ENDLESS JOURNEY (三大队)

Genre: Crime/Drama
Director: Dai Mo
Cast: Zhang Yi, Li Chen, Wei Chen, Cao Bin Kun, Wang Xiao, Zhang Zi Xian, Yang Xin Ming
Runtime: 2 hr 13 mins 
Rating: PG13 (Some Violence and Coarse Language)
Released By: Golden Village
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 4 January 2024

Synopsis: The Third Squad, led by Captain Cheng Bing (Zhang Yi) of the Criminal Investigation Brigade, caused the accidental death of one of the two suspects when handling a vicious case and was sentenced to prison. After his sentence, Cheng Bing insists on tracking the case’s remaining suspect as an ordinary person. Will the Third Squad restore its former glory again?.

Movie Review:

If you’ve been following the Mainland China cinema scene, you would have noticed in the past couple of months a string of crime thrillers that have caught on amongst domestic audiences. Come to think of it, that should not be surprising – after all, we all love the intrigue and payoff of a compelling investigation, and most, if not all, of these thrillers carry some social subtext which are in their own right meant to mirror the day-to-day lived realities of ordinary citizens.

We dare say though that ‘Endless Journey’ is one of the best of the lot. Based upon a true story by Chinese author and erstwhile policeman Shen Lan, it tells of the doggedness of a squad of police officers – and in particular, its chief Captain Cheng Bing (Zhang Yi) – who vow to bring to justice the perpetrator of a 14-year-old girl’s rape and murder, following a home invasion via the apartment window’s air conditioning unit.

Said nasty case, nicknamed ‘9.21’ for the date on which it was committed, ensnares the five officers who make up the titular Division 3 – besides Cheng Bing, there are three other veterans Cai Bing (Cao Bingkun), Ma Zhengkun (Xiao Wang) and Liao Jian (Zhang Zixian), as well as one other rookie Xu Yizhou (Vision Wei). While tracking down two brothers whom they had identified as potential suspects, their mentor Zhang Qingliang (Yang Xinming) suffers a brain haemorrhage and dies in hospital, and in a fit of anger, the squad takes it out on one of the brothers in interrogation.

The entire squad is subsequently charged and sent to prison, with all but Cheng sentenced to five years behind bars. By the time Cheng is released two years later than the rest, his fellow ex-officers have moved on with their respective lives – one has found Buddhism; another is running a food stall with his wife; another is an insurance salesman; and yet another is a dog trainer. Cheng is however determined to continue his search for the other brother Wang Eryong, who remains at large, especially after learning how the victim’s parents were devastated by the incident.

Whether because they likewise believe in the cause or just so not to let Cheng down, all the former Division 3 officers follow Cheng to Changsha where Eryong was last seen. Not surprisingly, the search turns out a lot more elusive and protracted than any of them would ever have imagined. It is also therefore not unexpected that one by one, the officers will seek Cheng’s forbearance to get back to the lives they had put on hold, or in the case of Yizhou, to try to forge a new beginning with a girl whom he had met coincidentally while tracking down a guy whom he had thought was Eryong.

And just like that, what started off as a procedural evolves ultimately into a character study on Cheng Bing. His perseverance is at first humbling, especially his dedication to the principles of justice even while no longer a police officer, but starts to grow questionable as the years pass. Is it really to give the victim’s family proper closure, or is it more for himself as well as his mentor Zhang? Is it ultimately worth the estrangement of both his wife and teenage daughter? How do you draw the line between purpose and obsession? While he is ultimately vindicated, the movie invites us to consider what Cheng had sacrificed in the process, and whether it was worth it in the end (not least because modern Chinese state surveillance technology would have meant that Eryong would be caught sooner or later).

It is also because of such nuance that ‘Endless Journey’ distinguishes itself from the fray, an achievement even more impressive considering how it is only director Dai Mo’s sophomore feature film. Given its timeline, this isn’t an easy story to tell, but Dai keeps a firm hand on the proceedings, never losing sight of the larger context against which his characters are operating against but always keeping an intimate focus on the motivations and sentiments of these individuals whose quest is the beating heart of the story.

So if you need to choose amongst the spate of crime thrillers coming out of Mainland China, we’d strongly recommend ‘Endless Journey’ as an example of why we’ve been enthralled by what we’ve seen so far. There is no artifice here, no attempt to celebrate the Chinese police force or the system for that matter; instead, what we do have is a grounded procedural and a poignant character study of what it means to stay mission-focused if one truly believes in the mission, sometimes for better and for worse.

Movie Rating:

(Gripping, poignant and ultimately sobering, this fact-based chronicle of one man's quest for justice is one of the best examples of the most recent spate of Mainland Chinese crime thrillers)

Review by Gabriel Chong