Escape from the Trilateral Slopes (2024)

The abyss looks into you.

Escape from the Trilateral Slopes 边水往事 is a thrilling survival adventure drama adapted from Shen Xingxing's autobiographical account of his year in The Golden Triangle. The Golden Triangle is a large mountainous terrain at the confluence of the Mekong and Ruak rivers and is comprised of northeastern Myanmar, northwestern Thailand and northern Laos, bordering Yunnan. Despite multiple coordinated crackdown efforts, The Golden Triangle has long been the world's largest drug producing area; initially of opium and subsequently synthetic drugs, especially methamphetamines. It is also a hot bed of related illegal activities from timbering to gambling and is a lawless place where local warlords control different territories and businesses. Names of places and people have been changed to protect the guilty so for the purposes of this drama, the Golden Triangle is Sanbianpo and the story opens in Monung, in the fictional Republic of Bomo. Meticulous research and attention to detail is evident in the world building, to the point of inventing local dialects and written languages. As impressive as this effort is, I would have preferred they staged it in the real respective Southeast Asian countries. However, unlike Hollywood, Chinese productions shy away excessively from portraying other countries and nationalities in an unflattering way. @Frost_edelweiss has meticulously documented this production and the setting in the discussion section for those interested in more details.

Shen Xing decides to skip college to join his uncle's construction company and shows up unannounced in Monung, to his uncle's dismay. He quickly discovers that Sanbianpo is no tropical paradise but a complicated, sunny place for shady people. To collect on bad debts, his uncle ventures into a conflict zone and disappears, leaving Shen Xing to hold the fort. Facing a liquidity crunch, Shen Xing borrows money from loan sharks at usurious rates to make payroll. Things snowball as desperate to find his uncle, he gets involved with counterfeiters and finds himself framed for murder. Before he knows it, he is a fugitive fleeing many different forces. He ends up indebted to Uncle Cai, a wheeler-dealer businessman who juggles the various competing forces in Sanbianpo. Thus Shen Xing becomes the patsy that Uncle Cai nonchalantly sends off on increasingly perilous missions. Before long, he is finds himself embroiled in all aspects of the Sanbianpo economy; sending provisions to drug dealers, smuggling gems, cattle farming; timbering, gambling; everything short of drug trafficking. That is Uncle Cai and his men's bottom line; the one they vowed not to cross. The story highlights how divisive the drug trade is; with some forced into it by poverty or conscription while others doggedly avoid it after losing loved ones to its trade or use.

I am pleased to see Guo Qilin step out of his comfort zone to take on this role of Shen Xing. And he delivers an acceptable portrayal overall but one that is lacking on several notable fronts. For starters, he doesn't look the part so it is a stretch to imagine he is hardy or athletic enough to survive numerous life endangering encounters. To make matters worse, it is absurd to pair him up romantically with a lanky actress like Qi Xi; even though she pulls off her role well, I cringed through that entire arc. He does a credible job humorously portraying the bewildered, naive young man who looks into the abyss and only manages to survive by sheer luck. His critical fail is in conveying what happens when the abyss looks into you. His character stays largely the same throughout and in moments of trauma, dumbfounded tends to be his default expression. This stands at sharp contrast with young actor Zhao Runnan's compelling portrayal of Guo Limin's shattering darkening and psychological downfall. What saves the day is there is fantastic rapport between the entire cast and Shen Xing's relationships with Uncle Cai, Dan Tuo, Wang Anquan, Lan Bo and even the hapless Justin seem authentic and moving enough to make me root for all of them. His enemies into besties relationship with Dan Tuo and how Dan Tuo silently looks out for him is one of the highlights of the story. Jiang Qilin is a fantastic actor and his Dan Tuo stole the show for me and is the unsung hero of the story. I also thoroughly enjoyed Jiang Qiming's hilarious portrayal of jack-of-all trades in the middle of all scams Wang Anquan as well. The villains are satisfyingly nasty and heinous; from the duplicitous Ang Tan to the viciously scary and hateful Mao Pan. While I wish they had cast a stronger character actor like a Liu Haoran as Shen Xing, the entire cast is so exceptional that their riveting portrayals paper over most of Guo Qilin's shortcomings.

The enigmatic, utterly ruthless and diabolically charismatic Uncle Cai is the lynchpin of this story. He is the most fascinating, multi-faceted character in the story. At surface, he is pragmatic, reasonable, an incredibly devout Buddhist and loyal to his wife's memory; a ruthless businessman when he needs to be but one with a bottom line. Thus he is not a villain for the sake of villainy but only when it serves his purpose; there is a utilitarian calculus involved in every action and decision. He doesn't hide who he is or what he is about but this is masked by his devoutness and humble persona and how he disarmingly switches between Cantonese, Mandarin and local dialects to best convey his sincerity. Only a highly skilled veteran actor like Francis Ng can deliver such a mesmerising portrayal. Like Shen Xing, Dan Tuo and his many followers, I was so dazzled, almost spellbound by his personal charisma that I didn't look too hard at his actions. He callously sends Shen Xing out on missions without full information but seems so wholeheartedly delighted that he survives time and again that I forget that he is the guy that tossed him in the frying pan and turned on the fire at the same time. Uncle Cai holds his cards close to the chest and never explains himself unless he has to. The drama respects audience intelligence and leaves it to the viewer to figure out how he manipulates situations and outcomes. This is a character that keeps you guessing until the end that can only be fully understood upon (multiple) rewatches.

The narrative builds to a shocking and thrilling climax and the ending is chilling and realistic. This drama has fantastic production values and movie like cinematography. It is riveting, thrilling and unpredictable from start to finish and sets a high bar future Chinese suspense and adventure thrillers. A must-watch that I am happy to rate 8.5/10.0. I knocked off 0.5 to be fair because as much as I like Guo Qilin, it is impossible to deny that the key role of Shen Xing is mis-cast. It is the dramas only real flaw.

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ANXIETY AT EVERY CHECK POINT

I am on the 5th episode, but I really wanted to write about this amazing show that keeps you hooked from the very first episode. The main lead, Shen Xing, is an amazing actor and I really like watching his "adventures" (poor boy can't catch a break wherever he goes). However, his most highlighting feature is his kind nature and that surely saves his life a lot of times.
This drama gives me the vibe of Gold Panning, but it is much more than that. Drug Dealers, Gem stone dealers and loan sharks; each and every character has so far done justice to their role. I am no fan of music, but the ending music is so catchy that you will be singing along with it by the second episode.
Another really good character is Dao Tuo, and how he stands up for Shen Xing all the time; the fact that Shen Xing didn't rat him out to Cai is one thing he'll never forget. His bond with Shen Xing is so heart touching, and their interactions on the screen are always a must watch.
Cai is a very graceful character; very cunning and intelligent. He knows who to keep around, even if they are making money on the side, and who to make use of . He knows when to become humble and when to show his intimidating side; he can grab an opportunity like selling frozen meat and turn it into something profitable by all means.
The story is so well written, based on real events (which makes it so much more horrific), and it is a worth watch. If you think watching 1 hour long episode can be a bore, give this drama a try and you'll change your mind.

Edit: Finished the drama and it is a must watch. What wonderful characters and do much heartbreak.

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Get some money, make some money ... scared money don't make no money

‒Overview‒

Escape from Trilateral Slopes is a pulse-pounding thriller that's also a valiant departure from the usual CDrama genres. Set in the notorious Golden Triangle of Southeast Asia known for all kinds of illicit trades‒drugs, gems, weapons, and people‒Trilateral Slopes breaks new ground in delivering the raw brutality of the criminal world. For those not squeamish about violence, the show is an exemplary showcase of superb visuals, acting, and storytelling. Definitely a top show well-worth checking out.

‒Review (minor spoilers)‒

Set in the tropical jungle of Southeast Asia, our happy go-lucky main lead Shen Xing, played by Guo Qiling (of Joy of Life), is trying to explore this exotic new country while earning some money working for his Uncle's construction company. But it didn't take long before his uncle goes missing trying to retrieve money and Shen Xing is thrust into the criminal world of Trilateral Slopes where he must find money and his Uncle while trying to dodge death at every turn. His saving grace came in the form of Uncle Cai (or Cai Shu), a calm, calculated, and charismatic criminal mastermind who operates a key logistics service in Trilateral Slopes. Seeing Shen Xing as an useful subordinate, he soon began mentoring and dispatching Shen Xing to various jobs, taking him through a guided, but still deadly tour through the various criminal enterprises of Trilateral Slopes. In the process, Shen Xing is confronted with the moral dilemmas from his dealings with the people, the gangs, his crew, and his own conscience.

The show is an invigorating escape from the triple failures‒bad visuals, bad acting, and bad story‒that plague so many cookie cutter Chinese idol dramas. Rather than waterboarding you with tropes, it serves up exquisite film-like sets and visuals that evoke the quality of blockbuster cinema. The jungle landscape, exotic animals, the blend of languages, and range of people from the downtrodden populace to the psychotic criminals create an experience of being dropped into a war-torn dystopia. Forget the cheesy-looking fake blood and soft punches, the criminals here punch, stab, explode things with concussive force and sadistic glee. Moreover, the show does a great job to make the world feel expansive as you are taken through a variety of regions and locations, each with its profitable trade and deadly secrets.

But the world of Trilateral Slopes can only feel so alive thanks to the excellent actors that simply embody their characters. We have one of the most decorated HK actors in Francis Ng, whose portrayal of Cai Shu effortlessly oozes charisma and gravitas. The other criminals leaders are also deftly portrayed by veteran actors. Other younger actors such as Jiang Qilin (Dan Tuo), Jiang Qiming (Wang Anquan), Zhao Runnan (Guo Liming), and Qi Xi (Liu Jincui) also left spectacular performances. Even the random background actors were a sight to savor. The show not only uses live-recording, but the actors even deftly employ a language constructed just for the show, contributing greatly to the immersion.

Unfortunately, the excellent all-around acting comes with a unsightly caveat, which is the male lead. Despite his crowd pleasing comedic performances in shows such as Joy of Life, Guo Qilin delivers some of his most nuanced performances here, but is still outclassed by the stellar cast around him. While he's able to comfortably portray the frightened, naive Shen Xing in the early parts of the show, his limited range and subtlety makes his character growth and moral struggles less than compelling. In an average drama he'd suffice, or even be praised for his acting, but here he sticks out like the lone actor in a documentary. To a lesser degree, this is also true for Wang Yuwen and Jiang Peiyao, two actresses who continue to improve by taking on challenging guest roles in this drama. While they have great scenes, there are still brief moments that betray them as actors.

The storytelling was another major highlight as the writers methodically guided the viewer through the land with themed episodes traversed not only locations, but criminal enterprises and moral questions. As your horizon expands, all the illicit puzzle pieces get assembled together and all the moral dilemmas culminates in a moment of life and death, for Shen Xing, his crew, and his friends.

This was an excellent story that kept me engaged from start to finish. However, there are aspects that can be nitpicked and improved. First, while the show aimed for a climactic finish, some chapters in the second half lacked the urgency and intensity of the earlier episodes. The usual brutal assortment of drugs, greed, and conflict served as a pacemaker that went silent before the eventual climax. Second, Shen Xing’s character development could have been better. A more complex Shen Xing would have balanced his decency with the shrewdness and occasional callousness required to survive in Uncle Cai’s world. At times, his simplicity stretched believability. In such a brutal environment, where only the strong and vicious survive, I often wondered how someone so green could serve as a trusted lieutenant of Uncle Cai rather than road kill for all the predators that roam the jungles.

Finally, the show could have been more defiant about what kind of story it wanted to tell. If it was about confronting the brutality and evil in a chaotic world, the show could have built up to a different kind of dramatic ending of loss and betrayal, perhaps by those who are the closest to Shen Xing. If it wanted to focus on the moral complexities and inner struggles, we could have created a road to perdition for Shen Xing where he must struggle more furiously against moral dilemmas and inner demons, perhaps leading to a journey of discovery, reflection, and redemption. Alternatively, if the show wanted to make commentary on how we are powerless victims swept up in a world of chaos, or about the complex cycles of crime, poverty, and instability in war-torn countries, it could have done that as well with a greater focus. Instead we are seduced with pieces of each of those themes, but not given the full meal. Perhaps censorship is part of the problem as a morally compromised Shen Xing may not pass review. Yet the show has pushed enough boundaries that leaves me wondering about what could be made if the crew had a completely free hand, or had done more to portray complex themes in such a fascinating setting.

Despite these critiques, Escape from Trilateral Slopes offers a compelling narrative and a visually stunning experience, with standout performances that elevate it above many other shows in its genre. Whatever criticisms I have arise from thoughts inspired by such rich and visceral worldbuilding. My overall rating is 8.3 (‒> 8.5 MDL), likely landing this as one of the 10 best CDramas of 2024.

--Category Ratings--

- Overall - 8.3
- Plot - 8
- Theme / Concept / Impact - 8.5
- Acting - 9
- Visuals - 9
- Audio / Music - 9
- Rewatch - 8
- Accessibility - 7.5
- Subtitle quality - 8

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Raw adventures in the Golden Triangle

Granted that this is not a feminist, romance, or healing drama ; there are lots of parts that are uncomfortably close to what deepest fears for women or even men can be. The young actor who plays the character Guo Limin expressed it well in his farewell message (text in my companion piece, in Discussion section on the main drama page).

Btw Guo Limin was an interesting "old style given name" since 立 means "upright" (like the enclosure of a city) and 民 means "people": a sort of name that was bestowed on children in the 1950's after the "New China" emerged! (although 立 also can mean "neutral") . And although his name was not "country" guó (国) it was the same as that of modern times illustrious Guo Moruo (郭沫若), one of the leading writers of 20th-century China, and an important government official. So, Guo Limin's inclusion in the story could have led to expectations that he was the undercover neutral (中立) "moral mirror" that would support Shen Xing through his perilous adventure. But that was a "wild goose" or guess (猜 cāi, lol), the "neck" of which got quickly wrung, so to say. But I would not go as far as thinking this name and character are meant to reflect a lack of confidence in the home country of Guo Limin and Shen Xing...

* Shen Xing (played by Guo Qilin, fondly remembered as the comedic Fan Sizhe brother of Fan Xian in Joy of Life) is the most well-known actor in the cast, together with, for HK movie and drama fans,
* Francis Ng /Wu Zhenyu (who plays the gang lord Uncle Cai, aka "Mr Guess"), who at first, reluctantly, then more wholeheartedly, accepts the young naive foreigner to be inducted and trained into the gang brotherhood. At first, their illegal activities seem harmless enough : "supplying water" (alcohol or bootleg goods) to other gangs seems just about driving truckloads of less dangerous stuff.

Escape... is a thrilling, sometimes funny, but overall a dark story, closely following the 397 days with gangs in the Golden Triangle from real life, which young author Shen XingXing (17 years old when the real life adventure started in 2009) made into a book. The drama fits the theme of the "new" Youku category (White Nights Theater). So, to get a scare, this is an alternate to horror and slasher movies, although it does not end in a bloodbath (...at least, not for every character.. hmm). Going through the linked gang-scapes, from episode to episode, is a rather compelling watch, as watching a rat looking for the exit in a maze. The treatment is very naturalistic, not at all romantic, showing the interconnections of evil-doers, gangs, power-wielders, and the few seeds sown for a glimmer of hope and change, on the way.

Most saluted the cast and photography, led by director Lao Suan (Passsee Mu), well-remembered since explosive success short drama Reset in 2022. Much care was given to sets, built for the occasion in tropical climate Xishuangbanna area of Yunnan province, close to the border of the real Golden Triangle. A linguist also worked on the "Bomo" language spoken by the people in fictional Federal republic of Bomo (i.e. two regions called Bokang and Mokang).

Some audiences thought the ML looked too fat, too short, too expressionless, and thought him not charismatic enough ; others recognized him to embody the clueless, unfit, young everyman who only by sheer luck manages to survive in the tough underworld where some characters may look more glamorous, or remarkable. I think Guo Qilin was not a bad fit, and he did show some growth in appearance and character between his arrival and his final escape. Not too much: after all, the duration of the real story did not last long enough to show him getting too mature by the end of it.

The whole cast had a large selection of people showing diverse abilities even in short support roles.
* Dan Tuo (played by Jiang Qilin) was among those who stood out, but so were also actors like :
* Jiang Qiming (Wang Anquan, "know-all" and "stacker"),
* young Zhou Zhengjie (Lan Bo, adopted son of Ai Suo)
* or older Zhang Junyi (Xia Wenjing, manager of Blue-King casino).
The other notable gangsters were played by :
* Wang Xun (Wu Haishan the mine owner),
* Li Xiaochuan (as Ai Suo, lord of the cattle routes despite being a staunch Buddhist),
* Zhao Jun (as President of the Trilateral slopes Xiangyun Chamber of Commerce),
* Song Jiateng (as Yan Baimei, manager of the Century hotel Casino)
* Terence Yin / Yin Ziwei (as Jason Li, vying to take over the Casino).

Among the female characters, Liu Jincui (played by Qi Xi) was totally mismatched with Shen Xing for a "love interest": they were poles apart and irreconcilable, despite the rough interactions which understandably made audiences uncomfortable. The height difference, thinness of the manageress, was an embodiment of the mismatch with plump and short Shen Xing, who couldn't even play "babyish" to a woman who was supposed to have got rid of or abandoned two of her own, with zero maternal instinct ; she only cared, a little, for some of her female employees. Still, this was not at all a miscast super imposition of incongruous romance on a male-centric story, as some wanted to reproach: the brief attempt at romance did happen in the real life account by the author, but "Cui Jie" and Shen Xing could not pull it through; their ideals and background just did not fit together, so this part is reflecting, precisely, the impossibility of romance between such people, despite their brief revealing of their vulnerabilities in a short-lived moment of trust.

Most women in the story were not lovable :
* Ma Lanian (played by Liu Lu) was too egocentric and ambitious,
* Chen Jie (played by Qian Jie) was insufferably partial to her hooligan son,
* Rong Jie (guest appearance by NNadia Chan) was a smiling beady eyed mantis ready to devour preys (even though she was portrayed a "flamingo" in the animal posters).
In the chaos of the Trilateral Zone, no empowerment of women was expected, despite Liu Jincui mentioning that she had her girls educated to better be able to fend for themselves. But in fact, the truth was that Cui Jie made a business in trafficking brides. One in the large array of trafficking that were depicted in this drama. The other women are mostly guest roles by :
* Jiang Peiyao (SuSu, the tattoo parlor artist) and
* Wang Yuwen (the mentally unstable half sister of SuSu, who does not get much scope to be remembered by, in a mostly passive and short role, where she ... tortures a betta fighting fish!)

(An interesting fact is that the characters got depicted in posters mentioning an animal name, totem-like, sometimes related to a real animal that appeared in the drama : the white peacock which was the pet of Mr. Cai, the tapir which gave power to Ai Suo, the betta fighting fish of the two girls from the tattoo parlor... 28 such actors/characters "animal posters" were issued and can be found in a GIF in the promotion section of my companion piece, in Discussion section of the main drama page).

Despite there was not much promotion before airing, the production made the artificial "Bomo" language, which is a feature of this drama, an attraction to watch 'small classes' on the Migu alternate platform, besides the official Youku ones, where games and sweepstakes offered subscriptions as prizes.

I am actually amazed that Escape got so high esteem from a large public, which often complains that the world is so difficult and depressing that they rather need light stuff, which is mostly what the largely female, partly "scared girls" audience, look for in c-drama, in my opinion. But I can't blame them for preferring to shed buckets of tears on a costume drama instead of being disgusted by the actions of too-close to real gangsters, especially if they are not the long legged, handsome, enticing eyes kind. (That's why I also relax with dramas like Embrace In the Dark Night, as antidote and polar opposite example to this one... )

So, despite the high rating on Chinese Douban and the movie-quality of some sequences, the thrills of hot pursuits on mountain roads, and gunfights, mine explosions and spectacular conflagration of the holy shrine in the midst of Mr Cai's remote jungle estate local bamboo and precious timber mansion, casino-games thugs and others, I can only recommend the drama to those who are not too easily scared and enjoy a solid cast, well chosen for diverse and tough appearance...

That said, the end episodes, which are tougher in subjects than the ones up till 12, keep some sequences that veer from naturalistic to symbolic, like the nightmares of Shen Xing starting from episode 17, where an old minesweeper also suddenly appears. The implications of the drama go beyond the superficial thrills of jungle adventures or mafia busting.

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