A character study in espionage, honor, and brotherhood
This is the kind of drama I search high and low to find. This was perfect, in my opinion. Beautiful story, complex and rich. Intricate to the point that If you miss one line of dialogue you might be confused for the rest of the drama. I love the dramas that are almost exclusively people whispering anxiously in dimly lit rooms. I love the agony of impossible decisions, the cruelty of duty and the enduring and thankless masochism of blood-deep bonds of friendship in times of war. I love endings that make you feel hollow but satisfied.The atmosphere of this was beyond perfect. The warm shadows of the sparsely-lit interiors were offset by the stark gray daylight of midwinter shining through open doorways and windows in the background; often the characters were mere silhouettes huddled tightly in their heavy clothes, hands tucked in sleeves, clouds of white steam as they talked. The pristine official and palace settings were harshened by frozen mud and a palate of earth tones. Everywhere you look you'll find layer upon layer of rich textures... It will make you feel the cold, feel the difficult and uncertain calm that settled tensely between wars and battles and political upheavals. And because the palate is so muted and the settings so restrained, the characters' movements and faces become a matter of fixation.
The story here is impeccable. Impossibly high stakes handled almost blindly in the dark, muddy alleyways behind the palace walls by people without names and without monuments. Espionage stories must necessarily be intricate. But they must also matter in a way that cannot ignore nation or individual. To do this well is difficult, to say the least. This story does such an amazing job with this that I fear future espionage stories I watch/read will pale in comparison.
As impressive as everyone's acting was (everyone), Chen Kun as Chen Gong was a standout. This was a difficult, tricky role that succeeded or failed on the actor's interpretation and delivery and Chen Kun walked that highwire like a true artist. From the prolonged monologue at the end of the first episode until his final moment on screen he maintained a relentless level of intensity and complexity that withstood any amount of scrutiny or analysis. A flicker of his eyebrow could be found to hold depth of unspoken information. Which is to say that literally every muscle movement on screen was deliberate. I haven't seen acting like his in a very, very long time. Too, this character could have been played as pitiful or even as some kind of victim (in the sense that spies tend always to get treated like pieces on a board), but you never get that from Chen Kun. It's hard to describe the type of strength he portrays. You see it especially in that first episode when it's so clear how terrified he is, blinding, all-consuming fear, yet we do not pity him.
Bai Yu met and answered the exemplary performance of Chen Kun quite well. A less complicated character, his was nonetheless fully realized, flawed, likable, and essential to the story. He experienced a kind of development through the story that I don't often see writers allow, a kind of accumulation of damage that created an almost blissful numbness by which he was able to maintain his integrity and still do his job. A really unique take on such a character.
I'm unfamiliar with Angelababy as an actress, but she delivered a really nuanced take on what could have been a very same 'ol same 'ol character. She's largely inscrutable, which contributes volumes to how interesting her character is to watch. And I can't commend the writers enough for steering away from a) that predictable romance storyline or worse b) a love triangle. Either would have cheapened her character.
This story will stay with me for a long time. I look forward to rewatching it. I'm working on learning Mandarin, so I'm also looking forward to reading the novel one of these days.
(I took off half a star for those early episodes with the horrendous cutesy explains at the end and also because occasionally the sweeping score seemed poorly timed with what was on the screen. But these are matters that are of very little importance to me, honestly.)
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Soldier and Spy.
I imagine intelligence work is probably very much like portrayed in this drama. No thrilling chases or big action scenes, but rather a group of weary men, drinking tea or alcohol, in a series of conversations that circle an enigma. This doesn't mean the story it's not fascinating to watch, after all we are looking for a double agent who is more likely to be among our lead characters than in some far away location pulling at strings.This is a slow paced drama and it will ask things of you as a viewer. You will have to pay attention to details in the story because they might be important later on but, at the same time, you have to keep an eye on the bigger picture these characters are trying to paint. It's easy to get lost in the small things and miss out on the glaring obvious. The narrative can be a little confusing in the first few episodes but around episode 5 to 7 things started to take form as we got all of our players on the board, with different missions and objectives.
The strongest point of this drama is probably technical aspects. Superbly atmospheric in the hands of director Lu Yang. His camera work is implacable, its moves sinister, the rooms are filled with uncertainty, and the characters warily circle around — well, each other, really. The Wind Blows From Longxi looks, sounds and feels exactly right. The drama is faithful to the time period in all aspects, from the locations to set designs. The costumes, hair and make up are incredible tactile and you can feel the roughness of piece of fabric as you watch a scene. The cinematography, tho, it's the true star. The use of light and lenses in this drama are planned to the tee. It enhances and hides the characters' personality and true intentions, giving you clues through visuals instead of exposition. It's perfect.
The performances from all the cast are on par with the production, but particularly Chen Kun and Bai Yu. They prove to be at the top of their craft in this drama. The story asks a lot of them to be portrayed in a whisper, almost. There are times when physical conflicts happen and they are really well done but not as interesting as what came before and after.
I am aware this is is the kind of drama that it's not everyone's cup of tea, but I think you should at least try a couple of episodes and then decide because, I promise you, it's worth it.
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Amazing acting and storyline - but so boring
I was really looking forward to this series being such a fan of Chen Kun (ML). He's such an amazing actor with unparalleled range, The entire cast also acted very well. The production quality and storyline were great. The reason I gave it such a low score was due to the slowness, it was very boring. I found it hard to stay focused and engaged. Majority of the film was scenes with dark lighting and men talking in low whispers. It was also very difficult to follow along w/ so many characters, and many of them had multiple names which made it even more difficult to decipher who's who and who they were referring to.Was this review helpful to you?
A Historical Spy-Thriller Drama
THE WIND BLOWS FROM LONGXI was some real next level greatness, in my opinion, though I am a fan of Spy Thrillers, Historical C-Dramas, as well as many members of the cast. The writing, including the story, subplots, characters, and dialogue were all top notch amazing! I'm not sure why this hasn't gotten more 10 star ratings. Cinematically this series was simply stunning to the eye. The writing made it an intellectual mental feast. The acting was incredibly brilliant and realistic.Taking place in the Three Kingdoms Era (224 AD) (during the Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu contention), this spy thriller was a very unique series. Chen Gong (Chen Kun) as the Shu spy also known as "The White Emperor" and Feng Ying (Yuan Nie) as the director of Shu's Intelligence Beareau, as well as Xun Xu (Yu Bai) the Shu spy called in to fix things, after the spy channel in Wei was infiltrated by Wei counter-intelligence. The mysterious Wei spy is called Candle Dragon and everyone seeks to find their identity. And what an intriguing, thrilling ride it was.
I highly applaud the acting, as everyone was excellent, but especially parts played by the masterful Chen Kun (Chen Gong / White Emperor), Yuan Nie (Feng Ying / Shu Intel Director), Yu Bai (Xun Xu), Yi Sun (Di Yue), Angelababy (Miss Liu / Liu Ying), Zhusheng Yin (General Lin Yan), Guangjie Li (Prime Minister Zhuge Liang), and Xiaochen Zhang (Libationer Huang Yu). There are so many others as well. The cast was superb!
This series really became immersive after the first few slower episodes, meant to set the stage for the highly complex strategical story. Through the course of the series, the mystery gradually unravels and the tension builds, leading to an intense outcome. This series was excellently casted and acted. The characters are really well written and motivated. The story was super intriguing, although it may prove a little more slow burn for those uninterested in a historical spy story. After watching this one, I found myself longing for more. The mere 24 episodes this series consists of is quite short for a Chinese Drama, especially one with such epic premise. Normally a Chinese historical epic might be 80+ episodes. I hope we'll get a season 2, quickly!
Overall, this was a fantastic watch. Excellent writing, direction, and acting, and stellar cinematography as well! It made it that much more appealing. This complex series was seriously worth the watch and hopefully there will be more coming. A must watch if you are a fan of C-Drama's, Historical Spy Thrillers, and the Three Kingdoms Era. Even more so if you are fan of Chen Kun, as am I, as he is masterfully brilliant here. It was a highly enjoyable series. Hope to see more. Brilliant!
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This review may contain spoilers
Espionage at every turn
Superb acting and fantastic attention to detail made this fictional world of spies extremely intriguing especially since it wove in historical elements. One of the smartest dramas I’ve ever watch and I also enjoyed the little catch up at the end of each episode.Lots of twists, turns and reveals in each episode and you are left wondering what is the truth and what is a lie. Is he a single agent, double agent, triple agent? What was real was his love for his sworn brother and wife and it broke my heart when the final reveal was made just minutes before the last episode ended.
A thought provoking drama which makes you wonder how far a person will go to achieve their goals. What is their bottom line? So sad to see so much sacrifice made for the greater good. Is the greater good worth that much loss of innocent lives and resources? A question that each person has a different answer to and unfortunately so very real in this current day and age as we are now living with a war in Ukraine that sees no end as of 3 October 2023.
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Humbling epic
I "completed" this series in the way I currently watch any series—skipping around. I watched a few episodes in the beginning, middle and end. Even though the beginning is a bit confusing because there's so much information, it's still interesting befuddlement; that is, it didn't bother me that I didn't totally get everything story-wise and was unsure of who's who (so many characters, many looking alike because of similar clothing and one bearded man looks too similar to the next bearded man).In the middle I got that there's too much intrigue going on, and I say "too much," not in a bad way, but in a way that confirms my thoughts that being undercover/spying is not a healthy way to go about your life; it takes too big of a toll on your life (I used to watch a lot of police drama (HK and American) and always saw it as a devastating role to play because you can't help but get enmeshed in relationships with the other side and you end up having to betray them and that can't be good mentally).
The ending had me in tears even after finishing it and as I'm writing this review. I get that maybe the way I watch series does not qualify me to be an accurate reviewer but just the bit that I saw moved me to the point I felt more people should be enticed to give it a try. I love seeing eye candy and lots of action, but The Wind Blows From Longxi blows everything out of the water with its solid acting, story and production. This series puts things in perspective—that we're all specks of dust in the universe and there's just so many things that are much more bigger than our short lived time on this earth. This is good to remember when we're feeling down or anxious about whatever's going on in our lives.
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