I'm a fan of neo noir whenever it shows up. Drive in particular was a film that I particularly liked that came out recently, and it helps that some of my favorite all time movies could be considered neo noir.
Black Coal, Thin Ice (the Chinese title is "Daylight Fireworks") is a recent neo noir film by local Chinese director Diao Yinan. It covers a mystery that spans six years: a series of grisly murders occurs with body parts showing up in a wide variety of places. A disgraced cop, Zhang, is our antihero. And in the middle of both mysterious deaths is Wu Zhizhen, our femme fatale, whose emotions are hidden behind that unexpressive face.
Soon our hero and our leading lady form a relationship. This relationship is far from conventional as both parties seem to be damaged in some way or another. As much as I want to know more about the couple, the more the film seems to dangle it right in front of my face.
The China of Black Coal, Thin Ice is a dreary place, filled will run down buildings and vast wastelands, befitting the best that noir can offer. There is almost no soundtrack from beginning to end, and some parts are paced very deliberately. This is not a film for the impatient, and in a way, that is where the movie gains its appeal. There's something exotic about this film, much like finding a tiger staring at you in the wild. This slow pace is punctuated by acts of violence or bursts of action. These bursts happen at such unexpected times that they are terribly startling.
This is a film that is not going to be for everybody, but it is a pearl in the rough as far as movies go. If anything, it is a very fascinating take on a great genre that needs more attention.
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