The Spy Who Loved Me.
This espionage thriller about the making of a communist spy begins in 1936, a pivotal year in modern Chinese history for both then ruling Kuomintang and the rising Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The look and feel of this Republican era spy drama from the muted palette to the understated characters to the way even action scenes are shot is markedly different from its flamboyant, glamorous and absurdly bullet proof peer, The Disguiser. What I like about The Rebel is the realistic portrayal of spies who are much more like George Smiley than James Bond. None of the main characters have deep political or ideological convictions beyond a burning desire to expel the occupying Japanese forces from China, thus their allegiances and motives are easy to understand and relate to. The dumbing down of the competing ideologies and political factions of the day however gives the overall impression of a lack of substance that is at odds with how seriously this drama takes itself. And that is my biggest gripe: yes, those were chaotic, stressful and dark times and spying is a serious business but does it have to be so completely and utterly lacking in wit and humor?The drama opens in a thrilling and suspenseful way with the arrest of a CCP operative by Chen Moqun, the head of the Shanghai district of the Fuxing Club, which is the Kuomintang's secret service. Together with his young protege Lin Nansheng, they use psychological warfare to turn him and use him to try to weed out the Mailman, a long hidden spy in their midst. Thus begins a chilling, suspenseful cat and mouse between two equally matched spymasters trying to out manoeuvre one another. This was by far the best arc of the drama, anchored by masterful performances by both Wang Yang (Chen Moqun) and Wang Zhiwen (Gu Shenyan). This is one of those rare dramas where the villains steal the show and on many levels they are more cunning, more ruthless and more capable than the protagonists. Chen Moqun is by far the, best most interesting character and the only one that is written with some humor - a complete sociopath, terrifyingly intelligent, flamboyant, suspicious, foolishly blinded by Lin Nansheng's competence, a surprisingly reluctant traitor and a wild party animal! Both lead actors are completely upstaged by the veteran actors for most of the drama.
I am a huge fan of Zhu Yilong and it is clear from how gaunt he looks and from the intensity of his acting that he really poured himself into this role. And he is a terrific actor so it is not to say that the role is not well acted, there are some really good moments. But overall Zhu Yilong delivers a cautious interpretation of the character and one that is not noticeably differentiated from his past roles. He has the most incredible, expressive eyes that together with the tiniest facial muscle movements, can convey an incredible range of emotions and in this case, way too many emotions. Zhu Yilong's interpretation of the character is more fitting for someone who accidentally and reluctantly becomes a spy but Lin Nansheng is a young man that voluntarily joins the spy academy and graduates practically at the top of his class - he should be more cold hearted and have a better poker face to begin with. As much as I appreciate seeing how events and relationships reshape his values and ideals over time into burning conviction, it is better to have to occasionally guess at his emotions rather than to see everything written all over his face. It is telling that later in the drama when he matures into a colder more inscrutable spy, they cover his eyes with tinted glasses to stop them from spewing his guts. His journey is portrayed as very lonely and intensely introspective; so much so that he doesn't seem to connect with most of the main characters. Thus when he mourns their loss, it doesn't always resonate.
Zhu Yizhen starts out as an archetypal character for this genre - a passionate young student CPC member that is perplexingly inspired by Leaves of Green, Walt Whitman's greatest, heavily democratic works. I don't mind the spy who loved me trope so I was really looking forward to watching her turn Lin Nansheng, recruit him and them work together as a kick ass spy team. But unfortunately it doesn't quite play out that way and she doesn't become the strong female lead character I was looking for. She remains pretty much a passionate, reckless amateur and damsel in distress that needs saving all the time. As much as I like that all of the CCP spies are written to be very fallible in the vein of John LeCarre's spies, she really takes the cake in terms of incompetence. What I find most unbelievable is she falls for the same grift twice! The only mission she manages to complete successfully is the final one. Tong Yao's portrayal of this character is textbook but bland and forgettable and her frequent blank stare with lips slightly parted gets really old very quickly. There is no spark between her and Lin Nansheng so I never bought into their rather pedestrian love story. Lin Nansheng's relationship with Lan Xinjie is deeper, far more complex, better developed from many dangerous missions and much more moving.
The first arc of this drama is everything you want a spy thriller to be. Each progressive arc is less good and they don't transition that well, leaving a feeling of anti-climax. The latter half becomes noticeably less tightly written and loses suspenseful intensity. Characters start popping up out of the blue from nowhere whenever someone needs to be rescued. Lin Nansheng's classmate has a particular knack for showing up at the right place at the right time. In order to advance the plot, many of the most important characters get dumbed down to be rather cursorily written off to make way for Lin Nansheng to step up. I didn't like how some of the best most interesting power dynamics between Chen Moqun, Gu Shenyan and Wang Shian fizzle out without coming to a climax, a moment of truth and closure. Thus when Lin Nansheng comes of age, he isn't even going up against truly worthy opponents and there is no psychological thrill. The last arc is the weakest, it is too long of a time jump, deviates into patriotic tropes, gratuitous sacrifices, leaves open threads and like most of the arcs, comes to an anti-climatic and very predictable end.
If I have to rate just the first arc of this drama, it is at least an 8.5 or a 9.0. Unfortunately the storytelling doesn't hold up and the second half is at best a 7.5-8.0. I really dislike dramas that fade at the back half so I rate this at 8.0-8.5. I would also note that I have read and watched a lot of amazing spy thrillers so I tend to be tougher on this genre.
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The Patriot
Poignant, riveting, suspenseful, thrilling, emotional, shocking, heart wrenching, and extremely gratifying. The Rebel is one of the best C-dramas I’ve watched this year or any year, for that matter. In terms of the production quality, technical execution, performances of the cast and music, this drama is close to perfection. It’s not flawless by any means, for there are some quibbles here and there but it’s good enough for me to give it a 9.5 rating.Based on the novel, The Traitor (叛逆者) by multiple award winning and prolific author Bi Yu (畀愚), The Rebel is set during the Republican era primarily in Shanghai while certain arcs transpired in Hong Kong and Chongqing. Spanning the course of more than a decade, from 1936 to the creation of the PRC in 1949, the story revolves around the main character of Lin Nan Sheng during the tumultuous period of the Chinese civil war between the Nationalists (Kuomintang) and Communists, as well as the second Sino-Japanese war. It chronicles his personal growth as he matures from a naive young military recruit to an experienced intelligence operative, while charting the trajectory of his “journey of self-actualisation”.
This drama features espionage, war and romance with certain elements of slice-of-life, socio and geopolitics, while exploring themes of family, friendship, betrayal, and sacrifice. It exudes vibes of The Infernal Affairs (HK, 2002) and Decoded (2016) due to the counterintelligence aspects involving sophisticated networks of covert activities operating within a complicated web of deceit and subterfuge as well as via trademark spycraft, notably undercover agents, double agents, coded transmissions and assassinations, among many others. A number of viewers have also made direct comparisons to Fearless Whispers (2020) due to the romantic entanglements between the leads who stand on opposite sides of the great political divide.
This drama may not be universally lauded because of the subject matter, which is not everyone’s cup of tea. Aside from the usual tragic endings, Republican era dramas in general are associated with Communist propaganda and jingoism. In this case, such concerns are magnified because of its intended release to coincide with the Chinese Communist Party’s centenary celebrations on 1 July 2021. Additionally, there are those who might not even appreciate the appeal of the slowburn nature of the storytelling or the lack of action-packed choreographed sequences.
However, the masterful delivery of the entire production based upon a compellingly written screenplay makes this drama arguably one of the best of the genre. The overarching plot is cohesively structured and integrated seamlessly with the intricately woven subplots and character arcs. The simmering pace - imbued with many an eventful moment, palpable tension and unpredictable twists and turns - is consistently sustained through linear storytelling via multiple points-of-views, albeit the emphasis always remains on the main protagonist. The exceptionally well constructed major characters are brought to life by the outstanding stellar cast, who deliver profoundly compelling interpretations of immense character developments as the drama unfolds. As far as the flag-waving is concerned, the subtle and layered approach is conveyed by these multifaceted characters seemingly with various shades of grey.
The attention to detail in the overall production design and art direction is exemplary in this joint production between iQiyi and CCTV. Principal photography took place entirely at the famous Shanghai Film Park in Shanghai, which wrapped up filming in August 2020. The ready-made filming locale oozes Old Shanghai atmospherics, along with the electric trams and the countless Buick cars on display. The use of interior props such as the antiquated rotary-dial telephones, vintage radios, gramophones and telegraph, to name a few, all give credence to the authenticity of the depiction. The exquisite costumes are equally worthy of praise, where the ladies appear elegantly dressed in fashionable qipao while the men are smartly attired in military uniforms or bespoke suits. These aspects enhance the general sense of realism which are visually framed by the excellent cinematography, as can be seen throughout the drama.
The main cast is certainly deserving of at least a nomination for acting honours, whether it be for Golden Eagle, Feitian or Magnolia Awards. In preparation for the main role of Lin Nan Sheng, the critically acclaimed Zhu Yi Long lost a massive amount of body weight and reportedly weighed a mere 64kg during filming. In addition to his efforts and dedication to his craft, his immense talent undoubtedly shines through in his portrayal of the evolution that his character undergoes in the drama. He very much reminds me of a young Tony Leung Chiu Wai here, in terms of the acting and the looks, where his characterisation is both understated and nuanced.
The award-winning Tong Yao plays the love interest, Zhu Yi Zhen. Although credited as the female lead, her character does appear to be more of a supporting role and, at times, somewhat overshadowed by the dynamic performance of her leading co-star. In fairness, she possesses less overall screen time and I have enjoyed Tong Yao’s interpretation of the role, as an independent, strong willed and fearless revolutionary in the face of adversity and challenges. The character also undergoes tremendous development and together with Lin Nan Sheng, they both showcase such convincing chemistry and connection with each other, even when they are far apart. It is almost a surreal and spiritual kind of long-distance relationship that transcends physical boundaries. Her uncanny resemblance to Zhang Zi Yi makes her screen presence with Zhu Yi Long unintentionally appear as though Leung Chiu Wai and Zhang Zi Yi are the main leads for this drama.
This production is further elevated by the presence of experienced veterans Wang Zhi Wen and Wang Yang, who play Gu Shen Yan and Chen Mo Qun respectively. Without these two distinguished actors, the drama would not have been as credible, evocative and visceral. Chen Mo Qun, in particular, emits such a powerful aura not unlike say Darth Vader to the point that I would actually include him as one of my favourite “villains” of C-Dramas. These two actors should have their own spin-off Republican drama, seriously.
It’s my third time seeing Zhu Zhu since Qin Dynasty Epic and Breath of Destiny. Despite being perfect for the role of Lan Xin Jie, I sometimes do feel that she’s typecast as a sultry seductress and femme fatale type of characters. She is amazingly versatile, a quality which hopefully garners her more varied roles in future projects. The rest of the supporting cast represent good value for their depictions, particularly Zhang Zi Xian and Dai Xu who give a decent portrayal of the unscrupulous Wang Shi An and the suave Zuo Qiu Ming respectively.
I cannot emphasize enough how incredibly fitting and beautiful the soundtrack for this drama is. The original score featuring piano pieces by the celebrated Chinese pianist, Lang Lang expresses the mood and emotion of pivotal scenes in the drama. In particular, the signature theme, Tchaikovsky’s The Seasons, op. 37a: VI. June "Barcarolle" is played throughout. OST listing as follows:
1. Zhu Yi Long, Lang Lang - The Rebel (main theme)
2. Ayanga - Shadow Behind
3. Sara - Candid
4. Lang Lang - The Seasons, op. 37a: VI. June "Barcarolle"
Having espoused the positives, there are certain issues I noted but which does not diminish the overall quality of the production. Firstly, towards the tail end of the drama, there is a somewhat melodramatic undertone involving “misunderstanding and contract marriage tropes” that gradually builds up to briefly occupy some screen time. However it does eventually get tied up during the final phase of the story. Secondly, in the parting scene at the Hong Kong pier, the overdub process must have been overlooked during post-production because two distinct pieces of music were inserted, thus ruining what was supposed to be a deeply emotional moment. Last but not least, I do feel that the unexpected manner in which the final action sequence plays out creates unnecessary confusion, as the story transitions to the ending.
All things considered, The Rebel is a top-tier production that probably does not but should receive the appreciation and recognition that it truly deserves for the quality of the production, writing and acting. With a Douban rating of 8.3 at the time of writing, the numbers speak for themselves. I have utterly enjoyed the worthwhile experience of being immersed in this fantastic drama and if you do decide to give this a try, perhaps you would be too.
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This review may contain spoilers
Excellent directing work: kept the suspenseful atmosphere throughout 43 eps
As a spy suspense thriller, The Rebel is outstanding in the art direction and cinematography, and the ACTING. This might be the best acted cdrama for the year! I have seen the director's most recent previous work-- Dream Detective. Although he is listed as screenwriter, I read in an article that he had went onsite and participated in the production. The similarity that I see in the art direction in Dream Detective and The Rebel-- very good nuanced shots of the emo scenes. This drama has frequent scenes of one character just sitting there, contemplating on the events and what to do next. And just like in Dream Detective, a lot of the characters' thoughts, love between the main leads were not expressed in words. The Rebel left it up to viewers if Chen Mo Qun ever knew who had instigated his downfall, if Lan Xin Jie ever loved Lin Nan Sheng, etc.. (ps: if you are intrigued and want to check out Dream Detective, please note this is still not subbed).To be honest, up until the 20+ eps I thought this would be a 9.5 or 10 stars for me. Unfortunately, the script did not manage to hold up the story. The novel that this is adapted from is actually quite a short story, so 7 screenwriters are roped into the production to expand on the storyline and add in more scenes. Maybe they hired such a big team of screenwriters to ensure the details would be accurate per historical places and events but this also created an unevenness in the overall plot-- drama started off quite intelligent, and dipped into stupidity in the middle parts, and the ending..... the built-up to the ending was so strong, so good, but dip into predictability in the last ep -_-" In between, when some good supporting characters were going to die, the script gave special attention to their interactions with ML, but this only give viewers "red flag", as if telling me, yup he's going to die soon (and he did die quickly, in the same ep). Script is too predictable.
Characters are very well-written in this drama, and the developments and changes in their personas. Some of the most brilliant character developments..... The gradual changes in Lin Nan Sheng, Chen Mo Qun, Wang Shi An and Lin Xin Jie, how the events, environment and years slowly changed them are very well depicted. Kudos to the actors!!! Erm, notice how I did not mention on the FL, Zhu Yi Zhen. Although she went through a lot too, the free spirited, idealistic Zhu Yi Zhen at the beginning still look same to the Zhu Yi Zhen at the end, albeit she became more mature. Tong Yao is a very good actress, she had won awards! The problem is in the script, I guess production decided to make the FL role more like a tool to facilitate certain events. Such that the mistake she made at the beginning, she again made a similar mistake at the end (she was very bad at reading people). She was said to have attended military training, etc but we really don't see much development in her at all.
Soundtrack is really good! Do not skip the intro (don't worry, no spoiler in it)! Ending song is awesome too \o/ Overall however, The Rebel was a disappointment for me, had expected more.
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worth watching
Fascinating, but underrated drama.Storyline
Interesting story. No holes in the plot and superficiality. Mature characters.
Actors and Acting
The Impressive and charismatic acting of all main male leads: Wayne Wang, Zhu Yi Long, Wang Zhi Wen, Li Qiang made the journey through the series delightful.
The second female character Lan Xin Jie/Zhu Zhu exceeded the FL in acting and delivering the sense of realism in the story.
Lang Lang variation of Tchaikovsky is beyond perfection.
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Chinese version of Jason Bourne, spy vs. spy
Initially, I was a bit skeptical about this drama whether it will be good or not. The first episode hooks my attention where I already get some tense from the manhunt. That leads to the curiosity on what will happen in the next episode and the next one and on and on...As the story goes on, from each episode onwards you will get that tense feeling and guessing on what will happened next. I think this is one of the best C-Drama with Historical, Political and war theme. It shows courage, patriotism, loyalty, integrity and all aspects of a spy should have. Really really interesting.
The setting of Shanghai in the late 30’s and the 40’s are well built, when you watch the episodes, you will feel that you are brought to that era. The cinematography is also good. In some tense moment the camera movement adds the effect on the dire, suspense situation.
The acting is also seeming natural, not exaggerating. I think every single character played very well and worth some appreciation.
Although this is not a romance drama, and the topic is more towards History, political and war but the relationship of the Male Lead and Female Lead was built beautifully. There are not many or almost non-romantic scene to describe their relationship, but it is able to show how deep is the feeling between both characters. Both Male and Female lead are giving their utmost act where you can see their feeling, their pain, their mutual affection clearly. You are eager to know what the end of these two characters will be, will they be together or not. That will make you more attached to the show.
You may not agree with the political views here i.e., communism – but despite of that, you may disregard your political view and just enjoy the storyline.
The series has a tight plot which able to create suspense and thrill, it is spy vs. spy. Depiction of intelligence world in China that day.
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Deep and patriotic
The best part of this drama for me is the suspenseful missions that they undertake. This alone I can give 10/10 because they actually get me off my seat and are perfectly executed.43 episodes is just about right. Thank god this is not another 70-episode epic which most of the times drag on unnecessarily.
Vert aptly released in the year of the CPC's 100th anniversary. It captures the sacrifices made to bring China to victory. Whenever someone on the show gets sacrificed, you can see the pain and despair in Zhu Yi Long's eyes.
In terms of acting, the veteran actors did it for me. Old Gu, Old Chen, Old Ji were my favourites. Surprisingly I didn't feel the chemistry between the FL and ML. It's not a romance drama, I understand. But I still didn't get any feels from the main couple. Instead, the camaraderie between the veterans and the ML were the star chemistries in this show.
Why I can't give it a 10/10? It's typically not my favourite genre due to the heavy and depressed undertones. Also the ML-FL chemistry falling flat for me. Everything else is fine and I'd recommend it.
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The drama shows the growth of Lin Nan Sheng (played by Zhu Yi Long), we could see him learning to understand his own beliefs. Lao Gu and other comrades helped Lin Nan Sheng a lot.
They use Tchaikovsky's June Barcarolle as the opening song and for some scenes and it's just perfectly used
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This review may contain spoilers
Thrilling Republican Spy drama - Great Cast and Acting
Completed - 1/12/2022"The Rebel" is a thrilling and exciting spy drama during the Republican era in Shanghai. The drama spans 13 years from 1936-1949 and is divided into three arcs: 1) Guomingdang/Nationalist Party vs Communist Party, 2) China vs Japan, 3) Guomingdang/Nationalist Party vs Communist Party. Some might feel that it's a drama about Chinese propaganda. However, I disagree. Does it talk about the greatness and ideals of communism? Yes. But that is also a big part of Chinese history. The inhumane treatment of the Japanese against Chinese is well-documented in history books and through stories told by grandparents who lived through those times. There has always been injustices and corruption in governments all over the world, not just in China.
I would recommend this drama to those:
1) who love a good spy story in the Republican era
2) slight romance that does not interfere with the main plot
3) amazing acting by the cast - both young and veteran actors and actresses
Personally, I enjoy the first 20 episodes (1st arc) the most in this drama. The introduction of all the characters were nicely done through storytelling and amazing acting. The middle arc is a little slow for my taste but the pace picked up in the last 5-8 episodes. I do think this drama could be shortened a little bit. Throughout the drama, we see networks of spies from both parties at odds end, and trying to one up another. I wouldn't say the plot is unpredictable, but it's engaging enough to keep my attention for the most part.
I cannot say enough good things about the amazing acting of all. I've seen Zhu Yi Long (ML) in "Guardian" and "The Story of Ming Lan" before. "The Rebel" has got to be his best in acting. When he's lost and confused, when he's lonely and sad, and those few shy and adorable moments - he acted so well and I felt for him. He was acting so intensely that I worry his veins on his forehead are going to pop. LOL. However, I think it took quite a long time for his character to grow his EQ. He's way too emotional to be a soldier/spy for the first 2/3 of the drama. On the other hand, I am most attracted to Wang Yang, who played Chen Mo Qun, in the beginning. He was so charismatic and sexy as the villain. And then when he became a traitor, you can see how he's changed internally and externally. That pride and charisma are gone, and the guilt and distress show up for the rest of the drama. I can't forget to mention the two male veteran actors, Wang Zhi Wen ( who played Gu Shen Yan) and Li Qiang (who played Ji Zhong Yuan). They are both amazing and probably keep the young ones on their toes to improve their acting to the veterans' standards.
This is my first drama of Tong Yao and she was equally great as Zhu Yi Zhen. She might look a little old to play a college student initially, but that doesn't mean she didn't act well. She doesn't have too many scenes for someone listed as a female lead, but when she's there, her presence shows. It's so nice to see a smart, brave and confident female lead. I also wanted to mention Zhu Zhu who played Lan Xin Jie (2FL). I finished watching her in "The Bond" not too long ago. Here, she's sultry, confident, smart and sexy. You can't take your eyes off her.
If I have to say one thing that I wanted more, is the romance, since I am a romance junkie. I understand that the romance storyline should take a back seat in a spy drama. But our leads have so few scenes together! However, that doesn't mean the chemistry is not there. You can feel that sad and quiet romance throughout the drama. The unspeakable love and longing through quiet actions and simple words. If the director can't give me romance when the spies are in action, how about give me a little more at the end? Or am I too greedy since we actually have a somewhat happy ending for them? I was cautiously hoping and praying that they could be together at the end, after all they have gone through.
For all the Republican era dramas that I have watched, "The Rebel" is probably one of the better produced one. It looks like they have spent some money on the set designs and props used. The men have different sets of 3-piece suits and uniforms. Women have nice qipaos and dresses. Zhu Zhu looked amazing when she's strutting in her amazing costumes.
Objectively, this might be a 9.0+ drama for many but personally, it's a solid 8.5.
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Needle In A Haystack of Mediocrity
Luckily for me this was the first republican era Cdrama I tried, as well as the first cdrama i was able to complete. Underrated isn’t enough to truly praise this drama.You’re thrown back into an extremely detailed, gritty, yet beautiful time period world design that amazes you the more time you invest in its little details around every corner, posters, costumes,buildings, offices, you name it. The production quality is in short, next level.
Along with it’s stunning production you’re also given a great cast with a compelling story and scripts that brings these characters to life in full. You’re not thrown out of immersion for even a second. The realistic style of pacing this drama decided to take in terms of each character connection to one another is the bread and butter. You can’t help but to acknowledge and praise this show for not tossing everybody together in the first episode or 2 like 99% dramas does. The interactions are believable along with the reunions.
The writing is airtight, meaning little to no room for improvement. The development of the ML is truly a high quality sight one can only behold in very few series to date. The strong characteristics of each lead and supporting roles constantly reminds you that you are to recognize these characters as real seperate individuals in a story, not single layered background tools for progressing the plot. If one goes over a plan to later put into action, it’s up to their level of competence of pulling it off or failing. If one gets into a tough predicament, it’s up to how their own thinking works that could rather get them out of it or even deeper in. Something many dramas don’t bother putting the effort into.
After stumbling across this work of art, I’ve yet to find any drama in its genre close to this level of overall quality. Everything it provides, it executes profoundly. If the hundreds of republican era and espionage dramas were to be thrown at each other in countless comparisons and contrasts. This series stands among the top easily. A soon to be classic that’ll be appreciated more down the line when receiving more recognition.
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Memorable historical series best as it can be !
The story in the Shanghai era was occupied by Japan. The movie creates a wonderful atmosphere of that era. The production budget isn't that great, but it's doing the best it can. excellent script writing worth following every episode The details of each character's slaughter are stepwise and tactical. This part of the movie is almost flawless, the atmosphere of events such as theatre, assassination, and tactical planning come out realistic and respectable. The acting of the characters was quite immature, except that Lao Gu Chenmoqin really excelled in acting. For viewers who like history About the atmosphere of war, spies, love stories during battle, should not be missed. Unfortunately, this story is not available on Netflix.Was this review helpful to you?
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I Fell in Love with Zhu Yilong
I fell in love with Zhu Yilong because of this drama.THIS IS A TRUE SPY WAR DRAMA. In this drama, you really get to see the intricacies of how spies keep their identities a secret, how information is passed among the party members, and the amount of vetting to become a party member. In other Republican Era dramas with a spy aspect to them, a lot of times I see characters telling other characters their identity, which is unrealistic. The character development throughout the drama was done quite well.
This drama is really good at depicting why people were drawn towards the communist side. Even if people think it's wrong they should at least be open to understanding why and how people were drawn to this ideology. I've seen other dramas with a similar nature and nationalistic sense in terms of communism receive heavy criticism because of CCP propaganda. In all honesty, you read the synopsis, so you should know it's a part of the package. If you can't handle any mention of communism or an ounce of CCP propaganda (all the while ingesting your own country's propaganda) then I suggest you watch a different genre than the Republican Era. But, for those of you who are interested in or love the calamity, history, heartbreak, and raw human emotion of this genre you will not be disappointed. It's a little lengthy, but it's high-budget with beautiful cinematography, good storytelling, and an amazing cast.
The Cast:
Hands down an amazing cast! I had seen Tong Yao in Like A Flowing River before so she was familiar to me. Seeing Mickey Yuan was a pleasant surprise since I saw him in Rookie Agent Rogue. Over the years I've seen Wang Yang in a variety of different roles and honestly, I'm always impressed by him. Wang Yang and Zhu Yilong have the ability to play a variety of different characters in dramas with varying intensity levels. I feel like that ability proves how good their acting is because they're not being type-casted.
This drama had some really intense moments and I think Zhu Yilong nailed them. Another review said that you could tell Zhu Yilong really poured his heart into this role and honestly they're 100% correct. The vein in Zhu Yilong's forehead that pops out whenever Lin Nansheng is concentrating, enraged, stressed, etc. is captivating and phenomenal. His execution of Lin Nansheng's character made me fall in love with him.
I felt that Tong Yao didn't have much chemistry with Zhu Yilong. I think Zhu Yilong and Zhu Zhu (Lan Jie) had better chemistry. They are very cute and sweet together and what he does for her gives Lin Nansheng the "all-around nice guy" title. But ehh, this isn't a romance drama so I rest my case. BUT, we are blessed with Zhu Yizhen and Lin Nansheng confirming their feelings for each other!
The Story:
Overall, it was good. I think the beginning was a little slow, especially the scenes with the senior KMT leaders, but I get why those were part of the drama. The audience needed to see and understand the internal conflicts and suspicions amongst the characters as well as understand each character's character.
I think the drama paints a marvelous picture of how people get to where they are based on ideologies and personal strength in beliefs. At the very beginning, we see how strong Chen Moqun's (Wang Yang) loyalty to the Nationalists is. But after he's set up and made to look like a traitor, he actually becomes one. At first, for both the audience and characters it's hard to believe he'd do such a thing. But we later learn that what Chen Moqun values most is his own life. We see this when he sets himself up to still have a foothold amongst the Nationalists when the Japanese are defeated. This is the difference between Chen Moqun and Lin Nansheng. Chen Moqun is ultimately a coward and cares more about saving his own skin than his own country. This is devastatingly disappointing for Lin Nansheng. I think this drama perfectly depicts why and how the people were pushed towards communism. We see this through the eyes of Lin Nansheng. As he continues to grow he starts losing faith in the Nationalists due to various events. He loses his brothers due to poor leadership and witnesses the corruption of Nationalist party members. Slowly, he realizes that his ideas of what a nation should look like no longer align with the Nationalists, so he switches sides. I think that Zhu Yizhen's character was pertinent in opening the door for him to switch sides.
Sometimes I felt that Zhu Yizhen's character was almost too perfect and if Lin Nansheng had really worked side by side with her for a long period of time his view of her in that way might have been disrupted. The question is whether he'd still like her. Part of the reason why he likes her is possibly because he sees her as perfect.
Other:
The cinematography was amazing. The scene in which the main leads have been shot in the alleyway and we get a close-up of Lin Nansheng's fingers inching their way toward Zhu Yizhen's is beautiful and heart-wrenching. The camera then pans out and gives us a shot of them from above sprawled out and injured on the ground amongst the snow…truly beautiful and insane. Oh, and the scene where Lin Nansheng imagines seeing Zhu Yizhen in her school uniform was also really beautiful. The angles, the colors, and the costumes were all wonderful. I enjoyed how the costumes were pretty period-accurate. The colors are sort of dark and subdued which matches the events and happenings around the characters. I also loved how there was limited use (if at all) of blurring filters. Close-up shots of actors' faces showed pores and five O'clock shadows. This really contributed to the realness and rawness that is felt when watching this drama.
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The semi-interesting adventures of a lost puppy.
Initially, it was hard for me to care about any of the characters or the plot. Who do you root for: communist or nationalists? There is no good choice here. Luckily, as the drama progressed, I was able to see the characters as the individuals they were, and not necessarily the institutions that were behind them. I get that at that moment in history the communists were the good guys, but knowing where the future led, it’s still weird to root for them in the show.Starting with the characters, I feel like there was a lack of care put into them, their circumstances, goals, motivations. At times we were not able to see a few of them for a number of episodes, and when they showed up on screen, their situation completely changed, but we had no context to understand it. They just skipped through moments that could have been perfect opportunities to explain their motives or give them some development.
I feel like naming Zhu Yi Zhen as one of the main characters is some kind of a joke. For the majority of her screen time, she was just sitting being worried or looking through the window being worried. We could have seen her work hard for the Communist Party, slowly gaining more responsibilities and being one of the front-runners for the cause, but it never happened.
Lan Xin Jie was similarly underdeveloped. The story of her struggle to survive as she was dragged into the war between the different groups would be extremely interesting to watch. To see her change from a well connected person who is a confident social butterfly, to being a desperate mother who just wants to save herself and her child. But everything happened off screen.
Truth to be told, even Lin Nan Sheng was all over the place. Rather than The Rebel, he felt like a lost puppy that follows whatever authoritative figure shows up in front of him at any given moment. Also, for a show titled “The Rebel”, he rebelled a bit late.
I kind of feel like that’s how the drama rolled - a lot of things were happening behind the scenes and off-screen. This type of story telling made me not care that much about… well anything. Who wins, who loses, who dies and who survives. The Rebel feels like a well presented, but only draft of an idea.
The acting was amazing, I have zero complaints. While I still feel like Zhu Yi Long got a bit too skinny for the role (he reminded me of CGI Skinny Steve Rogers in Captain America), his performance was extremely strong. That said, the star of the drama for me was Wang Yang. Not only was his character the most interesting one, I also believe Wang Yang had to do the most job in showcasing the changes happening in his perception of the situation, morality and alliances.
Production value had almost nothing more for me to wish for. Some poorly done dubbing made me giggle here and there, but overall, the quality was truly good.
Overall, I had no idea why I had this strange need to finish this show. I was not really interested in the plot, I liked a few characters, but could deal with saying goodbye to them at any moment. Normally I would drop a drama like that, but I pushed forward and was able to see the end. Which was quite… anticlimactic.
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