No More Bets (2023) Poster

(2023)

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8/10
Enough with the Bets! Watch No More Bets!
leinotlei10 September 2023
First of all, the movie was amazing, it will keep you on your toes the whole time you're watching, it will keep you on the edge of your seat. I also want to add, I watched it multiple times. I may be bias because I am a big fan of Zhang Yixing, but he delivered his character well. Spoiler alert: this movie is not for the faint of heart, the whole time I'm watching my heart was beating loud for every scene that arrives. It does not feel good to see the characters get hurt but that's how it shows how great of an actors and actresses they are. I felt their pain and I even cried during and after the movie. The movie intends to educate us about cyber fraud which really changed my perspective on people who get scammed. It is an eye opening, mind-boggling, extremely interesting movie.
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6/10
No More Bets
CinemaSerf22 October 2023
Were this not based on a true story, then I'd have thought you couldn't have made it up! A rather stroppy but brilliant programmer is passed over for promotion and so storms off in a huff. Like a great many clever men, "Pan Sheng" (Yixing Zhang) is a bit thick when it comes to the practical things in life and after a short plane journey finds himself attached to the lively and charismatic "Cai" (Sunny Sun) who is clearly too good to be true. A bus trip ensues and then "Pan" - and the other passengers - are promptly all but imprisoned working in a scam factory where betting odds are controlled and manipulated, where pretty girls are forced to host gaming tables and all essentially work to facilitate a complex fleecing operation that capitalises on the vulnerabilities of people at home who are successfully sucked into a fraud that nets the criminals millions of dollars and causes no end of collateral damage to those who find themselves addicted. "Pan" and former model, turned croupier, "Liang Anna" (Gina Chen Jin) try to concoct a way of escaping; of passing information to the outside summoning help - but their new guardians are savvy to just about every ploy they try. Interestingly, there is a glimmer of hope offered to all of them by their boss "Lu" (Chuan-jun Wang). He does allow them the prospect of buying their freedom - make enough money and off you go? Really? Hmmm. I did find the story fascinating - the use of some of the brightest minds to cleverly massage the data for an industry that is largely unregulated on a transnational basis is breathtaking. These guys basically print their own money as efficiently as if they had their own mint. Zhang does ok, even if he's a bit lightweight; it's Gina Jin who delivers the goods as an actor as the plot heads towards an admittedly rather unpredictable denoument. Sadly, there's far too much dialogue and the film drags it's feet all too often. A stronger, more effective, lead actor and half an hour less of preamble and waffle and Ao Shen could have given us a powerful indictment of human greed - on both sides of the computer screen. It's still watchable, though.
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8/10
Hypnotic Online Bets. Pretty Dealers. The Ugly Reality.
accordchiang23 September 2023
"No More Bets" is actually a documentary-style movie based on real-life events. Think Oppenheimer. It presents a uniquely entertaining film revolving around online betting scams.

The greatest strength of this movie lies in its originality. It offers us a glimpse into the unsettling world of atrocities committed in online betting scams. We were quickly introduced to the modus operandi of how syndicates lure victims to become forced labour & how victims suffer various hardships once they're trapped in it.

"No More Bets" creates the right amount of suspense to keep viewers at the edge of their seats. You'd always want to know what happens next. The idea to showcase the film from the different perspectives of those involved in online betting scams, such as the advertisement spammer, the dealer, the gambler, the gambler's family, the enforcement officer, was a great one. The main protagonists, Pan Sheng (by Lay Zhang) and Liang Anna (by Gina Jin) were pretty decent. The supporting cast of Darren Wang & Sheren Tang were at their usual high standards. But the truly outstanding performance was from Manager Lu (by Eric Wang), the fiendish leader of the online betting scam.

Perhaps the film, being a Chinese film, has to adhere to strict censorship standards in China, hence some scenes had to be toned-down. (the violent & sexual ones) Although toned-down, the film hints that, in real-life, the forced labour of online betting scams suffer much worse than those in the movie.

On another note, "No More Bets" is not flawless. It clearly lifted one scene from "Wolf of Wall Street". (you'll know it when you see it). Cantonese is abruptly spoken in certain scenes, and what made it worse was the character speaking it was not fluent in Cantonese at all. (Note: Cantonese & Mandarin are slightly different) Some characters' dialogue seemed like it was from an anti-scam campaign instead of a film. The scene transition & camera angles could've been better.

In a nutshell, "No More Bets" is a one-of-a-kind film that is worth your time. It stays focused to its core plot of online betting scams' operations. Its central message of advising viewers against participating in illegal online betting, and to beware of online investments is the main takeaway. (for most of them are scams anyway). This could be an iconic classic for the years to come.
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6/10
Cheating
ryanmo-3517820 February 2024
Warning: Spoilers
This movie is not treating audiences but it's about cheating tricks all around the world, and can easily let one think of the Kk area. The cheating gangsters are so formulated and strong that it even arose to become a government! The officials and police are also fear of them. There are many ways to cheat u, gambling, football and crytons! One of the victims could not stand and committed suicide. The participants at last called help from mainland and the gangsters are dissolved. One of the twist is the second of the gang let the gal go as pretend to kill her in the sea. At last it is an education movie and a bit bored...
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7/10
Good surprise
ubik-7963414 November 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Expecting nothing expecting more than a thriller/action movie, I was pleasantly surprised by "No More Bets". The movie takes its subject matter (scams around online gambling) seriously and describes rather precisely the mechanisms that undergird these operations. Narratively the film is original since it follows three different characters and does not really feature a protagonist or "hero". It focuses on victims - how they fall for scams, how they are led to addiction and eventual misery - but also the scammers and how they run their operation. Said scammers are actually depicted in a rather nuanced way (as the film goes on anyway), with kidnapped individuals who tend to become willing accomplices (or do they?), and willing accomplices who might not be entirely evil. The boss is an interesting character, who one second tries to rape one of his victims and the next is a smiling daddy who cheerfully introduces his daughter to that very same victim. Cold.

The film has its flaws though: its focus on victims sometimes veers toward graceless melodrama, although that can be compensated somewhat by other scenes. I'm thinking mostly of the alternate montage that shows the eventual demise of a victim and the scammers wildly celebrating the millions they just made. Ouch.

Finally, while the ending is unabashedly didactic, the pro-Chine police propaganda is as heavy handed as in Zhang Yimou's "Under the Light". The end result is that while most of the story sounds frighteningly real, the last part comes across mostly as fake.

Still, on the whole this is one of the most interesting commercial films to be released this year in China.
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9/10
No wonder this movie become the highest grossing movie within its first week of release
beargom4 October 2023
The storyline is really great. The composition is so neat. This movie shows us the detail of how online fraud syndicate works, also up until the part of reasons why online fraud is so dangerous and what it can do to people. The slogan of the movie itself is great because it correlates well with the storyline of the movie "one more viewer, one less fraud victim" This movie shares lots of knowledge and awareness of online frauds which is now massively happening in lots of countries, and it's so sickening because there are lots of people, especially younger people who are desperate for instant cash, in the end become burden and thorn that hurts themselves, their own family, and people around them. Watching this movie is such an eye-opening experience, and I hope people can get access to this movie easily so that the message of the movie about the danger of online frauds can spread even more massively all around the world.

Props to all the actors and actresses, also the production staffs for making this amazing movie.
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10/10
Best Chinese movie ever!!
goodlookingexo13 August 2023
This movie is a rollercoaster ride..Amazing movie ... I was totally hooked from the starting.. It will tell you the reality of scams and frauds which happen and how horrible the outcomes can be.... I m really impressed by the acting of the cast specially the character played by zhang Yixingggg...the scenes were so genuine and natural... I will recommend you to watch this.. The direction, makeup was on point..no wonder the movie is doing great.. If we talk about visuals of the movie.. those are great too in comparison of the budget.. You will not be disappointed.. Pls give it a try it will open your eyes..
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10/10
One of the best Chinese movies out there.
kinggidorah-5595019 November 2023
I'm surprised by this movie. I heard from news that it is about scam jobs that are prevalent in Southeast Asia today. This movie depicted the situation realistically. I admire the movie attempt to also portray that the victims are on both side. I also like the moral lesson that the movie sent. Gambling is not just bad, it is destructive, and it consumes every one you love. I wish more people watch this movie, especially in Southeast Asia where thousands of people were conned to work in this scamming and online gambling center every month. I hope Southeast Asia authorities also serious in cracking down them.
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10/10
"One more viewer, one less fraud victim"
timeless-9867820 August 2023
This movie really offers an unprecedented look into the complex web of the new type of overseas telecommunications and cyber fraud. The plot draws inspiration from real fraud cases across China, featuring realistic portrayals of the industry's inner workings. I was impressed by Director Shen Ao who revealed that he studied over 10,000 cases and interviewed a variety of people, from victims to police officers, to gain inspiration for the movie and also sought help from police and the anti-fraud center to collect information related to such online scams over the past three years.

Considering the amount of information gathered and people involved, I think the plot successfully managed to unfold from the perspectives of the criminals, the police and especially the victims. Some scenes seemed indeed quite cruel but it was stated the actual cases are even more extreme and what really went on was a hundred or a thousand times darker, crueler, and more brutal this movie came across as very realistic and I think overall the actors did a really great job.

I can understand now why the movie is considered so far a major success and since it was released amid widespread debate around overseas cyber fraud on social media, where dozens of people shared their experiences of being tricked by lucrative job offers, I believe "No More Bets" will hold a profound significance by educating people and by preventing others from being scammed.
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10/10
Review of no more bets
xslbccdkskoko19 August 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Very intriguing!!!! This film is highly engaging and captivating. It is hard to believe that it is based on actual events. Zhang Yixiang's performance and commitment to the cause made the movie even more enjoyable. I am sure I will watch it again soon. I was moved to tears as I empathized with the characters, and the film was presented with great detail. I am hopeful that this film will be broadcast around the world so that all can enjoy its quality. The role of Pan sheng could only be pulled off by Zhang Yixing. I amazed by the growth of his acting skills. The cinematography was on top the storyline was amazing.
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9/10
Terrific movie from the. Mainland
jack_thompson-4908412 September 2023
No more Bets is a great well written thiller with great twists and surprises and a great cast and a very different type of performance from Lay from EXo fame The movie was very tence and make great use of its budget and locations and the movie highlights real life issues and gives use viewers a real insight of China and Cambodia .

The movie is a box office success and it's very well deserved and I expect many more thillers in the future to capture this type of tone and atmosphere within the movie as it was great 2 hour movie and it really has a interesting payoff for all characters invloed for the movie.
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10/10
THIS MOVIE WAS SO GREAT!
chionyctophilee30 September 2023
This movie was so great! The story just like roller coaster, so intense! Visual graphic so great, and the sound make me feel intense and goosebumps. In every line of story, I feels goosebumps and frightened, I want to saving all of them (haha). Moral value for this movie so great, about gambling and the dangerous of them, and we must not greedy and looking for money with instant ways. And all actors act very well! I love with acts of Zhang Yixing and Gina Jin, they acts so great! I think everyone must watch this movie! Thank you for Mr. Ao Shen who directed this movie and for all hard works, and so do all actors too, thank you!^^
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9/10
A Gripping Drama and Thriller on the Pulse of Time
kluseba2 January 2024
No More Bets, originally known as Gu Zhu Yi Zhi, is a Chinese movie that could be categorized halfway between a drama and a thriller. The movie clocks in at an excellent running time of one hundred and thirty minutes as it entertains from start to finish. The final result finds a perfect balance between imagination and realism. The movie's topic is on the pulse of time. Even though the film's topic refers to events in Eastern Asia, it's easy to empathize with the characters and care about the story no matter where you come from. This movie deserves more international acclaim.

The story revolves around a fraud factory that destroys the lives of three different characters. Programmer Pan Sheng fails to get the job he was dreaming of and decides to work abroad. He realizes much too late that his new employer is a criminal network and that he won't be able to escape and make it back home all by himself. Model Liang Anna dreams of stardom and accepts working as an online croupier abroad. She realizes that this was the greatest mistake of her life as she is being held captive, physically abused and verbally bullied. Gu Tianzhi is a young adult who initially gambles online for entertainment only. As he gets addicted step by step he doesn't only indebt himself but also starts neglecting his girlfriend and lying to his family members while his psychological well-being is spiraling out of control. These three characters will try to find different ways to deal with their challenges while Chinese police forces decide to intervene and bring those stranded abroad against their will back home.

No More Bets convinces on numerous different levels. First and firemost, the movie's story is diversified, emotional and realistic as it should keep viewers on the edges of their seats until the very end.

The three lead characters are particularly intriguing. They all have significant flaws and strengths that are shown in an unpolished manner. These characters go through drastic changes and deal with their challenges differently. Their fates are difficult to predict and lead to some intense twists and turns towards the end.

The acting performances are equally great. Zhang Yixing convinces as an ambitious programmer who constantly tries to outwit his oppressors. Jin Chen excels as beautiful model who needs to become tough in order to hang onto her resilience. Wang Dalu delivers the goods as young adult whose organized life is gradually spiraling out of control until there doesn't seem to be a way out of tragedy anymore.

The mixture of genres offered by this movie is also gripping. The fates of the three lead characters are particularly dramatic and at times even tragical. Emotional viewers will certainly shed a tear now and then. The way the characters fight for their freedom and how police forces gradually start intervening lead to dynamic action scenes and mild thriller passages leading to a memorable finale.

The only element that might bother intellectual viewers is that all the villainesses and villains in this film come from abroad while Chinese victims are portrayed as heroines and heroes who are saved by brave Chinese police forces who intervene in a foreign country without caring about local jurisdictions. These patterns of propaganda are greatly exaggerated and feel like attempting to not only entertain but also indoctrinate audiences. As a matter of fact, illegal organizations such as the one described in the movie can also be found in mainland China itself.

Despite its inappropriate propaganda, No More Bets is a highly entertaining mixture of a drama and a thriller on the pulse of time. The story has many intriguing twists and turns. The characters offer depth, diversity and dynamics that will make viewers care about them. The acting performances are stellar and deserve critical acclaim. This movie isn't only interesting for fans of Eastern Asian cinema but produced so expertly that it easily outclasses most contemporary Western movies of the past year.
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9/10
No More Bets takes an idiotic approach to addressing the problem of online scamming
raja89930 October 2023
Warning: Spoilers
No More Bets takes an idiotic approach to addressing the problem of online scamming, propelled by histrionic scaremongering and xenophobia before leaning into some unintentionally hilarious championing of the Chinese police force.

The very real issue of phone scammers tricking people into work in illegal Southeast Asian call centres is the focus of Chinese blockbuster No More Bets.

It is a matter of deep concern, yet despite earnest and thorough research by the filmmakers, the movie comes across as idiotic and unintentionally hilarious.

Scriptwriter Joe Ma directed Feel 100% when he was in his thirties, and said he was heavily inspired by John Hughes' teen coming-of-age films from the 1980s.
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8/10
A docu-realistic Chinese crime thriller that takes the audience into the world of online scam
ObsessiveCinemaDisorder20 November 2023
Based on the Southeast Asia fraud factory incidents in 2021, No More Bets is a solid tense Chinese crime thriller that presents the world of online scams in an eye-opening fashion, delivering unnerving suspense and shock with hard-hitting truth.

Through a promising overseas job offer, computer programmer Pan Sheng and model Anna Liang are lured into a fraud factory, trapped permanently in a slave labor camp where they are forced to commit cyber fraud in an online gambling scam. As the criminal network expands, Pan and Anna conspire to contact the police...

Director Shen Ao balances the multiple storylines well and maintains tight pacing, taking the audience through the logistical pipeline of a scam from beginning to end. The narrative kaleidoscopically presents the phone scam from different perspectives, ranging from the crime boss running the fraud factory, the computer programmer coding the scam app, the model fronting the gambling matches to the unfortunate victim taking the bait.

What draws the audience to No More Bets is knowing that this all happened in reality. It was shocking to think about how as technology develops, crime networks naturally become sophisticated and better organized too. The film incorporates the factual to its advantage, finding a style between documentary and fiction, like a dramatic film that's completely composed of the re-enactment scenes out of a true crime documentary.

There's been an exploding trend of crime films from Mainland China, with the immediate emergence of subgenres this year, like pulp crime with Lost in the Stars, crime procedurals like Dust to Dust, and neo-noir with Zhang Yimou's Under the Light. Government regulations seem to have opened up, allowing the depiction of gangsters and crime as long as public service announcements are tagged before the credits, specifically, title cards detailing every perpetrator's prison sentence and a public message discouraging committing said crime.

Come to think of it, Hollywood had a similar phrase with the Hayes Act from 1930 to the 1960s with its set of do's and don'ts in cinema. I hope this is a step towards more possibilities for Chinese cinema, opening up more fresh stories in new genres being told.
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9/10
Recomended Movie!
kimkaichan2 October 2023
Warning: Spoilers
This movie is too bad to miss, especially for movie lovers. It's one of the movies that needs to be watched, why? Because in this movie there are so many lessons we can take, and it's all really-really based on true story. Like, things are happening and probably experienced by people close to us like online gambling, scam, and online lending are all discussed in this movie. The real artists are acting really cool, after watching once would be interested to re-watching. It's really necessary to watch this movie and share it with your friends. Good job for the all cast and crew, no more bets it's so good👍
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10/10
That shi was real yk,
jasonnong9 September 2023
Warning: Spoilers
U guys hace to understand that people actually die over stuff like this. Tian was a brilliant example of what actually happens to people who get scammed, borrowed money, endless credit cards,attempted suic*de. And there are many more of these crime syndicates out there and this movie probably only portrayed the nicest of these fake company gangs. Absolutely stunning problem solving as well. You see, people, either enticed by the money, doing it out of necessity, or just plain deceived and coerced, people all over Asia including China, Vietnam, Thailand, everywhere run these scams, the victims from the scammers to the scammed, they had families, friends, lovers, it's a disgusting scheme thar happens in the real world and I'm so glad that more people get to learn about these scams so that no one ever ends up like anyone in the movie.
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10/10
Hope to see it in overseas streaming site
diorchanellee-5041729 April 2024
Everyone should watch this movie. It is a wonderful movie. More people watch it, there will be less fraud. Wish to see it in HBO MAX, Netflix or Hulu, prime. Wish this movie be promoted in overseas more and win Oscar. It is really touchy, detail , telling IT people be careful when they looking for job, telling people do not invest online or gambling online. They stealing people's photos use it as fake profile pictures. They were talking to me and they looked handsome, their pictures are showing rich life. Once they realized I'm a student then they asked how much my parents give me. After I refused to talk to them then they stop talking to me but they stole my pictures put on their website and told people that's their pictures. I was very angry but later I realized they are victims too. They got kidnapped to do scams.
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