching movie promotions, just read Chen Mo's comments!"

"No problem, he can even kill his ideal man, so the quality of other movies must be objective!"

"Good Movie: The movie is very good, I highly recommend everyone to watch it! Bad Movie: The graphics are very good, grand and majestic, and the special effects are great!"

"The summary above is spot on! Hahaha!"

However, after this incident, Zhao Liying did have some lingering fears about the big screen.

It's simple. The other starring movies, such as Yang Mi, at least have some works that can carry the box office on their own, such as "The Shallows"!
Not to mention Zhang Yuqi, even in "Legend of the Demon Cat", the role she played was remarkable.

Gao Yuanyuan, who played the role of Ye Lanqiu in "Search", became the desktop screensaver of countless people's computer screens.

As for Zhao Liying, the movies she starred in for several consecutive times were all a bit disappointing.

It even made her doubt whether she was really not suitable for the big screen.

But the supporting roles she played in Chen Mo's movies were all pretty good!
Seeing that Zhao Liying had lost her confidence, Chen Mo felt very distressed. He did not think that Zhao Liying was really not suitable for the big screen.

However, I can only say that her image is indeed very picky about the roles she suits.

She is not a big-name actress, and since she comes from a rural background, Chen Mo thinks she is more suitable for playing some "down-to-earth" roles.

But she is not usually asked to act in this type of movie.

So, it's very embarrassing.

Fan Binbin is also very picky about roles. She is so beautiful, and her beauty is the kind that comes across clearly.

Therefore, the roles she played were also unremarkable.

Why were all the roles she played before mainly sexy and beautiful? On the one hand, it was due to the lack of film resources, and on the other hand, it was also due to her own image.

So Chen Mo has been considering these days whether he can make a movie and try to cast them both.

Chen Mo thought of Zhang Yimou’s film “Article 20” played by Zhao Liying in his previous life!
To be honest, this movie and its subject matter are really very good. It can be said that if the subject matter alone is used, as long as it is not particularly bad, there is really no need to worry about the box office.

But Zhang Yimou's filming was indeed not very good.

At least that's what Chen Mo thought.

First of all, the cases in Article 20 are rather poorly chosen.

Anyway, in Chen Mo's opinion, it is indeed not representative enough. Of course, because of the setting of the movie itself and the setting that the protagonist is a local prosecutor, it is impossible for the case to be similar to those well-known cases.

Secondly, there are too many family matters in the film, and I don’t know what Zhang Yimou was thinking. In Chen Mo’s opinion, there are too many scenes of jealousy and bickering in the film, which makes the main plot a little unclear.

There is also a bit of an issue with the viewing angle.

Chen Mo didn't know why he used the prosecutor's perspective. Perhaps it was because the subject matter of the movie itself was sensitive?
However, if the story is told from the prosecutor's perspective, it is actually somewhat distorted from another perspective.

why?
Because most people are actually unfamiliar with the profession of prosecutor!
What we see is that they are the main prosecutors and the public party in the case, but they usually stand on the other side of the self-defense cases under Article 20.

The more Chen Mo thought about it, the more he felt that perhaps he could consider making "Article 20" as his next movie!
If I remember correctly, a sensational case of self-defense occurred in the middle of 2018!
What is the significance of making this kind of movie?
It reflects existing social issues, promotes legal education, and informs everyone about the social significance of Article 20, which encourages citizens to take necessary defensive measures to protect their own and others' legitimate rights and interests when faced with unlawful infringement. To some extent, "Article 20" and "Dying to Survive" share similarities.

Of course, Chen Mo only had this little idea at the moment. He had no idea whether to shoot, how to shoot, or how to write the script.

So, he came to Hongjing Law Firm again.

"Article 20? Self-defense?" When Ouyang Jing heard Chen Mo ask this, her eyes suddenly lit up.

On the one hand, in recent years, there have been many sensational cases involving self-defense.

The most recent and sensational case is the "Yu Huan case" that occurred in 2016 and was sentenced in the second instance in June last year!
For Hongjing Law Firm, the cases that Chen Mo pays attention to are opportunities for their law firm!

The first case of online defamation and the first case of online violence made Hongjing Law Firm famous across the country.

Compared with the previous two types of cases, the social public opinion on "Article 20" self-defense is actually stronger.

Because the previous online defamation and online violence involve more damage to the "spiritual level" and "reputation level".

However, "self-defense" often involves physical personal injury.

Whether it is online defamation or online violence, they are usually private criminal prosecution cases. However, if self-defense is raised, most of the time it basically involves criminal cases, and they are almost all public prosecution cases.

Although Ouyang Jing is not a specialized criminal lawyer, she is very familiar with the famous "Article 20".

"Legitimate defense refers to the defensive behavior used to protect the personal or property safety of oneself or others when facing illegal infringement.

Self-defense must meet the following conditions:

The unlawful infringement must be current or imminent.

Defensive behavior must be intended to stop or resist an ongoing illegal infringement.

The means of defensive behavior must be reasonable and must not obviously exceed the necessary limits.

The target of defensive behavior must be the person who is committing illegal aggression! "

"In judicial practice, the definition of legitimate defense is relatively flexible, but it also presents certain difficulties. For example, the facts and evidence in cases involving legitimate defense are relatively complex, and a considerable number of cases lack evidence. Traditional judicial concepts and the notions of "the dead are the most important," "whoever makes a fuss is right," and "whoever is killed or injured is right" have also, to a certain extent, affected the application of the legitimate defense system!"

"Director Chen, do you want to make a movie of this kind?" Ouyang Jing said, looking at Chen Mo with anticipation.

Chen Mo nodded and said, "I do have this idea, so I came to see Lawyer Ouyang to consult on related issues. I also want to ask Lawyer Ouyang for help."

"Director Chen, what help do you want our law firm to provide you?" Ouyang Jing attached great importance to the request raised by Chen Mo.

There is no way not to take it seriously!

Everyone in the legal circle knows that once Chen Mo pays attention to a certain type of case, it is usually linked to reality. And once a law firm is able to cooperate with Chen Mo, the benefits it gets will definitely be enough to make its peers envious and jealous.

The key point is that this is not the first time that Chen Mo has made a movie involving a crime.

And it was done very well the previous times.

"I want to find some representative and sensational cases. It would be best if I could find the lawyers who handled the case, the prosecutors, and the victims of the case," said Chen Mo.

He has not yet decided whether to use the prosecutor as the main perspective, like in Zhang Yimou's "Article 20", or the lawyer as the main perspective, or both.

This requires him to visit the site, collect relevant information, and learn more about related cases and the stories behind them before thinking about it.

It can be said that this kind of professional film is not easy to shoot.

Why has "Article 20" been criticized so much? In fact, in Chen Mo's opinion, on the one hand, it is certainly because of Zhang Yimou's old habit, and on the other hand, Chen Mo feels that the other party is really not well prepared.

Otherwise, in the end, he would not have to play the emotional card to uphold justice.

In Chen Mo's opinion, the biggest problem with the original version of "Article 20" is that the entire film is about the protagonist's family affairs and his own struggles with human morality, rather than the legal disputes in the case. The case was not explained clearly before it was hastily concluded, leaving too much room for the couple to quarrel.

It also has little to do with the core of the case, and it doesn't even explain the difference between intentional injury, mutual fighting and self-defense.

This is also why Chen Mo always felt that the movie was made without sufficient preparation by the director and screenwriter.

Otherwise, even if they had found more people in the legal circle to provide guidance, the film wouldn't have turned out like that.

Chen Mo is not in a hurry, so his plan is to spend a long time slowly getting in touch with and understanding those related cases, and at the same time to understand how this type of case works in practice.
As for why we chose those cases that once caused a sensation?

On the one hand, this is because this type of case is indeed more representative, and on the other hand, it is of course also for the sake of the film itself.

How can a realistic film gain a wider influence?

From a selfish point of view, those cases that have caused a sensation in the past are naturally easier to publicize, and are more beneficial to the film, so that the audience will not be so unfamiliar with them.

More immersive!
From the perspective of the film itself, those cases that can cause a sensation also have more "dramatic tension"!
Why did the “Yu Huan case” cause such a sensation?
Because of the conflict between law and ethics!

The case involves legal and ethical issues. After his mother suffered a severe insult, Yu chose to resist, an act widely recognized by the public as legitimate self-defense.
But in reality, just because the public agrees that he was acting in self-defense doesn’t mean it is self-defense.

Moreover, this case touches upon issues such as the boundary between law and morality, society's aversion to criminal forces, and the fairness of judicial decisions.

From a legal perspective, a life sentence might seem reasonable, but we are a nation of propriety and filial piety. So, what man would remain silent after his mother suffered a grave insult? What man would not take action after his mother suffered a grave insult? Therefore, the claim that Yu Huan acted in self-defense has been widely recognized by the public. Consequently, this case has garnered widespread public attention.

Why did the equally sensational "Kunshan Long Ge" case that happened in August this year cause such a sensation?
Because on the one hand, the attacker was killed!
Moreover, the man was killed in the street, which is a very bizarre case.

Of course, compared with the Yu Huan case, this itself may be a kind of judicial progress.

The biggest difference between the "Kunshan Long Ge" case and the Yu Huan case is that, just a few days after the incident, the police jointly issued a notice with the procuratorate, determining that Yu was acting in self-defense and did not need to bear criminal responsibility, and was acquitted!

Such a result can be said to be truly gratifying.

This case is also considered by many to be a landmark case of self-defense. It is also because of this case that the self-defense law has been directly advanced by ten years.

This year there was also a case of Zhao Yu’s bravery and the equally sensational Laiyuan counterattack case!
However, Chen Mo felt that the campus bullying case in Zhang Yimou's movie was a bit lame, but the idea was very representative.

If it were him, he might also include such cases in the movie.

Of course, it's still too early to tell at this point.

After communicating with Ouyang Jing and Yin Ming, another criminal lawyer at Hongjing Law Firm, Chen Mo was surprised to find that, in fact, even Hongjing Law Firm received quite a few cases of this type every year.

Moreover, the vast majority of cases are not as simple as those sensational cases. Instead, most of them are judged as excessive self-defense, or in many cases it is difficult to judge them as legitimate self-defense, or even excessive self-defense.

Instead, they were directly convicted of intentional injury or intentional homicide!

This also made Chen Mo more determined to make a movie on this subject.

However, he also thought that the Yu Huan case actually involved a lot of more sensitive things. It was hard to say whether such sensitive cases could be filmed, and it would probably be a lot of trouble at that time.

Perhaps Zhang Yimou set the main perspective on the prosecutor for this reason?
(End of this chapter)