Recently, during his Golden Globes acceptance speech, filmmaker Bong Joon-ho explained that there is an entire world of incredible cinema out there for audiences to discover as long as they are willing to read subtitles. And as a reader of this website, you’re likely well aware of that. So, when someone tells you that the action-thriller genre of film doesn’t have anything new to offer, you should probably show them the trailer for “The Wild Goose Lake.”
In honor of “The Wild Goose Lake” beginning its theatrical run in March, we’re thrilled to give our readers an exclusive look at the trailer for the noir action film from acclaimed filmmaker Diao Yinan. As seen in the trailer, the story is fairly simple—a man shoots some folks that turn out to be police officers, and with a huge bounty on his head, the man ventures to the title location where lawlessness reigns.
However, despite its straightforward premise, ‘Wild Goose Lake’ is probably going to attract a ton of attention because of the style employed by Diao that adds a whole layer of pulp noir to what could have been a fairly typical action-thriller. What he’s created instead is a film that is visually stunning and incredibly tense, with some great performances and action.
The film stars Hu Ge, Liao Fan, and Gwei Lun-Mei. ‘Wild Goose Lake’ is written and directed by Diao Yinan. Diao is probably best known for his films “Night Train,” which premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of Cannes in 2007, and “Black Coal, Thin Ice,” which won the Golden Bear award for Best Film at the 2014 Berlin Film Festival.
We caught “The Wild Goose Lake” when it premiered at last year’s Cannes Film Festival. In our review, we specifically mentioned the director’s use of “visually inventive action” and said, “[Diao’s] mix and use of close and wide shots during the action sequences are, quite frankly, unlike anything anyone is doing in movies right now.”
“The Wild Goose Lake” will begin its theatrical run in New York City on March 6 at Film Forum. You can see the exclusive poster and trailer below.
Here’s the synopsis:
When small-time mob leader Zhou Zenong (Chinese superstar Hu Ge) accidentally kills a cop, a dead-or-alive bounty is placed on his head, forcing him on the lam from both the police as well as dangerous gangsters out for the reward. Hiding out in China’s densely populated (and deeply divided) Wuhan province, Zhou becomes entangled with a beautiful, enigmatic woman, who has mysterious intentions of her own.
