The Knockout (2023)

The road to perdition.

To put it simply, The Knockout knocks it out of the park with its audacious portrayal of an anti-villain as the main protagonist. Spanning twenty years, it is a masterful account of how a struggling everyman insidiously strays onto the road to perdition. The stage is set brilliantly from the get-go to manipulate us into sympathizing with a character who does terrible things. We are blinded by their humanity and blame the system for failing them, forcing the oppressed to become the oppressor.

Gao Qiqiang starts out as a humble fishmonger doing his best to raise his younger brother and sister. When thugs threaten their livelihood, he stands up to them but is framed and arrested. An upstanding young officer An Xi suspects he was bullied, books the case leniently, and tries to keep his tormentors at bay. Ironically with small acts of kindness, An Xi empowers Gao Giqiang and propels him in unimaginable ways. The complex and sincere bond of empathy and indebtedness that is forged between the two men is the linchpin of this story. Their most pivotal character turning points and moments of truth play out on the neutral ground of a humble noodle shop. where much is revealed with few words.

It is clear from the outpouring of accolades that Gao Qiqiang is an iconic portrayal that put the hitherto under-appreciated Zhang Songwen on the map. Gao Qiqiang is a visionary mastermind who draws inspiration from Sun Tzu's Art of War. He is dangerously underestimated because of his amicable facade and his disarming affection for and vulnerability with those he cares for. The way he embraces fashion to please his wife to how he willfully blinds himself to his brother's weaknesses is both touching and relatable. When crossed, threatened, or betrayed, he is unforgiving and cruel to the point of depravity - no one is safe from him. He is chillingly ruthless and implacable when it comes to imposing his own brand of loyalty and justice. Like any good sociopath he oozes regret but in truth has no qualms about sacrificing his generals. He "makes it right" by caring for their families sincerely and with deep gratitude. He is bound by a very misguided code; one that is ruthless and amoral yet oddly authentic and honorable. Zhang Songwen embodies this character so well that some believe he is not acting and insist he should be at least investigated, if not locked up.

An Xi is both Gao Qiqiang's savior and his nemesis. More than anything, he is his biggest victim. This character makes me sad and mad. He is well meaning and does the right thing with all the wrong outcomes. Zhang Yi was reluctant to accept the role of An Xi, feeling he wasn't a good fit and wouldn't able to pull it off. But Zhang Songwen's Gao Qiqiang would not be so compelling without Zhang Yi's An Xi. It is their incredible rapport and ability to silently communicate that makes the small screen seem huge. Zhang Yi's expressive gaze and more subtle style is the perfect foil for Zhang Songwen's flamboyance and charisma. While I admired and sympathised with Gao Qiqiang, An Xi is the one that often moved me to tears. His speaking eyes frequently implore Gao Qiqiang to be a good man and convey bottomless dejection that gives lie to the goofy smiles he flashes at Meng Yu. The aging of characters over three distinct time arcs across twenty years is rarely captured as well as it is here. But it is Zhang Yi that simply nails this part - he is wary and tired but not quite beaten; the righteous flame in his eyes are dimmed but at the core still burns hot.

This drama is impeccably cast and is a who's who list of China's best actors, all of whom deliver immersive performances. The director's incisive lens meticulously peels back the many layers of the multi-faceted characters and their intricate relationships. The female characters are written to be strong and impactful beyond their screen time. Li Yitong really takes her acting to another level as Meng Yu; it is by far her strongest, most memorable role to date. Her screen chemistry with Zhang Yi is unexpected and endearing. And then there is Gao Ye's simply sensational Chen Shuting, the ultimate gangster's moll - cool, stylish and fearless. The way she menaces the wits out of Gao Qiqiang is one of the drama's highlights for me. There is a lot more on-screen violence in this drama than I expected. While the worst of it takes place off-screen, it is so well staged that it is more visceral and blood thirsty in my overactive imagination.

The rich plot builds to a shocking, unpredictable and devastating climax about a third of the way through. Then it loses momentum and in the final ten episodes it limps toward a predictable ending. This is somewhat to be expected as this was produced in partnership with the state, the nationalist message is inevitable.I really did not care about the party's anti corruption task force and yawned through their heroic sweep through Jinghai City to weed out the endemic corruption that had seeped into the cracks at every level of the bureaucracy. It is clear that there were some cuts and at least one character is whitewashed but I don't think it changes the gist of the final outcome. The final confrontation between Gao Qiqiang and An Xi saves the entire arc and there were enough characters I cared about including Meng Yu that it was still overall a decent arc. All considered, I am not as dismayed by the way this ends as others are. The fact that the government always wins is a foregone conclusion and not a spoiler in any crime and/or corruption themed Chinese drama. But in this case, I don't really think it shines that great of a light on "the good guys". I mean where were they for twenty years? And I am not sure the "good guys" win here. Poor An Xi is definitely is not a winner; in fact no one wins. Indeed audiences overwhelmingly empathise with Gao Qiqiang. Thus this is actually a very dark crime story with a surreptitiously bold and critical ending.

This spectacular crime thriller is a must watch. The first 30 episodes feel like a tour de force that can easily be rated 9.0/9.5. The rest are more at the 8.0 level so 9.0 feels about right for my final rating.

Read More

A must watch crime drama about corruption within Jinghai Police Department

Originally I was going to drop "The Knockout" after watching about 4 episodes. I found it boring, but I am glad I stuck with it as the story unfolded.

It showed that An Xi was a good and high-standard moral policeman, who had to walk away from being an investigation cop because of corruption, and too many of his friends were killed and hurt. Eventually, he was transferred to the right team from Linjiang province to help and work with him to eliminate the corruption of Jinghai and its high-ranking major and police officers.

Li Yi Tong did not have much screen time in this drama, but I think it was the best acting job that I have seen from her.

Zhang Song Wen, in my opinion, should win the golden eagle award for his role as Gao Qi Qiang. His acting is superb and carries this drama beautifully, and the entire ensemble is excellent. Everyone from minor to major supporting roles.

As it was revealed, the flow of the story was just right, and the production quality was also good. I can see why Douban gave it such a high rating. It is a 9.0 rating for me as well.

Read More

Great drama revealing real life of Chinese people and a real China.

It reminds me of "Breaking Bad". From nobody to somebody, this fishmonger bullied frequently by farmers' market mangers or rather gansters, turned to a gangland boss, a famous entrepreneur, a philanthropist... Gangsters, policemen, are not stereotyped roles. There are complexity of human nature here. There is presentation of the real life of grassroot people, and how people are croded by darkness gradually.
All actors are good, especially Zhang Songwen. Zhang Yi doesn't have to use that accent to show he is a local of Jinghai. It's kinda of a faulty stroke. Although the ending part has beed re-edited and dubbed to pass the review, the whole storyline is compact, concise and intriguing. The best Chinese drama I've watched in recent years.

Read More

The knockout

A socioeconomic phenomenon in many of millennial and Gen Z Chinese who enjoy watching the hottest Chinese crime drama of 2023, "The Knockout", or "Kuangbiao" in Chinese.

On the surface, ‘The Knockout’ is just like any other Chinese cop drama - a propaganda hit – bad guys will whatever fail, due to the finest leadership with pure (and unhuman) justice of humanity on the right side of history.

But this time, young Chinese especially admire the head mafia - Mr. Gao, or "Gao Qiqiang," in the series. Although a ruthless and violent criminal, Gao is also a warm, loving father and husband. The paradox of his character is that it is precisely the mix of warmth and robustness of his humanity that makes him appear superhuman and extremely loyal to his wife.

The popularity of the drama could be one piece of evidence of the recent year’s slowdown of the Chinese economy: young graduates, the covid-generation, or so-called ‘Online Course Generation’ (OCGs), particularly those from families at both ends of the socioeconomic spectrum, have begun to yearn for a return to the ‘Good Old Days’ in China, during the years in which several generations of Chinese grew up - or in case, ‘knocking out’ - the country was entering a dizzying, and, at times, reckless phase of rapid growth characterized by severe environmental pollution and political corruption. This followed a period of political freeze after the student movement in the late 1980s - a time when, although the Party strictly controlled political life, a certain degree of freedom was tacitly allowed. Dissenting and authoritarian scholars acquiesced to openly debate, bloggers and commercial news agencies were able to reflect on government policy, and private dinner jokes about politicians and Chinese social taboos were not subject to public punishment. Those freedoms that were once so scarce and pitiable now also fade into ashes in today's Chinese society.

Reflecting on Mr. Gao's rise to power, socioeconomic scholars in the West may observe an era when a hard-working, talented opportunist from the bottom of the Chinese social pyramid, without 996 - the rat-race workplace culture, with no stunning but useless high qualifications, without a powerful family background, without an internship at McKinsey, or smug transnational studying experience, could still achieve success in China through personal struggle and the opportunities afforded by the times.

Read More

Breaking Bad Gangster and Inflexible Cop Hound

I have mixed feelings about The Knockout because of the last 1/4 of the drama that I felt was very forced. If the story had ended on the first 3/4 of the show, I would easily rate this a 9/10. The acting was incredible especially from the actors playing Gao Qi Qiang and secondly from An Xin. The rest of the supporting cast was memorable as well and believable in their characters.

You really feel for Gao Qi Qiang and his struggles when he was bullied and trying to take care of his family. He never stopped taking care of his family including his subordinates. However, he become a very ruthless man as needed to stay on top. The actor who played Gao Qi Qiang gave a superb performance that was nuanced, empathetic, and chilling. He carried the narrative weight of the story well but was reduced in the final 1/4 of the show because it was time to wrap up.

I think how Gao Qi Qiang unravelled and was brought down by the government was not fully fleshed out in the last 9 episodes. There was a level of preaching regarding corruption theme that was not enjoyable as a viewer in the last part of the drama. For me, that's why the story is rated 8/10 instead of a 10/10.

The character of An Xi, the cop, was not a realistic character. He was constantly self-sacrificing his personal interests for a sense of justice and up holding the law. It's partly admirable but at the same time not relatable. His character was straightforward and lacked nuance. He actually let down his love and his friends as he chased trying to catch Gao Qi Qiang. He had an inflated sense of responsibility and was inflexible. It really wasn't just up to him to bring justice to the city. He could have tried to have a personal life and been honest with his girlfriend. It was cowardly the way he broke up with her. Otherwise, his interactions with Gao Qi Qiang and the common people were sincere. In some parts, An Xi's inconsistent accent and goofiness was distracting.

The story definitely lost steam in the final 1/4 of the drama when both main leads were middle-aged. The time span was too long to sustain the narrative tension. Overall, it was an engaging story that could have been epic if more risks were taken with the final outcomes.

Read More

GREAT STORYLINE AND ACTING

There's so many experienced actors/actresses in this drama! I really liked it, especially the start to end of how a big boss and political machine rises from a fish seller to the top. I liked how it conveys lots of emotions and despair of decisions that they may have been forced to make and ultimately making them unable to get out of the hole they made. I also enjoyed the realistic part how the ml police officer played by Zhang Yi misses the chance to be with the girl he loves and she moves on. Overall, the drama is really good on the police solving cases and knowing when to keep going and retreating to get the advantage. The family moments and friends to enemies but still friends and family were something that was super touching. I do feel bad for Li Xiang's death and how he got rolled up with it even when he didn't want to be involved. I liked how he was loyal and I was supportive of his wannabe spy mission on the corrupt officials. Something I did not like but felt was realistic was the way AX (Zhang Yi) continued to treat GQQ even after knowing he was the ultimate mastermind behind everything and how he fought with his colleagues over it too. I do enjoyed their bromance and how he felt a dilemma over doing his duty as a police officer and having his emotions to his friend. One thing was that this drama was kind of draggy towards the middle and it took a long time for the police to solve the crime.

Read More

Riveting, refreshing, must watch

A drama spanning over 20 years, a riveting tale of a humble fishmonger, who at first was driven by desperation to save his livelihood, succumbs to a beating from lowly market hooligans, but by a twist of fate gets entangled in a brilliant web of deceit, honor and treachery. He befriends a strait laced policeman, and they get off on a good start.

However, as the tale unfolds, the fishmonger becomes enticed by both fate and temptation. At first his priority was to his family, for survival, and to do the right honorable thing.

A masterpiece by the scriptwriter, the fishmonger gets into more trouble and eventually capitulates and walks to the dark side. I am now on episode 14 and every so often I hold my breath, marveling how the script is so precisely worded and how it makes a dramatic turn when you least expect it.

Definitely a must watch, no wonder it has such high rating on douban.

The cast is stellar, the 2 male leads are exceptional. They bring me to stages of bromance, kinship and loyalty that is rare for any drama.

Read More