In director Wei Shujun's murky film noir, a woman's body washes up in the local river. The chief of police, Ma Zhe, is tasked with heading up the investigation. An obvious perp leads to a hasty arrest, though the mystery lingers in Ma Zhe's mind. What kind of darkness is truly at play here? Equal parts atmospheric tour-de-force and beguiling puzzler, 'Only the River Flows' is a masterfully styled ode to a bygone cinematic era and a sharp-edged portrait of provincial paranoia. See IMDb or Rotten Tomatoes for more details. |