Chapter 190 New Movie "Double-Edged Sword"
Chapter 190
"It's him again!!"
In a luxury mansion in City A, Chen Cong stared at the box office data for this year's Spring Festival films and couldn't help but roll his eyes.
He had high hopes for this year's Spring Festival film season, thinking that with Chen Yushen's appeal, "Eagle Soars to the Sky" would not do too badly at the box office.
As a result, not only did "Eagle Soars to the Sky" perform much worse at the box office than "Storm," but more importantly, it had a weaker presence in the market.
In some ways, the discussion surrounding "Eagle Soars into the Sky" is not as high as that of "Mother" and "Find a Job".
Everyone is in the midst of "Storm" and "Storm," everywhere you go is filled with "Storm" and "Storm" and "Storm."
Chen Cong feels nauseous whenever he sees anything related to "The Storm".
Even Chen Yushen couldn't save "Eagle Soars to the Sky," but no one outside thought it was Chen Yushen's responsibility; instead, they thought he should take the blame.
"This is ridiculous! Who's the lead actor anyway?" Chen Cong complained bitterly.
If "Eagle Soars to the Sky" had grossed over 3 billion yuan, the public opinion would definitely be different now.
"Didn't we not lose money?" Facing the call from the company's senior management, Chen Cong had no intention of lowering his stance. "Just look at this release window, apart from 'Mother,' the box office of other movies isn't much better than 'Eagle Soars to the Sky,' is it?"
Why does he act like he has to take responsibility now that "The Eagle Soars Through the Sky" has landed at home?
What's it to him!
It's all because "The Storm" had such high box office numbers!
No one expected that "The Storm" would drop a bombshell on this year's Spring Festival film season. After the total box office exceeded 4 billion yuan on the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, the growth rate of "The Storm" slowed down, but it still maintained an average daily increase of 200 million yuan. In this way, the box office of "The Storm" gradually exceeded 5 billion yuan... and one day it successfully reached 6 billion yuan.
It's the second-best film in history, and an unshakeable second place.
The first film is almost impossible to surpass in terms of box office performance.
Currently, no matter how optimistic the industry is about a particular film in a certain release window, they only expect it to reach second place in film history; they don't even think about it getting first place.
Currently, the third highest-grossing Chinese film is the family-friendly movie "The Little Bridge," with a box office of 5.6 billion yuan, while the fourth highest-grossing Chinese film is the war film "Four Crossings," with a box office of 5.4 billion yuan.
The advantages of "Storm" are quite significant.
It's no wonder everyone is talking about "The Storm," because during this Spring Festival season, "The Storm" grossed more than all other films combined.
With industry insiders anticipating a remake of "The Storm," Fang Qi immediately went from being a rising star director to a highly sought-after figure.
For Lin Yuan, his weakness in box office revenue has also been addressed.
In fact, apart from those marketing accounts that constantly criticize Lin Yuan, no one thinks he has any shortcomings in box office performance.
Lin Yuan has considerable influence in the television drama field; he simply hasn't starred in many commercial films.
Half a month after the release of "The Storm", Lin Yuan received invitations like paper. He only had one film contract this year, and many film crews wanted to take advantage of the momentum of "The Storm" to make their own films a success.
Although the popularity of "Storm" is closely related to its special effects, some people even say that it would have been the same no matter who starred in "Storm".
How can they be the same?
Director Fang Qi said that without Lin Yuan, there would be no "Storm".
If it were anyone else, they might have run away when "Storm" had a funding gap. Don't even think about generously donating money.
"He Mian is so clever, he finalized the cooperation with Lin Yuan so early."
"Hilarious, at least we don't have to worry about the new film's exposure."
...
After "The Storm," Lin Yuan had an even busier schedule, but he prioritized making movies.
After the promotional activities for "The Storm" gradually decreased, Lin Yuan devoted himself to studying the script in his hands.
The new film is titled "Double Edge," and just from the title, one can sense that the film has a bloody feel to it. It tells the story of two people who enter the police academy at the same time and are both selected as undercover agents, but end up on completely different paths.
Because of their undercover lives, the two lost a lot. One chose to go along with the criminals and carry out cruel revenge in his own way, while the other upheld his responsibility and buried the pain in his heart.
Lin Yuan plays the role of Ye Li, who is the one who endures in silence.
He Mian plays Shen Yuan, who is on the side of the villains. When the villains cruelly treat his family, he lies low among them and takes revenge in a way that is a hundred times more cruel than the villains.
However, in the process, he also hurt innocent people.
At first glance, the character design in "Double Blade" suggests that He Mian's role has more room for development—He Mian's leading role career has mostly featured positive characters, and for him, Shen Yuan is indeed a huge breakthrough.
However, Lin Yuan did not feel that his role as Ye Li was merely a figurehead for He Mian; the character also had its own potential for development.
An extroverted character, if played well, will be noticed by all viewers; an introverted character, though not necessarily noticed by the audience, is equally technically demanding.
There is no difference in quality between Ye Li and Shen Yuan; they simply made different choices.
Lin Yuan and He Mian started communicating more and more each day.
During the release of "The Storm", He Mian also booked a whole theater, but he didn't do much marketing, though the "The Storm" crew knew about it.
Moreover, without Lin Yuan and He Mian's blunder at the beginning, "The Storm" might not have garnered such a large amount of attention.
Of course, thanks to "The Storm", "Double Edge" had already generated buzz even before filming began.
...
With filming for "Double Edge" about to begin, He Mian is still checking his phone every day.
He cared deeply about "Double Edge" and poured a lot of effort into the character of Shen Yuan. He Mian discussed the role with the director, took extensive notes, and constantly rehearsed in his mind how he should act after filming began. He also considered how Shen Yuan and Ye Li's interactions should be...
He had never worked with Lin Yuan before, but he had read "Bloody Past".
After Lin Yuan began to show his talent, He Mian had been paying close attention to him, but this attention was carefully hidden by He Mian, and no one except his agent knew about it.
As a fellow frontline worker, He Mian also had his own dignity. He didn't want people to think that he was afraid of Lin Yuan or wanted to ride on Lin Yuan's popularity.
No one knew that he had watched "Bloody Past" three times. During the filming of the previous movie, he made a special trip to watch it. After returning to City A, he watched it again during a break at the business station. The last time, he watched it on a video platform.
Lin Yuan possessed a performing talent that He Mian lacked, which made He Mian both jealous and amazed.
What's the difference between the other person's performance in "Bloody Memories" and that of a genius?
Especially the last part, the fight between Wei Liang and his enemy, and the empty look in his eyes after he got his revenge... it was like a miracle.
I'm afraid he'll never be able to deliver a performance like that in his entire life.
So when He Mian was looking for co-stars for "Double Blade", Lin Yuan was the first person he thought of.
Before this collaboration began, He Mian only knew that Lin Yuan was very serious when filming, which was what he heard from actors who had worked with Lin Yuan.
When the two reached the stage of discussing the script together, He Mian finally realized Lin Yuan's seriousness.
He Mian sent his thoughts on the character Shen Yuan and his ideas on portraying the character to Lin Yuan.
It was during the promotional period for "The Storm" at that time, and Lin Yuan was extremely busy. He Mian saw on the news the day before that Lin Yuan was in a city, and the next day he flew to another city. Even in the middle of the night, Lin Yuan would still reply to his messages.
Those messages were all valid information that could inspire He Mian's performance. Clearly, Lin Yuan wasn't being perfunctory; the other party must have studied the script carefully.
And there are replies every single day.
Once the crew of "The Storm" wasn't so busy anymore, He Mian received more frequent replies. Sometimes Lin Yuan would simply send voice messages or reply with video.
Lin Yuan's background is basically a hotel or backstage area. Sometimes he removes his makeup, and sometimes he doesn't, but he just throws himself into it without hesitation.
It was only after the two started video chatting that He Mian realized that Lin Yuan had already memorized his lines perfectly.
The main thing is that he would suddenly mention a line from the character Shen Yuan, and Lin Yuan would immediately respond in Ye Li's tone.
He Mian: "..."
The more he interacted with Lin Yuan, the more he realized how terrifying Lin Yuan was.
In Lin Yuan's words, this is part of the pre-production preparation work.
But in He Mian's view, his preparations were a bit too thorough.
horrible.
After Lin Yuan became famous, He Mian would occasionally have the thought that he couldn't beat him, but he would usually suppress this thought.
In any case, admitting defeat before even having properly competed is just too pathetic.
But the more he interacted with Lin Yuan, the stronger his thought became that "I might not be able to beat Lin Yuan." What was most frightening was that he had even set a limit for himself on this—yes, a limit of a lifetime.
"There's no need to be so pessimistic," the agent comforted He Mian. "You can do it too."
For He Mian's career, the agent carefully analyzed Lin Yuan's previous works. In the agent's opinion, Lin Yuan's performance before and after "Bloody Past" was two completely different levels.
Lin Yuan himself admitted that "Bloody Past" was a movie that transformed him.
If Lin Yuan was able to encounter "Bloody Past", then He Mian might also be able to encounter a movie that allows him to undergo a transformation.
Perhaps "Double Edge" is one.
He Mian's expectations for "Double Edge" are different from those for other films, not only because he is interested in the script, but also because the enthusiasm and the light in his eyes when he discusses "Double Edge" with Lin Yuan are completely different from when he acts in other works.
Could it be said that Lin Yuan ignited his competitive spirit?
Or perhaps, because Lin Yuan is a true actor, He Mian was unconsciously drawn into his work ethic.
Even the audience knows that whether an actor is fully committed to a work can be seen from their performance.
Perhaps He Mian can make a breakthrough in "Double Edge".
Before this, He Mian had experienced the gap between expectations and reality countless times.
Lin Yuan will definitely give him a push.
...
In fact, the day "Double Blade" started filming was more lively than expected, after all, Lin Yuan and He Mian had made a big blunder before.
Moreover, this is the first collaboration between two industry-recognized top male actors. Many people expected that Lin Yuan and He Mian should be in a state of "kings not meeting kings," or at least not so harmonious.
However, in front of the camera, the two were as familiar as could be.
One CP fan exclaimed, "What should I do? I'm shipping them again."
"Shipping a couple is absolutely the right thing to do!!"
The media, however, were quite curious about how the two had gotten together.
Now everyone knows that the misunderstanding arose because He Mian and Lin Yuan were discussing a collaboration. The question is—what kind of movie is "Double Blade" that could bring the two of them together?
It's clear that He Mian's side is more enthusiastic.
Why would Lin Yuan be willing to satisfy the other party's ambition?
In response, CP fans continued their outburst: "Aren't you shipping them yet?"
CP fans are a type of creature that can imagine many shipping moments even if the two characters are fighting like crazy.
However, the media felt that it was normal for things to be harmonious before the collaboration started. Which production team doesn't have a good atmosphere before filming begins?
The conflicts all arose after filming began.
Besides, neither He Mian nor Lin Yuan seemed like the type to take things lying down, and given their past conflicts in "The Powerful Minister," it would be a miracle if they could get along harmoniously.
He Mian was more popular before, but now Lin Yuan's achievements have surpassed his. The media doesn't believe that the two didn't have any conflicts during filming.
Lin Yuan is more famous, so perhaps he would be more suitable as the lead actor.
But the investment for "Double Edge" was actually secured by He Mian.
Reporters couldn't wait to see what the "Double Edge" crew would do.
What's the point of watching those washed-up internet celebrities tear each other apart all day? I've never even heard of them, there's no need to click on them at all.
But if the main characters are He Mian and Lin Yuan, it's a different story. Both of them have a lot of fans and good achievements. If they really start fighting, it will definitely be very exciting.
The reporters have decided that, starting today, they will be stationed on the set of "Double Edge" for an extended period, hoping that the two leading male actors will continuously generate buzz for them.
There are far too many cases like this.
Lin Yuan's fans will definitely be dissatisfied with He Mian's comments. Lin Yuan has a Wall Award for Best Actor and a box office of over 6 billion yuan. What does He Mian have?
If Lin Yuan is mentioned, He Mian's fans will also be unhappy. Lin Yuan isn't popular enough to need He Mian to play a supporting role, is he?
As for equal treatment, a fight might still break out. Who is he? Why should he be placed alongside my family?
...
In some ways, the journalists' expectations were dashed.
Judging from the media interviews at the start of filming, the two sides seemed to be getting along quite well.
He Mian mentioned that the first thing he hoped for when he saw the script was to be partnered with Lin Yuan.
“I know he’s very busy and there are many more and better scripts waiting for him, but he still chose ‘Double Edge’. I am only grateful.”
Since being promoted to the front line, when has He Mian ever spoken so politely?
Lin Yuan replied, "The reason I agreed to take on 'Double Blade' is partly because the script is good, but another reason is that the actor I'm working with is He Mian."
Listen to this, listen to this, is this still Lin Yuan who talks like a firecracker?
Those who were criticized by Lin Yuan, such as XX and XXX, should be shedding bitter tears at this moment.
Fans of both sides said that their idols used up all their limited emotional intelligence here.
I'm quite pleased; it at least shows that He Mian and Lin Yuan are very satisfied with this collaboration.
CP fans have always had only one word in mind—"shipping".
In fact, neither of them uttered a single falsehood.
In the entertainment industry, there is often a barrier between actors who are at the top level. Because they are destined not to become friends, they always behave very politely, but this politeness is also a manifestation of distance.
Lin Yuan and He Mian's politeness was thought to be an act, but it was actually their true feelings.
Although He Mian first approached Lin Yuan for the script of "Double Blade," he didn't have many options for the role of Ye Li. But conversely, the same was true for Lin Yuan.
Among the new generation, He Mian is the only one who doesn't have many shortcomings in terms of acting skills and popularity.
Their collaboration is what makes "Double Edge" even better.
He Xun responded with a curt "Tsk."
At first, Lin Yuan kept it a secret from him. If it weren't for the mix-up, he wouldn't have known that Lin Yuan was going to make a movie with He Mian.
Lin Yuan: "...I didn't mean to hide it."
"Ha, what a hypocritical man."
Lin Yuan: "?"
The film "Double Edge" had an investment cost of over 100 million yuan, which included the salaries of He Mian and Lin Yuan. In the current climate of ever-increasing film production costs, "Double Edge" can be considered a model of thrift and frugality.
Director Dou Youhui is 45 years old this year, which is considered a young and middle-aged man in the film industry. He is good at action scenes and psychological warfare, so he has made a lot of crime films, including both literary and physical battles.
Lin Yuan originally thought that Dou Youhui was a stage name.
The director waved his hand dismissively: "I'm a director, not an actor. Why would I need a stage name?"
"What celebrity would choose such an awful stage name?"
Lin Yuan: "Thinking about it, that makes sense."
It's worth mentioning that although Dou Youhui's name contains the character "Dou," he is actually a very strong man, standing at 1.88 meters tall and weighing over 200 kilograms. He doesn't look like someone who works in the entertainment industry; rather, he seems to be developing his career in some darker field.
The director even shaved his head to make him look more like the character.
Despite his imposing appearance, Dou Youhui has a soft voice and a gentle tone, making him the most mild-mannered director Lin Yuan has ever worked with.
Lin Yuan did not imply that other directors had bad tempers.
He usually doesn't make indirect references, but rather points them out openly. 90% of the people he points out are directors like Yam Mau-hang.
Speaking of which, after "The Storm" grossed over 6 billion yuan, director Ren Maoxing would come to chat with Lin Yuan every few days.
The conversation usually starts and ends with 6 billion, accompanied by numerous interjections to liven things up.
In short, Lin Yuan could deeply feel the director's envy, jealousy, and resentment even through the microphone.
"6 billion... 300 million, tsk, sigh." Ren Maoxing sighed deeply. "It seems that 300 million is still a bit low for you. How about we cooperate next time, you earn 3 billion?"
“If you earn 3 billion, I can give you 500 million.”
Lin Yuan refused, saying that based on his understanding of director Ren Maoxing, regardless of the box office performance of his films, the production cost was generally around ten million, not much more.
If you calculate it that way, the score given to him is too low: "He looks down on me."
Ren Maoxing pretended not to hear and continued to urge Lin Yuan to cooperate with him again next time.
The 6 billion yuan figure was quite a shock to the director.
The director seemed to suddenly realize that Lin Yuan had such great potential.
"If I had known, I would have kidnapped you to work with me." Director Ren sighed silently. "It's okay, there will be other opportunities next time."
"Next time will definitely be a long time from now."
"It's okay, I can wait."
But in fact, the collaboration started earlier than Lin Yuan thought, and fortunately, this time it wasn't as painful as "Bloody Past".
...
In the movie "Double Blade", apart from the two main characters Lin Yuan and He Mian, the other actors are all highly respected and skilled actors in the industry.
Neither of the two characters has a romantic storyline, and like the title, the plot is rather cold and hard.
And... the ending for the character played by Lin Yuan is not good.
Lin Yuan pondered for a while before answering He Mian, the problem being Ye Li's fate.
Ye Li was killed by Shen Yuan; in a sense, he was killed voluntarily.
Although he is a more restrained character, he is inclined towards justice and will not become a devil because he was hurt by the devil, while Shen Yuan became a devil.
In a sense, Ye Li's murder catalyzed Shen Yuan's actions.
No one knows what Ye Li is thinking.
Although he demonstrated his sense of justice, at the moment of his death, at the moment he willingly allowed himself to be killed by Shen Yuan, did he also support Shen Yuan's actions in his heart?
With Ye Li's passing, Shen Yuan's revenge becomes increasingly cruel.
Lin Yuan was conflicted at the time, wondering if he was capable of taking on a role that allowed him to live a good life.
It seems like the roles he takes on are all related to death.
But in the end, his love for the script triumphed over everything.
On the surface, Shen Yuan's character is undoubtedly more complex. However, Lin Yuan felt that Ye Li was the one he could never truly understand.
Although the script didn't delve deeper into the details, Lin Yuan always had this idea in mind; it was his intuition as an actor.
The first scene for both characters is during their training at the police academy.
Ye Li is not talkative, while Shen Yuan is more cheerful and lively. Both of them can achieve good results in training, and Ye Li and Shen Yuan compete for first place in every event.
“You two should interact more,” Dou Youhui instructed. “We can see that in the script, the fates of the two characters are intertwined, so we need to emphasize this sense of destiny from the beginning.”
Lin Yuan nodded slightly.
His hair had been growing a bit longer, but he cut it short again on the set of "Double Edge," and he also had his eyebrows trimmed.
There are action scenes in "Double Blade", but not many. For Lin Yuan, this was not a difficult task. After the action director trained him and He Mian, the two basically mastered the skills.
The script mainly emphasizes undercover work and psychological warfare, with very few action scenes.
This is why the production cost of "Double Edge" was not high; there were no explosion scenes, and police and gangster films generally don't cost too much money.
After their makeup was done, Lin Yuan and He Mian both looked much younger.
At this moment, the two were confused about the future, but also full of expectations. They only hoped to be assigned to a police station with a slightly easier job so that they could fulfill their wishes.
Both men came from impoverished families. Shen Yuan was adopted, and for him, having the identity of a police officer was the beginning of changing his destiny.
Neither of them expected that police academy life would be the easiest for them.
This part of the film is not very prominent; it only appears at the beginning and in the two characters' memories.
As per the director's instructions, the two only needed to portray the purity of youth.
As for the so-called sense of destiny and bond, it comes from the fact that the two characters discover they have things in common during their conversations, not only their families but also their thoughts.
The two shared a deep mutual understanding.
For Lin Yuan and He Mian, this part of the scene was naturally no problem.
Including the scene where they snatched a gun while wearing shirts, Lin Yuan and He Mian worked together very well. Lin Yuan noticed that He Mian's action scenes were quite good. Both of them did their own stunts without using stunt doubles, which allowed them to fight back and forth.
The action director didn't mind that the two fighters' fight was too soft, saying it was pretty good.
Dou Youhui: "..."
He thought the action scenes would be troublesome for Lin Yuan and He Mian.
There's a line that Lin Yuan really wants to complain about: Ye Liren is still in police academy, but he's already thinking about his retirement life. He wants to raise two cats and dogs, travel all over the country to relax, and if he has children, he doesn't want them to suffer like he did.
"This really feels like setting a flag."
Moreover, the flag actually came true: Ye Li has no children and has not retired.
"You're thinking too far ahead," Shen Yuan said, patting his shoulder as he teased. "If that day ever comes, I'll be there for you."
But in the end, he did not stay with Ye Li; instead, he ended Ye Li's life with his own hands.
At this moment, no one could have imagined the future.
A work that presents contrasts at the beginning and end is perhaps what is meant by a sense of destiny.
Lin Yuan couldn't help but think of "The Powerful Minister".
However, in "The Powerful Minister," Shao Jing at least had moments where he could control his own destiny, while "Double Blade" gave him the feeling that both Shen Yuan and Ye Li were being pushed along by a predetermined fate.
They are pawns.
However, the game was not played by them.
To escape his fate as a pawn, Shen Yuan had no choice but to abandon his conscience and everything else.
The entire film "Double Edge" exudes a strong sense of cruelty.
In the script, after Shen Yuan becomes a big shot, he dislikes looking in the mirror and also dislikes others mentioning Ye Li. Perhaps for him, the face in the mirror still has the face of the past, but he himself is completely different from the past. He is no longer the Shen Yuan that Ye Li knows.
He Mian summarized their first few scenes as pretending to be young. When Ye Li and Shen Yuan were in police academy, they were both very young, only 18 or 19 years old, which was quite different from Lin Yuan's actual age.
But they weren't so old that they needed to find two young actors to portray the characters when they were young.
Not long after leaving the police academy, as they were envisioning a bright future and hoping to be assigned to a nearby police station, a new assignment came up.
The two of them will go undercover to carry out a mission.
As for why they were chosen instead of their more experienced colleagues, nobody knows.
This choice may inherently carry a dark undertone.
They have nothing.
Only two bewildered faces and the passing years.
Four years have passed in the blink of an eye.
Over the years, both of them have managed to rise in rank, avoiding becoming members at the very bottom of the gang and losing their lives in fights.
The worst part is that being an undercover agent is still very dangerous; spies are constantly being exposed and losing their lives.
How long will this kind of life last? Will it last a lifetime? No one can give an answer; the person responsible for making contact with them is dead.
Ye Li and Shen Yuan both wanted to quit the mission, but that would mean all their efforts over the past decade would be for nothing. To the gang, they would be considered traitors, and to the police, they would be as well.
Unless they want to continue the poverty of their parents' generation.
A crisis descended upon the two of them without their knowledge.
This crisis is also a part of the script for "Double Edge" that Lin Yuan and He Mian discussed and that deserves careful study.
It is even more worth reading than the latter half, which depicts the collapse of Shenyuan and the killing of Ye Li, as this part most directly demonstrates fatalism.
The contrasting personalities of Shen Yuan and Ye Li are most profoundly revealed here, which also foreshadows their future fate.
Purely psychological drama.
Lin Yuan rubbed his hands together, but when he looked at He Mian next to him, he was much more nervous than him. Although the two of them had discussed how to act out this scene several times, discussion is just discussion and there is still a certain difference between discussion and actual combat.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Here it comes! [Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers]
The story has nothing to do with reality.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com