No More Bets, originally known as Gu Zhu Yi Zhi, is a Chinese movie that could be categorized halfway between a drama and a thriller. The movie clocks in at an excellent running time of one hundred and thirty minutes as it entertains from start to finish. The final result finds a perfect balance between imagination and realism. The movie's topic is on the pulse of time. Even though the film's topic refers to events in Eastern Asia, it's easy to empathize with the characters and care about the story no matter where you come from. This movie deserves more international acclaim.
The story revolves around a fraud factory that destroys the lives of three different characters. Programmer Pan Sheng fails to get the job he was dreaming of and decides to work abroad. He realizes much too late that his new employer is a criminal network and that he won't be able to escape and make it back home all by himself. Model Liang Anna dreams of stardom and accepts working as an online croupier abroad. She realizes that this was the greatest mistake of her life as she is being held captive, physically abused and verbally bullied. Gu Tianzhi is a young adult who initially gambles online for entertainment only. As he gets addicted step by step he doesn't only indebt himself but also starts neglecting his girlfriend and lying to his family members while his psychological well-being is spiraling out of control. These three characters will try to find different ways to deal with their challenges while Chinese police forces decide to intervene and bring those stranded abroad against their will back home.
No More Bets convinces on numerous different levels. First and firemost, the movie's story is diversified, emotional and realistic as it should keep viewers on the edges of their seats until the very end.
The three lead characters are particularly intriguing. They all have significant flaws and strengths that are shown in an unpolished manner. These characters go through drastic changes and deal with their challenges differently. Their fates are difficult to predict and lead to some intense twists and turns towards the end.
The acting performances are equally great. Zhang Yixing convinces as an ambitious programmer who constantly tries to outwit his oppressors. Jin Chen excels as beautiful model who needs to become tough in order to hang onto her resilience. Wang Dalu delivers the goods as young adult whose organized life is gradually spiraling out of control until there doesn't seem to be a way out of tragedy anymore.
The mixture of genres offered by this movie is also gripping. The fates of the three lead characters are particularly dramatic and at times even tragical. Emotional viewers will certainly shed a tear now and then. The way the characters fight for their freedom and how police forces gradually start intervening lead to dynamic action scenes and mild thriller passages leading to a memorable finale.
The only element that might bother intellectual viewers is that all the villainesses and villains in this film come from abroad while Chinese victims are portrayed as heroines and heroes who are saved by brave Chinese police forces who intervene in a foreign country without caring about local jurisdictions. These patterns of propaganda are greatly exaggerated and feel like attempting to not only entertain but also indoctrinate audiences. As a matter of fact, illegal organizations such as the one described in the movie can also be found in mainland China itself.
Despite its inappropriate propaganda, No More Bets is a highly entertaining mixture of a drama and a thriller on the pulse of time. The story has many intriguing twists and turns. The characters offer depth, diversity and dynamics that will make viewers care about them. The acting performances are stellar and deserve critical acclaim. This movie isn't only interesting for fans of Eastern Asian cinema but produced so expertly that it easily outclasses most contemporary Western movies of the past year.
The story revolves around a fraud factory that destroys the lives of three different characters. Programmer Pan Sheng fails to get the job he was dreaming of and decides to work abroad. He realizes much too late that his new employer is a criminal network and that he won't be able to escape and make it back home all by himself. Model Liang Anna dreams of stardom and accepts working as an online croupier abroad. She realizes that this was the greatest mistake of her life as she is being held captive, physically abused and verbally bullied. Gu Tianzhi is a young adult who initially gambles online for entertainment only. As he gets addicted step by step he doesn't only indebt himself but also starts neglecting his girlfriend and lying to his family members while his psychological well-being is spiraling out of control. These three characters will try to find different ways to deal with their challenges while Chinese police forces decide to intervene and bring those stranded abroad against their will back home.
No More Bets convinces on numerous different levels. First and firemost, the movie's story is diversified, emotional and realistic as it should keep viewers on the edges of their seats until the very end.
The three lead characters are particularly intriguing. They all have significant flaws and strengths that are shown in an unpolished manner. These characters go through drastic changes and deal with their challenges differently. Their fates are difficult to predict and lead to some intense twists and turns towards the end.
The acting performances are equally great. Zhang Yixing convinces as an ambitious programmer who constantly tries to outwit his oppressors. Jin Chen excels as beautiful model who needs to become tough in order to hang onto her resilience. Wang Dalu delivers the goods as young adult whose organized life is gradually spiraling out of control until there doesn't seem to be a way out of tragedy anymore.
The mixture of genres offered by this movie is also gripping. The fates of the three lead characters are particularly dramatic and at times even tragical. Emotional viewers will certainly shed a tear now and then. The way the characters fight for their freedom and how police forces gradually start intervening lead to dynamic action scenes and mild thriller passages leading to a memorable finale.
The only element that might bother intellectual viewers is that all the villainesses and villains in this film come from abroad while Chinese victims are portrayed as heroines and heroes who are saved by brave Chinese police forces who intervene in a foreign country without caring about local jurisdictions. These patterns of propaganda are greatly exaggerated and feel like attempting to not only entertain but also indoctrinate audiences. As a matter of fact, illegal organizations such as the one described in the movie can also be found in mainland China itself.
Despite its inappropriate propaganda, No More Bets is a highly entertaining mixture of a drama and a thriller on the pulse of time. The story has many intriguing twists and turns. The characters offer depth, diversity and dynamics that will make viewers care about them. The acting performances are stellar and deserve critical acclaim. This movie isn't only interesting for fans of Eastern Asian cinema but produced so expertly that it easily outclasses most contemporary Western movies of the past year.