Black Coal, Thin Ice main backdrop
Black Coal, Thin Ice main poster

Black Coal, Thin Ice

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6.5/10 • 290

2014-06-111h 46m

DramaCrimeMysteryThriller

Two former cops start investigating the series of murders that tanked their careers when the killings begin again.

Directors
Diao Yinan
Writters
Diao Yinan
Editors
Diao Yinan, Yang Hongyu

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Liao Fan

    Liao Fan

    Zhang Zili

  2. Gwei Lun-Mei

    Gwei Lun-Mei

    Wu Zhizhen

  3. Wang Xuebing

    Wang Xuebing

    Liang Zhijun

  4. Wang Jingchun

    Wang Jingchun

    Rong Rong

  5. Yu Ailei

    Yu Ailei

    Captain Wang

  6. Ni Jingyang

    Ni Jingyang

    Su Lijuan

Reviews1

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CinemaSerf Avatar

CinemaSerf

Apr 1, 2024

7/10

OK, so yes - this is a very slow burn a times with far too many establishing and shots of decaying urban industrialisation, but when the action does actually focus on the story it's not a bad crime drama at all. We start with an arm sticking out of a pile of coal. The cops arrive and "Zhang" (Fan Liao) is soon on the case. He can only identify the corpse, though, and unimpressed his bosses ensure that five years down the line he is reduced to working as a security guard with a penchant for the bottle too. What we now know, though, is that there were a series of such killings and they are now under his fingernails. He is obsessed with identifying the killer. Reuniting with his for partner "Liang" (Xuebing Wang), they pick up a trail that leads them to the enigmatic "Wu Zhizhen" (Gwei Lun-Mei). "Zhang" now vacillates between an attraction to this woman and to suspecting her, but has she anything to do with the crimes? It's a curiously developed film, this. It proceeds in fits and starts before a denouement that is rushed and rather unfulfilling. It looks gritty and dark, the weather - cold and miserable, also helps to create an atmosphere and the acting is competent. Maybe it could lose twenty minutes of preambling characterisations, but it has a solid story with director Yi'nan Diao getting close to the the best from Fan Liao and his lumps of coal.

Media

  • Black Coal, Thin Ice poster
  • Black Coal, Thin Ice poster
  • Black Coal, Thin Ice poster
  • Black Coal, Thin Ice poster
  • Black Coal, Thin Ice poster
  • Black Coal, Thin Ice poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
Chinese
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
china