The Wild Goose Lake – Review

Rain pitter patters as a heavy dumping soaks the concrete streets. Zhou Zenong (Hu) checks his watch, standing in an underpass. An elevated train passes. A woman in a pink shirt with an umbrella reaches cover and slowly closes it before grabbing a cigarette from her purse. Then, she asks Zhou for a light. This is Liu Ai’ai (Gwei). She seems to know Zhou, confirming she has been sent by Hua Hua (Qi) and Chou, and that Yang Shujun (Wan), Zhou’s wife, cannot make it.

Liu offers to be a replacement for his wife, and offers to help him leave. Hmm… what is going on?! Zhou holds his bag tightly and considers his options. To prove his reputation to her, he tells her of his last two days.

A flashback takes us to July 17, 2012, a couple days prior, and the Xingqingdu Hotel, as an exhausted Zhou looks to rest. He hits up the subbasement and finds a group of gangsters talking. The leaders are teaching the group how to boost motorcycles, and disable GPS’ and alarms.

Zhou himself runs part of this gang and owns a territory in the city, being a senior member. This leads to some contention between the younger thugs, and a scuffle turns violent. Zhou formulates a plan to right things within the gang, but it goes awry. Will he be able to survive the dangerous situation he has put himself in, or will the authorities and unhappy gangsters end his ride early?

The Wild Goose Lake is stylishly shot and delivers a pretty good story. The camera brings the action in close, and makes most everything look great, despite any dark and grimy settings presented. Colors pop, and often neon tones shine in scenes, adding a nice ambience. When outside, the camera moves effortlessly, finding eye pleasing cinematography and interesting angles.

The acting is sound and serious, matching the dark script. There are a few surprises even if the plot has plenty of elements from usual gangster and crime flicks. Thematically this is a stark tale of violence, matched with sacrifice and survival. It runs at a deliberate pace, but never bored me personally. This should please seekers of gritty crime dramas, and offers a well-done trip to the streets of Wuhan.