《無人區》 衝破喜劇傳統的賀歲片
When it comes to a Chinese holiday film that is directed by Ning Hao and stars Xu Zheng, 41, and Huang Bo, 39, it’s easy to expect another no-brainer comedy, much like the trio’s 2006 classic film Crazy Stone.
說到由導演甯浩、演員徐錚（41歲）和黃渤（39歲）這個“鐵三角”組合打造的賀歲片，人們很容易就認爲這又是一部類似2006年經典電影《瘋狂的石頭》那樣的輕鬆喜劇。So it comes as a surprise that their latest project, No Man’s Land (《無人區》) is nothing like what they’ve done before. In fact, there’s nothing comparable to it in the whole of Chinese cinema.
然而，他們的新作——《無人區》一經上映，便令人大跌眼鏡，該片完全顛覆他們以往的影片。事實上，該片稱得上是中國電影圈的“獨一份兒”。It’s a dark, Western-style thriller full of black humor and anti-authoritarian attitude — no wonder it was shelved for four years (it was first finished in June 2009) due to censorship issues (including too much negativity concerns such as that bad guys are depicted as heroes, and cops as impotent).
這是一部陰暗憂鬱、充滿西部風格的驚悚片，片中充斥着黑色幽默和反獨裁主義——也正是因此，該片自2009年6月完成製作後由於審查問題被擱置4年之久（審查方擔心片中大量諸如“反派英雄”、“無能警官”等元素造成消極影響）。
No Man’s Land tells the story of a lawyer named Pan Xiao (Xu Zheng), who drives to the deserts of China’s far west for a profitable case. On his way back, Pan is hunted down by a killer and encounters a variety of characters, including a police officer, a stripper and a group of smugglers.
在影片《無人區》中，律師潘肖（徐錚飾）爲了一樁賺大錢的案子駕車來到中國邊遠西部的荒漠。返程途中，他被殺手追殺，並且遇到了包括警官、脫衣舞女、走私團伙在內的形形色色的人。It’s a typical road movie and you can tell that Ning Hao gave his best to capture the essential elements of one. Beautiful desert scenery with long, empty roads and falcons flying above provide an authentic yet creepy background to what happens in the story.
這是一部典型的公路電影，甯浩竭盡全力地去捕獲公路片的精髓。美麗的大漠風光、荒無人煙、沒有盡頭的公路以及天空中盤旋的禿鷹，都爲情節發展營造出一種真實卻令人毛骨悚然的氛圍。Ning’s storytelling skills keep you on edge throughout most of the two hours, although at times the story is so elaborate that you can’t help but wonder how it will wrap up.
甯浩精湛的敘事功力讓你幾乎2小時一直保持高度集中、緊張地觀影狀態。而有時因爲情節太過精密複雜了，你甚至禁不住納悶影片最後要如何收尾。At the core of every road movie, however, is change and growth. That’s Xu Zheng’s role and clearly he’s done a great job. Despite appearances by co-star Huang Bo and Tao Hong, No Man’s Land is Xu’s one-man film. Everything happens, quite literally, in a no man’s land, and Xu transforms from an ambitious, mercenary lawyer into a righteous man who gradually learns to care. He realizes that a man’s worth is the most valuable thing in life.
所有公路影片的核心都是變化與成長。這正是徐錚所飾演的人物的使命，顯然他演得相當出色。除去黃渤和陶虹的戲份不論，《無人區》便是徐錚的獨角戲。正如片名所示，所有故事都發生在無人區，而徐錚從一個野心勃勃、唯利是圖的律師變成了一個漸漸學會關懷的正義之士。他認識到一個人的價值纔是生命中最可貴的東西。No Man’s Land reminds me of the 2007 Oscar-winning film No Country for Old Men, both in terms of its style and the story. But besides combining American westerns and modern black comedies, No Man’s Land smartly adds some Chinese mythology, making it one of a kind.
無論是影片風格還是劇情，《無人區》都讓我想起了2007年奧斯卡獲獎影片《老無所依》。而《無人區》不僅將美國西部片和現代黑色喜劇結合起來，更是巧妙地加入了中國神話色彩，使其獨樹一幟。Looking back at China’s holiday season cinema of the past few years, No Man’s Land is undoubtedly of the experimental kind. It’s a fresh breeze in a season that’s usually dominated by more cliched comedies.
回顧近年來的國內假期檔電影，《無人區》無疑具備實驗精神。在被清一色的傳統喜劇片攻佔的假期檔，該片爲觀衆帶來了一絲新意。
