The Penalty Zone (2020) poster
7.5
Your Rating: 0/10
Ratings: 7.5/10 from 67 users
# of Watchers: 365
Reviews: 4 users
Ranked #53915
Popularity #14895
Watchers 67

A story that follows undercover cop Gan Tian Lei who spent 10 years of his life walking a gray area. After waking up from a serious injury, he restarts his life and tries to solve a case by relying on his lost memories. Gan Tian Lei, Yang Xiao Lei and Xiong Guo Liang used to be the solid trio of the police academy. However, Gan Tian Lei was dismissed after he wounded someone in order to help Yang Xiao Lei. After leaving the academy, he moves south to make a living and was recruited by Che Li Zi of the Caesar Group. Gan Tian Lei encounters undercover police Uncle Hai and due to his influence, Gan Tian Lei begins working as an informant for Tai Yong Feng. He eventually receives a special appointment to become a policeman in order to bring down Caesar Group. Before they could succeed, Gan Tian Lei gets caught in an explosion and falls into a coma. Eight years later, Gan Tian Lei awakes in the hospital with no memories. The case against Caesar Group has been dismissed due to lack of evidence and Gan Tian Lei's memory may be the only key. (Source: Chinesedrama.info) Edit Translation

  • English
  • Türkçe
  • magyar / magyar nyelv
  • dansk
  • Country: China
  • Type: Drama
  • Episodes: 44
  • Aired: Dec 16, 2020 - Jan 14, 2021
  • Aired On: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday
  • Original Network: iQiyi Tencent Video Youku
  • Duration: 45 min.
  • Score: 7.5 (scored by 67 users)
  • Ranked: #53915
  • Popularity: #14895
  • Content Rating: Not Yet Rated

Where to Watch The Penalty Zone

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Cast & Credits

Photos

The Penalty Zone (2020) photo
The Penalty Zone (2020) photo
The Penalty Zone (2020) photo
The Penalty Zone (2020) photo
The Penalty Zone (2020) photo
The Penalty Zone (2020) photo

Reviews

Completed
PeachBlossomGoddess
6 people found this review helpful
Jan 16, 2021
44 of 44 episodes seen
Completed 7
Overall 7.5
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 6.5
Rewatch Value 6.5

Fifty shades of grey.

I expected this to be just another undercover narcotics cop drama. Which it is -  but still it hooked me from the very first episode. A sudden explosion sends Gan Tianlei (Ou Hao) into an 8 year coma in the middle of a decade long deep undercover mission to infiltrate the Ceasar drug organization. When he wakes up, he has no memory of his teenage daughter and her mother and only retains shadowy images of the events leading up to his accident. As his memory returns in snatches, he grapples with where his true loyalties lie and whether he had crossed over to the dark side. Ou Hao really shines in this role - he is heartbroken, moved, bewildered,  cunning, disingenuous, inscrutable, conflicted and enraged at all the right moments. His fight scenes were also really gripping and jam packed with raw, powerful fist-slugging and high impact kick action.

The main characters in this drama are extremely well written - they are multi-faceted, imperfect and complex such that the lines between protagonist and antagonist are frequently blurry. In particular the reluctant chemistry between Gan Tianlei and Che Lizi  as they encircle each other warily at times as allies and at times in combat is the best, most fascinating portrayal of the conflict between black and white and the fifty shades of grey in between. The drama throws them into moments where they are stressed into revealing themselves and their true priorities in the split second choices that they make. Both actors Ou Hao and Xu Hongjie are nuanced and compelling in the way they articulate themselves; theirs is the best frenemy bromance I watched in 2020. The entire ensemble cast delivers a very strong performance in terms of the rapport of the anti-narcotics force and the depth, length and endurance of their relationships and loyalties to one another. The collegial humour and comradeship pulls you in with sketches that are equal parts funny, cynical, nostalgic, light and dark and makes vivid what anchors Gan Tianlei as he walks the line between dark and light.

For about three quarters of the drama, the pacing is excellent and transitions seamlessly between suspense, action, comedy, tragedy with a few good twists and reveals mixed in at all the right moments. Then the drama peaks in an epic showdown between the remnants of the Ceasar group and the Tan family that had succeeded them as drug kingpins. And that is where the drama could have and should have ended on a high note. Up until then, my rating was an 8.0 with an eye towards 8.5. But in the final arc, it seems another writer took over. The mad scientist Lu Mingxiong is another decently written grey character but falls far short in comparison to Gan Tianlei and Che Lizi and the dynamic becomes more like two's company, three's a crowd. His relationship with Gan Xiaoyuan was so oily even the drama admits as much. It is clearly intended to set the stage for another season that sees Gan Tianlei, the ultimate undercover cop go after an international drug ring. I really didn't enjoy the final short arc that felt long, which is why this ends up an 7.5 for me. That said, Ou Hao has really impresses with his acting in this and in The Eight. I believe he is the best up and coming actor I came across in 2020.

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Completed
Neti
0 people found this review helpful
Feb 25, 2021
44 of 44 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 9.0

Action-packed!!!

Very good drama. Exciting all the way. Amazing casts. They were all really good especially Oho and Xu Hong Jie! And the fighting scenes were cool! I like it that they don't have too much of a complicated romance. This drama is full of mixed emotions. Happy, sad, funny... I enjoyed watching it. Hoping there's a second chapter to it since Tian Lei is assigned to look into Fuchun Club. Couldn't wait to watch it if there's going be one. Hoping we get to watch the same casts as they have got good chemistry. Anyway, Oho is such a promising actor. Have watched him on The Eight and Wukong. He's fantastic!

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Details

  • Drama: The Penalty Zone
  • Country: China
  • Episodes: 44
  • Aired: Dec 16, 2020 - Jan 14, 2021
  • Aired On: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday
  • Original Network: iQiyi, Tencent Video, Youku
  • Duration: 45 min.
  • Content Rating: Not Yet Rated

Statistics

  • Score: 7.5 (scored by 67 users)
  • Ranked: #53915
  • Popularity: #14895
  • Watchers: 365

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