Screenwriter Cui Siwei makes his directorial debut with Savage (2018), a snowbound thriller that may be slightly lacking in character development but makes up for it with rich visuals, being suitably tense and featuring a number of well realised action scenes.
Savage opens with three violent robbers (Liao Fan, Zhang Yicong and Huang Jue) attacking an armoured truck, which is transporting a shipment of gold over an icy mountain road. The robbers bring about an avalanche, which throws the truck over the side of the mountain.
Meanwhile we are introduced to cop pals Wang Kanghao (Chang Chen) and Han Xiaosong (Li Guangjie), who are attending local doctor Sun Yan’s (Ni Ni) birthday party.
We find out after the party that both Kanghao and Han have a thing for Sun Yan, even joking with each other who will end up with her. Before Kanghao gets a chance to make his move, he and Han are called back to work, which brings them face to face with our three robbers.
The ensuing shootout results in the death of Han and Kanghao being wounded. We then move on a year later, with the injured Kanghao having become a shadow of his former self, with only revenge on his mind. Turning his back on Sun Yan, Kanghao throws himself into his work, constantly putting himself in harm’s way with no thought for his own safety.
After a year, it looks as if Kanghao may finally get a chance to exact his revenge on the robbers, with news reaching him that they have returned to the scene of the crime. Kanghao heads into the mountains to track down his prey, only to be set up by the guide hired to track the robbers down.
From here we are treated to a handful of exciting one on one confrontation between Kanghao and the robbers, incorporating gunplay, hand to hand combat and even one painful use of a bear trap. With a dangerous storm on the way, Kanghao has to keep his wits about him if he is to survive.
Working with director of photography Du Jie, Cui Siwei has made a visually striking debut, with the snow covered locations of Mount Baekdu being the perfect location for the tense action. Next to Zhang Yimou’s Shadow (2019), Savage is one of the nicest looking action movies of 2019, with only some poor CGI during the opening avalanche scene letting things down.
Considering Siwei’s career as a screenwriter, with films like Bleeding Steel (2017) and The Island (2018) under his belt, it is surprising how strongly his hold is on the visual aspects of the film.
With his career as a screenwriter in mind, it is not surprising that he also wrote the script for Savage. His script reminded me of the work of Walter Hill, with characters being pared back to the bare essentials and a stronger focus on plot. The plot essentially boils down to a simple cops and robbers tale, which is all the better for it, with no moralising or hidden messages getting in the way of the story being told.
In terms of the lead characters, we are only given the briefest of backstories, with it being clear that Han and Kanghao are friends as well as partners. We aren’t told a great deal beyond this, other than they both have feelings for Sun Yan.
The same is true with the villains, with their violent actions during the film telling us everything we really need to know about them. There is an attempt later to show that Liao Fan’s villain character isn’t as black and white as originally thought, with his feelings towards his brother setting him apart from duplicitous sharpshooter Huang Jue.
The lack of character development isn’t a cause for concern in a film like Savage, with it actually working in its favour, quickly getting to the action and keeping things moving at a tight pace.
Despite the characters being somewhat underwritten, the cast still work well with the material. Chang Chen is suitably stoic as determined cop Kanghao, changing from the mild mannered officer we are first introduced to into a coldly detached loner with only revenge on his mind.
Chen may be better known to art-house audiences but he is no stranger to action movies, most recently appearing in the likes of Brotherhood of Blades (2014) and Helios (2015).
The same is true of his co-star Fan Liao, who is best known for dramatic fare such as Black Coal, Thin Ice (2014) and the more recent Ash is Purest White (2018). His villainious role doesn’t stretch him as an actor, but he makes for a great bad guy. As mentioned his character initially appears to be quite detached, only to later show some hidden depth.
Similarly to Chang Chen, Liao has appeared in his fair share of action movies, with the excellent The Final Master (2015) being a definite highlight.
Ni Ni is the only main female character in the whole movie. Playing local doctor Sun Yan, she pretty much plays the typical damsel in distress. She does what she can with her role and is certainly better itilised than her last movie, The Thousand Faces of Dunjia (2017).
The remainder of the cast all equip themselves well in smaller roles, with the likes of Zhang Yicong, Huang Jue and Li Guangjie all making an impression.
Having Chang Chen and Fan Liao in the cast will certainly help promote Savage to a wider audience. It also doesn’t hurt that it has Terence Chang as producer. Most famous for his partnership with ace action director John Woo, Chang has produced the best of the auteurs work including classics like The Killer (1989), Bullet in the Head (1990) and Hard Boiled (1992).
Savage may not be in the same league as those masterpieces, but has enough finely choreographed action scenes to keep viewers entertained.
The action choreography by Sang Lin takes a more grounded approach, favouring gritty realism over the typical bullet ballets favoured by Hong Kong cinema throughout the 80’s and 90’s. The action is reminiscent of the films of the great Ringo Lam, where every punch and shot is felt.
The action highlights are Chen and Jue’s shootout amongst the trees of a snow covered forest and the tense finale where Chen faces off against the criminals in a wooden cabin.
Sang Lin may not be as well-known an action director as some of his contemporaries, but he has proven with this and his work on the likes of Brotherhood of Blades that he is a talent to look out for.
Although not perfect, Savage is a tense and exciting thrill ride as well as being a great start for Cui Siwei as director. I look forward to seeing what he comes up with next.
Rating: 3.5/5
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