Old Stone

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steve c So is this film a manual? Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member LOL, the greatest Chinese (with English subtitles) action & mystery/thriller movie ever!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Audience Member Strong acting. The heartbreaking story of a man, Lao Shi, who is blamed for an accident he didn't cause and sinks into hopeless debt and despair because of it. Having no warning that he is about to have bad day that he can't recover from, we meet Lao Shi as he goes about his day as a taxi cab driver. Johnny Ma uses light to tell a simple story. In a capitalistic conundrum; compassion is dangerous. As a result showing empathy will cast you to the fringes of society. His doom arrives when Lao Shi decides to take the victim to the hospital rather that let him die in the street. Once the accident occurs, darkness surrounds Lao Shi, and he is only bathed in light when he is in the presence of luckier people. The screen becomes brighter when he goes to his insurance company who refuses to cover claim. Light shines in the hospital, which to Lao Shi is nothing more than a debt collection agency. The loan shark, his lawyer friend, and even the fiend-passenger who actually caused the accident, all are bathed in bright white light, But Ma drowns Lao Shi in loneliness and darkness as he does every reasonable thing to better his situation. The choking dark atmosphere mirrors the faded hope of a decent life, with his wife, who leaves him, and daughter. Ma's subtle use of light emotes the infuriating injustice of it all. The last scene is the darkest of all, lit only by tail lights signaling all hope has fled. Simple plot, with interesting twists. Well acted and well shot. Have a puppy or buddy to hug after watching this. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member A bleak look at a uniquely horrifying aspect of China. It sags somewhat, but a compelling lead performance makes it all worthwhile. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/10/23 Full Review Audience Member Detroit Film Theater/This is why movie lovers this venue. This first film by Johnny Ma was almost an old fashioned film noir. At 80 minutes it was quite a thriller about a man trying to do a good deed gone very wrong. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review john s Never mind Uber, the taxi drivers in China have much bigger problems on the go: accident victims who won't die. That's right, a corpse is better than a convalescing victim, since the driver is on the hook for all the medical bills. That's the predicament our good samaritan driver Lao Shi has fallen into. Very quickly his bank account is depleted, and everything in his world is spiralling out of control. Shi's various good-willed attempts to right the situation crumble in a series of comedic and tragic, bureaucratic, communist red tape. His friends, family and work fall by the wayside, and Shi grows more and more desperate. Pretty good plot device, and thankfully first time director Johnny Ma presses all the right buttons, painting a magnificent canvas on the screen, culminating with a glorious, thrilling, bright red finale. Robert DeNiro would be proud. - hipcRANK Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Old Stone

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