A Touch of Sin (2013)

Year: 2013 Director: Jia Zhang Ke Runtime: 133 mins Country: China Language: Mandarin, Cantonese, English with English Subtitles Rating: NC16 Synopsis Four people in different provinces are driven to violent ends: a miner is enraged by corruption in his village;a migrant discovers the possibilities of owning a firearm; a receptionist is pushed beyond her limits by an abusive client; and a young factory worker goes from one job to the next. Paying homage to King Hu’s wuxia epic A Touch of Zen (1970), Jia Zhangke combines arthouse realism with pulpy vengeance in this angry political firebomb of a film. His use of comic-book violence à la Quentin Tarantino heightens real-world injustices, and the seething rage of its four protagonists. The genre elements are combined with his signature documentary-style camerawork, painting a bleak portrait of a society fragmented by authoritarian capitalism and corruption, and the helpless fury of the individuals trapped within.