I should have realized that a foreign “neo-noir drama” was going to be unlike anything I’d ever experienced before. I was optimistic and willing to give this film a try due to all of the rave reviews that this film had received (particularly the Golden Bear award at the Berlin International Film Festival). After sitting through the 106 minute film, however, I left feeling pretty disappointed.
"Black Coal, Thin Ice" follows ex-cop Zhang Zili, as he finds himself once again on the trail of a serial killer who ended his career five years earlier. Zhang would have made an interesting character study, and there were several attempts during this film to explore his character (the alcoholism that has consumed him, his unrequited love and the shame that he has experienced following his return). Being on the trial of this serial killer once more would have been a wonderful time to build his character, and show his triumphant return to the top. This coulda, woulda, shoulda been ... Films like this have so much unused potential.
The film anticlimatically builds towards a confrontation with the killer in the third act. There was so little plot in the first two acts that held my attention, but I must admit that the visual direction in the movie was captivating. Set against a wintery Chinese background, the bright, vivid colors were a great backdrop to a rather dull storyline.
The third act … wow, what a third act! There were so many twists and turns during this last act, that I wish they would have dispersed some of it throughout the previous two acts. I was rather shocked how quickly the film began to pick up speed towards the end; it was like jumping from first gear to fourth gear. It would have been nice to have shifted smoothly throughout the film.
Overall this movie may be worth viewing if you are a film student and want to look at some artsy shots, or a screenwriter that wants to look for examples of what not to do in the first two acts of your next screenplay.
The film is available September 29 on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD.