‘The Old Way’ Falls Just Short Of Greatness
Perhaps the most frustrating film a viewer can come across is not one that is truly awful, but rather one that while competently made and serviceable, ultimately falls short of reaching its true potential. Where the idea for a truly great film lies just beneath the surface, but instead of rising, simply remains there. The Old Way, a Chinese period action film written and directed by Xiang Fan, is unfortunately one such film.
Produced by iQIYI, the film follows rogue gangster Peng Yinan, played by Zhang Jin, and his fellow bandits Lei Wu and Ma Ming, played by Guo Yiqian and Ning Huanyu respectively, navigating an era of chaos and violence. The trio are hired by a mysterious woman named Zhuang Yue, played by Cheng Yi, to rescue her from a ruthless bandit stronghold. However, Peng discovers that the man who massacred his family lives among these bandits and must decide if his vengeance is worth more than his mission.
The plot is rife with potential as an exploration of Peng’s struggle between his strong moral code and his desire for revenge, which could have brought some much-needed drama to this film. Unfortunately, the film spends little time on him as a character prior to the main inciting incident. The pacing and editing are jarring in the first act, rushing through character introductions to get to the action, and thus leaving the audience with little reason to feel invested. The viewer never gets to see how Peng usually tackles his jobs prior to his quest for revenge, and the filmmakers make the poor choice to show the audience Peng’s family’s massacre as the opening scene, which could have instead been revealed gradually and thus formed an engaging mystery around the protagonist. The editing further emphasises the pacing issues and can lead to sheer confusion such as when the 180-degree rule is broken during a conversation without any narrative purpose .
Further compounding the issues regarding character is the utter lack of development for the antagonist. He has no real personality and the moment where he and Peng finally come face to face falls completely flat as no effort has been made to develop a rivalry. It doesn’t help that despite killing Peng’s family when he was a child, both characters look about the same age. The least the writers could have done was to make the antagonist hateable so that his death had some satisfaction.
Despite the messy pacing and editing in the first act, the chemistry between the three leads is at the very least entertaining. They bounce off each other well, and this aspect of the film only continues to get better and more amusing as the film progresses. It is a testament to the performances of this film that the characters, despite lacking substance, are still entertaining to watch. The film truly hits some form of stride in its second half, once the trio arrive at the bandit stronghold. The pacing improves, the editing is sharper, and there is plenty of action and humor that maintain a strong energy up until the ending.
Another point of praise is certainly the set design and cinematography. Though the film’s visuals can be somewhat botched by its messy editing, the attention to detail is excellent regarding the locations. The world feels very lived in and the period is well-realized, even if some of the dialogue can come across as slightly anachronistic. Thankfully, the performances, for the most part, maintain the immersion throughout the film. Everyone gives their all despite the characters’ lack of depth.
Where this film really shines and truly frustrates, however, is in its action. To start with the positives, there is a wide variety of action to go around and plenty of creative and strong choreography throughout. The standout example is a forest brawl halfway through the film, where the main trio must take on a horde of other bandits in a bid to infiltrate the stronghold. Peng must dispatch his opponents with non-lethal means due to his moral code, which thus leads to plenty of creative takedowns. Furthermore, Zhang Jin brings excellent physicality to all his fights and at no point does he fall short. Every action sequence has something new to offer, whether it is a mass brawl, close quarters combat, massive shootout, or a duel between sword and spear.
This excellence makes it all the more frustrating that the fights ultimately fall short, which can mostly be attributed to messy editing and lackluster sound choices. While the choreography is strong, the fights at times lack weight and impact. Some punches feel like light taps even though they are meant to knock out opponents. When blades clash, it lacks significance, and when guns are fired, it has no true boom. The editing at times feels unnecessary, with cuts in the middle of fights that only really disorient. Longer takes would have done the action major favors, leading to smoother and more impressive fights. This does become less of an issue in the film’s second half where the choreography becomes more creative to make up for the lack of impact. The introduction of gunfire into the final act adds a level of danger that makes the climax rife with good tension.
Of course, when it comes to great action films, spectacle is not everything. But because the film rushes through character introductions and development, there is little reason to be invested in any of the fight scenes. All the ingredients are there to make something truly amazing, but it is never taken advantage of.
Overall, The Old Way is frustratingly short of being excellent. The ideas are all there for a fascinating character journey and the actors are all capable of delivering a hard-hitting narrative. But the filmmakers seem more concerned with getting to the action rather than diving into their characters. The action itself epitomizes all this, having the base ingredients for something truly great but lacking the icing on top to push the fights towards excellence. It all falls short, and thus, it will leave the audience’s mind swiftly.