A Touch of Sin (2013)

Four independent stories set in modern China about random acts of violence.

Director:

Zhangke Jia

Writer:

Zhangke Jia (screenplay)

Stars:

Wu Jiang, Baoqiang Wang, Tao Zhao

9 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Wu Jiang	...	Dahai
Baoqiang Wang	...	Zhou San
Tao Zhao	...	Xiao Yu
Lanshan Luo	...	Xiao Hui
Jia-yi Zhang	...	Zhang Youliang
Li Meng	...	(as Vivien Li)
Lu Liu	...	(Guest appearance)
Dong Han	...	(Guest appearance)
Hongwei Wang	...	(Guest appearance)
Qiang Wang	...	(Guest appearance)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jiangcai Bai
Ke Chen
Weifen Chen
Yang Chen
Yulin Deng

Storyline

Four independent stories set in modern China about random acts of violence.

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Plot Keywords:

modern china | china | violence | injustice | migrant worker | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan]

Country:

China Japan France

Language:

Mandarin Cantonese English

Release Date:

11 December 2013 (France)

Also Known As:

A Touch of Sin

Filming Locations:

Shanxi, China

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$1,514 (USA) (8 November 2013)

Gross:

$91,714 (USA) (22 November 2013)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Xstream Pictures, Office Kitano, Shanghai Film Group

Technical Specs

Runtime:

133 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Zhangke Jia: in the third story as a patron of the brothel. He is shown walking down a hallway from behind talking on his cell phone and smoking a cigar. At the end of the shot he turns to survey the line of girls in the hallway.

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Connections

Features Green Snake (1993)

User Reviews

A very unique type of movie

Highs: A Touch of Sin consists in four different stories that are loosely connected with each other chronologically. It's interesting how they all explored violence and evil in distinct manners. The first segment was by far the most explosive and brutal one. It's basically an extreme revenge story where you initially really feel sympathy for the character of Dahai, who gets humiliated, hurt and exploited by others until he's completely lost in the darkness. This segment had a strong emotional punch, but also several light-hearted and funny moments, making it my favorite of the four.

Lows: While story #2 still approached the common theme in an intriguing and even darker way, I felt the other two remaining segments weren't as interesting or involving. They started becoming less and less cohesive until the very end of story #4, which kind of connects the dots between all of them. Also, there were a few awkward and repetitive occasions that bothered me a little in the last two parts. Finally, the minimal use of music in this film was deafening and caused some annoyance, but nothing severe.

Verdict: A Touch of Sin is an uneven film for me, but it is very ambitious and even brilliant at times. As I stated previously, the first segment really stands out here but none of the others are bad at all, so my overall experience was quite positive.