| Crime films are films that focus on crime and anti-crime,arrange the plot structure according to the motive,psychology and details of crime,analyse criminal behaviour in three dimensions,promote correct moral concepts by showing the conflict of values between positive and negative characters,safeguard the national legal order and inspire people to think deeply about crime as a social behaviour.In the 21 st century,against the backdrop of China’s industrialised film reform and the growing prosperity of the film market,mainland filmmakers have consciously started the practice of creating crime genre films.Drawing on the genre experience of classic crime films from the East and West,they have continued to explore strategies for localising the genre,creating a series of excellent crime films that combine the aesthetic habits of domestic audiences,making useful attempts to develop the genre of crime films in Chinese mainland.The article takes Chinese mainland crime films since the 21 st century as the object of study.Using genre analysis and narrative research methods,it explores the stage characteristics of mainland crime films in the process of genre development,divides the three main forms of documentary crime films,commercial crime films and authorial crime films,and carries out specific analysis of them in terms of creative forms,narrative characteristics and aesthetic styles.Three categories of crime films emerged in the process of genre construction in Chinese mainland: documentary crime films in the genre’s genesis,commercial crime films in the boom period,and authorial crime films in the breakthrough period.During the genre’s genesis,the works of directors such as Li Yang,Jia Zhangke and Cai Shangjun are the main representatives.They uphold a critical realism attitude,adapting real crime cases,focusing on the underclass criminal groups,understanding the root causes of crime from the appearance of crime,and portraying crime characters with typical characteristics.The films follow the principles of documentary aesthetics,using realistic filming techniques such as long and medium shots and non-professional actors,striving to restore life objectively and realistically,presenting on screen the crimes caused by social contradictions and human darkness,these films present a realistic aesthetic style at both the narrative and visual levels.During the genre boom period,crime films created by mainland directors such as Cao Baoping,Xin Yukun,Ding Sheng and Fei Xing were the main representatives.They skillfully used genre elements to create comedy crime films,suspense crime films,police crime films and other crime genres with obvious commercial aspirations.The three-dimensional characterisation,the ethical construction of emotional relationships and the metaphorical expression of symbolic signs constitute the local narrative characteristics of commercial crime films,adding to their watchability.At the same time,these films continue the spirit of realism of the previous phase,looking at social issues such as domestic violence,school violence and unemployed and disenfranchised social groups,but with less critical intensity.During the genre breakthrough period,Diao Yinan and Lou Ye intervened in the creation of crime genre films as film writers,retaining a distinctive personal style in the crime genre.Diao Yinan applies elements of classic film noir to a local crime film,while Lou Ye focuses on the emotions of the perpetrators and portrays crime with a sense of modernity.The director’s unique narrative and visual presentation breaks through the homogeneous creative mould and opens up new horizons for the development of the crime genre in Chinese mainland.The construction of film genres is a dynamic process.As an important part of the current Chinese film market,the mainland crime genre is constantly summing up its experience and gradually exploring its own space for development. |
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