The beautiful city of Chang'an prepares for a festival. Much to his own surprise, a convict on death row is released in order to foil an imminent terror attack. It is not entirely clear why he was chosen for the job, but his name popped up in the database of an ambitious new intelligence agency. The man, a former police detective, is willing to give it the old college try, not because he is especially fond of authorities but because he fears for the safety of his fellow citizens. Meanwhile things have been heating up on the political front. The long-simmering feud between three major actors (the emperor, the crown prince and the emperor's most powerful minister) is finally reaching boiling point. There are people lying, scheming and conspiring all over the place...
"The longest day in Chang'an" is a violent thriller/action series set in classical China. From a visual standpoint, "The longest day" is notable for its beauty and its meticulous recreation of the Tang era. The noble city of Chang'an is resurrected in all its varied, multicolored glory, complete with shops, mansions and temples. Foreign merchants bring in goods on camelback ; fleet-footed messagers adorned with feathers carry news through busy markets ; envoys gossip during an imperial feast ; courtiers potter around in hothouses, tending to their orchids. The dark underbelly of the city is not forgotten : while happy citizens don their finest attire in order to admire the illuminated decorations, thousands of dispossessed have-nots scramble for survival amidst squalor and crime.
As if all this were not enough, the series even creates a fictional tower, to wit a giant "lantern" built for the emperor. It's a marvellously inventive creation, part machine, part work of art.
The degree of technical expertise on display is almost frightening. The same goes for the degree of perfectionism. One can but hope that the various sets, costumes and props made for the series will be used for educational purposes or re-utilized for other movies and series. Otherwise it would constitute a giant waste of effort and resources.
From a narrative viewpoint, "The longest day" deals with themes like the long-term damages caused by war, the cost of social injustice and the conflict between innovation and rigidity. The plot is quite intricate, like one of these carved ivory balls-within-balls to be found in palaces and musea. Consequently the viewer needs to pay close attention. Otherwise he is sure to get lost, especially during the second half of the series, when ever more guards, soldiers and watchmen fight or threaten each other. ("So why is the guy in the helmet shouting at the guy in a breastplate ? I thought they were both working for the same dude wearing a leopard skin ? And why is that, dunno, sergeant beating up an imperial guard, if it is an imperial guard ?")
Although "The longest day" contains a hefty dose of violence and cruelty, it can be very funny. It certainly boasts the funniest pig-related joke ever. ("Are you trying to steal our pig ?") To the person who thought up that joke : sir or madam, I salute you !
The acting is quite good, with particular praise to the spell-binding performance given by Lei Jiayin as our hero/antihero protagonist. If the role does not turn him into a megastar, then there is no justice in this world.
So far I've been praising the series, I hope rightly. However, I was somewhat disappointed by the final episodes, which felt like an anticlimax. I was also disappointed by the final reveal with regard to the evil mastermind's motive and identity. We, the viewers, are supposed to believe that the evil mastermind was a genius capable of analyzing and predicting even the most complicated chain of events. So why wasn't he capable of predicting the notable lack of enthusiasm with which his grand plan would be received ? Besides, the mastermind had set in motion a messy dynamic which could easily have seen him maimed or killed. Any random chicken pecking in a barnyard could have told him that you can't pursue your life's ambitions if you're dead...
"The longest day in Chang'an" is a violent thriller/action series set in classical China. From a visual standpoint, "The longest day" is notable for its beauty and its meticulous recreation of the Tang era. The noble city of Chang'an is resurrected in all its varied, multicolored glory, complete with shops, mansions and temples. Foreign merchants bring in goods on camelback ; fleet-footed messagers adorned with feathers carry news through busy markets ; envoys gossip during an imperial feast ; courtiers potter around in hothouses, tending to their orchids. The dark underbelly of the city is not forgotten : while happy citizens don their finest attire in order to admire the illuminated decorations, thousands of dispossessed have-nots scramble for survival amidst squalor and crime.
As if all this were not enough, the series even creates a fictional tower, to wit a giant "lantern" built for the emperor. It's a marvellously inventive creation, part machine, part work of art.
The degree of technical expertise on display is almost frightening. The same goes for the degree of perfectionism. One can but hope that the various sets, costumes and props made for the series will be used for educational purposes or re-utilized for other movies and series. Otherwise it would constitute a giant waste of effort and resources.
From a narrative viewpoint, "The longest day" deals with themes like the long-term damages caused by war, the cost of social injustice and the conflict between innovation and rigidity. The plot is quite intricate, like one of these carved ivory balls-within-balls to be found in palaces and musea. Consequently the viewer needs to pay close attention. Otherwise he is sure to get lost, especially during the second half of the series, when ever more guards, soldiers and watchmen fight or threaten each other. ("So why is the guy in the helmet shouting at the guy in a breastplate ? I thought they were both working for the same dude wearing a leopard skin ? And why is that, dunno, sergeant beating up an imperial guard, if it is an imperial guard ?")
Although "The longest day" contains a hefty dose of violence and cruelty, it can be very funny. It certainly boasts the funniest pig-related joke ever. ("Are you trying to steal our pig ?") To the person who thought up that joke : sir or madam, I salute you !
The acting is quite good, with particular praise to the spell-binding performance given by Lei Jiayin as our hero/antihero protagonist. If the role does not turn him into a megastar, then there is no justice in this world.
So far I've been praising the series, I hope rightly. However, I was somewhat disappointed by the final episodes, which felt like an anticlimax. I was also disappointed by the final reveal with regard to the evil mastermind's motive and identity. We, the viewers, are supposed to believe that the evil mastermind was a genius capable of analyzing and predicting even the most complicated chain of events. So why wasn't he capable of predicting the notable lack of enthusiasm with which his grand plan would be received ? Besides, the mastermind had set in motion a messy dynamic which could easily have seen him maimed or killed. Any random chicken pecking in a barnyard could have told him that you can't pursue your life's ambitions if you're dead...