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The author of this article is @诺斯 from Xiaowan Family. He is looking for everyone's spiritual corner in the movie.

The summer season has officially entered its second half. Which new film can take over from "The Silent War" and "The Dolls"?

Among them, there is a work that Xiao Wan has been looking forward to for a long time. It not only allows people to appreciate the shock and immersion brought by watching movies on the big screen, but also allows them to understand a special period of history and the many facets of human nature through one person’s legendary experience.

This is--

Decryption

It is no exaggeration to say that, starting from the trailer, "The Decryption" has shown a unique temperament that is difficult to define as a single genre.

As the protagonist Liu Haoran said, "What is real?", the skyscrapers that towered into the sky suddenly collapsed, and the circus and the giant chessboard on the ground were instantly destroyed...

This is a period drama with a historical background and real prototypes, but at the same time it also has exquisite and grand visual wonders and gorgeous dreams, drawing the audience into an intellectual game between geniuses.

"The Decoded" is adapted from Mai Jia's globally best-selling novel of the same name.

In 2002, 38-year-old Mai Jia finally completed his debut work titled "Decryption" after spending 11 years and experiencing 17 rejections.

From the perspective of the fictional mathematical genius Rong Jinzhen, the novel tells how he gained a foothold in the world by deciphering codes in the turbulent 1940s, and explores grand themes such as personal destiny, hidden fronts, and national dedication.

With Decoding, Mai Jia was shortlisted for the 6th National Book Award and the 6th Mao Dun Literature Award, establishing his position in the literary world.

Later, he became famous again with spy-themed works such as "The Disguiser" and "The Whistleblower", which were repeatedly adapted into film and television works, such as the eponymous TV series "The Disguiser", "The Whistleblower" and "The Listener". "Mai Jia" has thus become the "golden signboard" of domestic spy-themed works.

However, the road to film and television adaptation of his debut work "The Decryption" was more difficult than expected.

In 2015, He Ping, the director of "Swordsman of Double Flags Town" and "Heroes of Heaven and Earth", got the film adaptation rights. The original plan was that "Decryption" would be a large-scale Sino-US co-production, with screenwriters from China and the United States and Hollywood stars joining.

Unfortunately, in 2023, director He Ping passed away due to illness, and the film version of "The Decryption" was never released.

After He Ping, young director Chen Sicheng took over the project.

In his own words, in order to make "Decryption", "I put cost and commerciality behind."

Facts have proved that the serious subject matter of "Decryption" is indeed the product of Chen Sicheng's greatest efforts in his ten years of film career. From inside to outside, the film exudes a spirit of continuous improvement.

Mai Jia and Chen Sicheng

Compared to other biographies focusing on geniuses, the biggest difficulty in adapting the novel "The Decoded" is that the story/drama is not that strong, and the protagonist's vague "dreams" appear many times in the book.

In the original work, the hero Rong Jinzhen relies on dreams to decipher the enemy's tricky and strange codes. How to present dreams intuitively through vision is undoubtedly a huge challenge for the movie.

In order to allow the audience to experience this combination of reality and illusion more intuitively, Chen Sicheng, director of photography Cao Yu (Eight Hundred, Legend of the Demon Cat), art director Han Zhong and other core creators created ten dreams with completely different styles and extreme shock:

The blood-red beach and the azure sky echo each other, and the professor is playing chess alone on the beach... The subconscious obsession and madness for the truth are visualized by the image;

In the closed little room, handwritten formulas are flying all over the sky... The desire and urgency to crack the code are hidden in the picture, and everything is self-evident.

There are also endless golden wheat fields, towering lighthouses, and a mysterious red gate waiting in the distance, as if every run is an undercurrent of emotions and desires.

Behind every exquisite scene is the unsparing efforts of the "Decryption" production team. Take the red beach scene as an example.

The photography team used 75 LED lights to form a light array to simulate the sun halo that swallowed up the human figure. The art and props teams produced 105 tons of specially dyed red sand for the actual shooting. Finally, the camera movement of photographer Cao Yu (The Eight Hundred, Legend of the Demon Cat) brought an impactful look and feel on the big screen.

In addition to the audiovisual impact, "Decryption" also makes breakthroughs in performance and story.

The film brings together John Cusack from Hollywood, as well as Daniel Wu, Chen Daoming, Yu Feihong, and of course Liu Haoran, whom you have never seen before - hunchbacked, bald, thin, and timid in the eyes.

The handsome young man in "Detective Chinatown" and "Legend of the Demon Cat" is nowhere to be seen, replaced by a lonely, unkempt weirdo and madman.

Rong Jinzhen, played by Liu Haoran, is a rare mathematical genius in a century, and also a speck of dust in the context of the times.

As an illegitimate child, Rong Jinzhen was neglected by his family since childhood. It was not until the university president Xiao Li Li (played by Daniel Wu) discovered his talent that he began his "second life".

Daniel Wu's new elegant image

After entering university, Jin Zhen was appreciated by Polish mathematics professor Schiess (John Cusack).

The professor further stimulated his talent and made him understand the charm and power behind mathematics. However, in turbulent times, a strong mind is a "weapon", and this foreign master and apprentice are forced to be involved in disputes.

"701" is a secret agency that often appears in Mai Jia's novels.

Wang Baoqiang plays A Bing again after "The Secret Agent"

Jin Zhen eventually joined the 701 Bureau, a secret organization hidden in the mountains and forests. It was isolated from the outside world and focused on code breaking, protecting the new China in tense secret wars.

Professor Sheis, who stood on the opposing camp, also began to develop codes for the US military, and the master and apprentice started a long-distance game.

John Cusack VS Liu Haoran

Schiess, who was far away in the United States, was the problem setter. He converted the mathematical knowledge he had learned throughout his life into extremely difficult codes; Rong Jinzhen, who stayed in China, was the problem solver. He spent his entire life searching for the marks and answers left by his "teacher".

The process of deciphering the code was an internal game between two geniuses, a contest between countries under the background of the Cold War at that time, and a silent "communication" between teachers and students.

The individual and the times, home and country, family and growth, all kinds of complex emotions are transformed into Rong Jinzhen's bizarre "dreams".

Each of Rong Jinzhen's dreams seems exaggerated and disordered, but in fact it is the glue that connects the visual effects and the story.

The "Ten Dreams" are like the ten major levels in life, reflecting Rong Jinzhen's inner portrait and various struggles at different stages of life, and are also questions for the audience to think about.

As director Chen Sicheng said in an interview: "Everyone is a unique code, and life is the process of decryption." Through Rong Jinzhen's dreams and experiences, we begin to reflect on our own lives.

From "Beijing Love Story" to the "Detective Chinatown" series, and then to this "Decryption", Chen Sicheng has a diverse style and continues to explore the path of "film director".

This time, "The Decryption" is undoubtedly his boldest attempt as a director.

Whether it is the spectacular visual effects of the film, the unique selection of materials, or the personalities of the characters, they are all extremely rare in Chinese films.

If you are tired of the same old visual effects bombardment of Hollywood blockbusters, then in early August, you might as well follow "Decoded" to experience the charm of Chinese-style "spectacular blockbusters".

I believe it can bring you a fresh viewing experience and another profound experience of movie dream-making.

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Note: Some of the pictures in this article are from Douban and the Internet. If there is any infringement, please contact us.

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