The Dead End

For other uses, see Dead End (disambiguation).

The Dead End (Chinese: 烈日灼心) is a 2015 Chinese crime drama film^[3] based on Xu Yigua's novel Sunspot (Chinese: 太阳黑子). The film is directed by Cao Baoping, starring Deng Chao, Duan Yihong, Guo Tao, and Wang Luodan.^[4] The film was released on August 27, 2015.^[5][6] The film received positive reviews in regard to its performance, cinematography and mise-en-scene.^[7]

The Dead End Lièrì zhuó xīn
Theatrical poster
Directed by	Cao Baoping
Screenplay by	Cao Baoping Mia Jiao
Based on	Sunspot by Xu Yigua
Produced by	Ye Jinjun Cao Baoping
Starring	Deng Chao Duan Yihong Guo Tao Wang Luodan
Cinematography	Luo Pan
Edited by	Cao Baoping Li Yongyi
Music by	Bai Shui
Production companies	Dream Sky Film Bona Film Group Beijing Standard Image Culture Communication
Release dates	June 15, 2015 (2015-06-15) (SIFF) August 27, 2015 (2015-08-27) (China)
Running time	137 minutes 227 minutes (Director's Cut)[1]
Country	China
Language	Mandarin
Box office	US$46.75 million[2]

Plot

Seven years after the events of the Water Chamber Murders, newly transferred officer Yi Guchun began to suspect that his assistant police, Xin Xiaofeng, is deeply-tied with the murders.

Cast

• Deng Chao as Xin Xiaofeng, an assistant police, Tail's adoptive father and one of the three suspects for the murder.^[8]
• Duan Yihong as Yi Guchun, Guxia's elder brother, a police officer and Xiaofeng's superior.
• Guo Tao as Yang Zidao, a taxi driver, Tail's adoptive father, Guxia's love interest and one of the three suspects for the murder.
• Wang Luodan as Yi Guxia, Guchun's younger sister.
• Jackie Lui as David, a Taiwanese architect and designer.
• Li Xiaochuan
• Du Zhiguo
• Xu Xihan as Tail, the trio's adoptive daughter.
• Yan Bei
• Wang Yanhui
• Bai Liuxi
• Gao Hu as Chen Bijue, a fisherman, Tail's adoptive father and one of the three suspects for the murder.

Production

During the filming phase, Deng Chao almost suffocated during a scene where his character's leg was supposed to be stuck in an iron fence.^[9] He also suffered from insomnia, mental breakdown, depression and claustrophobia^[9] for a short while during and after filming.^[10]

Accolades

Year	Award	Category	Recipient(s) and nominee(s)	Result	Notes
2015	18th Shanghai International Film Festival	Best Director	Cao Baoping	Won	[11]
		Best Actor	Deng Chao, Duan Yihong, Guo Tao	Won
	11th Chinese American Film Festival	Best Film		Won
	52nd Golden Horse Film Awards	Best Actor	Deng Chao	Nominated
2016	7th China Film Director's Guild Awards	Best Film		Nominated
		Best Director	Cao Baoping	Nominated
		Best Actor	Deng Chao, Duan Yihong	Nominated
		Best Screenplay	Cao Baoping, Mia Jiao	Nominated
	33rd Hundred Flowers Awards	Best Film		Won	[12][13]
		Best Screenplay	Cao Baoping, Mia Jiao	Won
		Best Actor	Deng Chao	Nominated
		Best Supporting Actor	Duan Yihong	Nominated
	13th Changchun Film Festival	Best Supporting Actress	Wang Luodan	Won
2017	31st Golden Rooster Awards	Best Director	Cao Baoping	Nominated	[14][15]
		Best Actor	Deng Chao	Won
		Best Editing	Li Yongyi	Nominated

References

1. "《烈日灼心》首周末破亿 放送"非正片画面"-新华网". ent.news.cn. Retrieved 2015-09-15.
2. "Weekly box office > China Week 36 09/07 - 09/13/2015". entgroup.cn. Archived from the original on 2015-09-29. Retrieved 2015-09-15.
3. "Propaganda film second-placed at China b.o." Film Business Asia. 2015-09-01. Retrieved 2015-09-15.
4. "【烈日灼心电影】什么时候上映_演员表_预告片_海报_剧照_剧情介绍 - 漫漫看影视剧". Manmankan.com. Retrieved 2015-09-18.
5. "《烈日灼心》上映时间、演员表及剧情介绍-上海生活帮-E都市". Sh.edushi.com. Retrieved 2015-09-18.
6. "The Dead End". Film Business Asia. 2015-06-29. Retrieved 2015-09-15.
7. "'The Dead End' ('Lie ri zhuo xin'): Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter.
8. "对小鲜肉说NO！《烈日灼心》打造颓帅硬汉". Retrieved 2015-09-15.
9. "爬高楼潜深水！《烈日灼心》邓超绝境逢生". Retrieved 2015-09-15.
10. "邓超拍《烈日灼心》 差点被虐得崩溃". ent.ifeng.com. Retrieved 2015-09-15.
11. "'The Dead End' wins big at SIFF". Shenzhen Daily. 2015-06-23.
12. "Nominees of 33rd Hundred Flowers Award announced". China Daily. 2016-08-24.
13. "Winners revealed at Chinese famous film awards". China Radio International. 2016-09-25.^{[dead link]}
14. "金鸡奖提名：《潘金莲》领跑 范冰冰周冬雨再争影后". ifeng (in Chinese). August 16, 2017.
15. "邓超范冰冰分获影帝影后《我不是潘金莲》成金鸡大赢家". ifeng (in Chinese). September 16, 2017.

External links

• The Dead End at IMDb