On November 3, the spy thriller "The Point of the Knife" directed by Gao Qunshu and adapted from Mai Jia's novel of the same name held a press conference in Xiamen with the theme of "Knives hidden in words - words can kill". The film's producer, Yu Dong, chairman of Bona Film Group, director Gao Qunshu, original author Mai Jia, and actors Zhang Yi, Sha Yi, Zeng Mengxue and Huang Lu attended the press conference. The film will be released nationwide on November 24.

A group photo of the main creative staff

The novel "The Point of the Knife" is the final work of the Mao Dun Literary Award winner Mai's spy literature, and the movie "The Point of the Knife" is the second collaboration between Gao Qunshu and the Mai family after "The Wind". The film tells the story of Nanjing during the Anti-Japanese War in 1940, when the Japanese, puppet, Kuomintang and Communist parties infiltrated each other. The CCP's ace agents Jin Shenshui (played by Zhang Yi) and Lin Yingying (played by Lang Yueting) dealt with a group of agents who were waiting around, and they were determined to die. A story about walking on the edge of a knife.

"The Point of the Knife" poster

Gao Qunshu said at the event that "language can kill", which has a deep tradition in China. "At least it started from the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, including long-circulated palace coups, various frame-ups, and countless others. Liu Zhenyun once wrote a book called "One Sentence is Worth Ten Thousand Sentences", in which the characters are divided into "tellable" and 'unspeakable'. The same is true in our movies. A 'speakable' person kills several 'unspeakable' people in the end. Most of the storyline is a verbal confrontation, and language is both a reflection of oneself. The protection is also a means of killing the enemy."

Director Gao Qunshu

The movie "The Point of the Knife" was completed in 2018 and has been in hiding for five years. The latest version of the trailer played at the press conference also aroused the emotions of many creators. Zhang Yi said frankly that he has been thinking about this movie for the past five years and misses the story told in "The Point of the Knife". "Every word Jin Shenshui says is not in vain. As soon as he speaks it, he knows exactly who it is aimed at and how damaging it will be to whom. The word 'frame-up' doesn't sound good, but in In that special environment, as an agent, you had to use this method to save your life and kill the enemy. Especially when you can get rid of a traitor stained with the blood of countless compatriots in just a few words, or make your enemies kill each other. , this kind of pride and secret joy is doubled. I have been waiting for five years to share this excitement with everyone!"

Actor Zhang Yi

Talking about the theme of the "Words Can Kill" event, Sha Yi laughed and said that he has gained a lot of weight in the past few years during the epidemic. "I often see people on the Internet saying 'the missing Bai Zhantang' and why the actor (playing) Bai Zhantang later disappeared." I don’t want to act anymore. I think this is quite heart-wrenching.” He recalled that he met director Gao Qunshu when he was studying in the drama department of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Art Institute. "I have always wanted to look for opportunities to collaborate with directors. The drama "The Edge of the Knife" really benefited me a lot. The director's overall grasp of the spy drama, especially the character creation, gave the actors a lot of inspiration and help."

Zeng Mengxue said that compared with the quarrels of other characters, the character she plays is "silence is golden". "Because she can't speak, she needs to rely on her eyes and body to portray this character. This is really a big challenge for me. I think women of that era were very miserable. I wanted to run away within a few days of starting the movie. . At the same time, because it was my first time to work with Director Gao, I was a little scared when facing Teacher Zhang Yi. Fortunately, every teacher on the crew gave me a lot of care."

Stills from "The Point of the Knife"

Mai Jia expressed that he was very excited after watching the trailer, "I think "The Point of the Knife" is more than just a movie, full of thrills, assassinations, etc. We went to watch "The Point of the Knife" or I came to write "The Point of the Knife" at the time, When we include literary works like "The Wind", we are looking for our own roots in our hearts. I always recommend young people to watch movies like "The Point of the Knife" because you have roots and an origin. "The Point of the Knife" will clearly tell you where we come from, what grievances we have suffered, and what kind of power we possess. When we don't know these and laugh all day long, we are just duckweeds. A life without deep thought is not worth living. Yes. "The Point of the Knife" is a work that allows the audience to hear their own heartbeat."

Producer Yu Dong uses the word "cold" to describe the temperament of the movie "The Point of the Knife". "In the past, when we filmed spy war dramas like this, we often set the background of the story in Shanghai. This drama is set in Nanjing, a hell on earth, where fish and dragons are mixed together, and there are unknown assassinations and sacrifices on the streets every day. The director used artistic techniques to create such a scene. It creates a solemn atmosphere, and the actors also gave wonderful performances. I don’t know if you have noticed the joint code in the trailer. Taking off the hat twice is actually a code. The movie is full of such details, and it will be worth it. Everyone brushes twice or three times.”