Article 20 (Chinese: 第二十条) is a 2024 Chinese comedy drama film directed by Zhang Yimou, and stars Lei Jiayin, Ma Li, Zhao Liying and Gao Ye. The film tells the story of prosecutor Han Ming, who has reached middle age and wanted to seize the last opportunity in his career to work at the Municipal Procuratorate. Unexpectedly, he was involved in a hugely controversial case. At the same time, his family was also facing a similar test.[2]

Article 20
Promotional poster
Traditional Chinese
Simplified Chinese第二十条
Literal meaningArticle 20
Hanyu PinyinDì èr shí tiáo
Directed byZhang Yimou
Written by
  • Li Meng
  • Wang Tianyi
Starring
Production
companies
Beijing Enlight Pictures
Center for Film & Television of the Supreme People's Procuratorate
Distributed byBeijing Enlight Pictures
Release date
  • February 10, 2024 (2024-02-10) (China)
Running time
141 minutes
CountryChina
LanguageMandarin
Box office$337.6 million[1]

Article 20 was released in theaters in China on February 10, 2024, in IMAX, CINITY, Dolby Vision and other formats.[3] It is the year's tenth-highest-grossing film worldwide.

Plot

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Ever since he took a temporary job at the Municipal Procuratorate, Han Ming has had troubles one after another. His son Han Yuchen hit the son of the school principal and refused to apologize. His wife Li Maojuan, filled with indignation, in turn attacked the principal. Partner Lu Lingling has constant disagreements, and the case has been pending for a long time. In another case, Hao Xiuping was forced into a desperate situation and was in an extremely critical situation. The battle between love and law is unfolding, and the balance between career and family is ongoing. Han Ming decides to risk everything and give fairness and justice in his own way.

Box office success

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The final box office of the film "Article 20" was 2.454 billion yuan, breaking 9 film history records and ranking 28th on the current box office list of Chinese film history.[4]

Cast

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  • Lei Jiayin as Han Ming
  • Ma Li as Li Maojuan
  • Zhao Liying as Hao Xiuping
  • Gao Ye as Lu Lingling
  • Liu Yaowen as Han Yuchen
  • Zhang Yi as Zhang
  • Wang Xiao as Deputy Prosecutor Tian
  • Chen Minghao as Li Maoquan
  • Yu Hewei as Prosecutor Wang

Production

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Filming

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Principal photography began on July 1, 2023, in Langfang.[5]

Release

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On January 12, 2024, the film was officially announced to be released on February 10, 2024 (the first day of the Lunar New Year). At the same time, a scheduled poster was released, revealing the full cast of actors for the first time. The film also released a preview on the same day.[3]

References

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  1. ^ "China Box-office". China Movie Database. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  2. ^ Tang, Wei (2024-02-23). "张艺谋揭秘第二十条背后故事" [en:Zhang Yimou reveals the story behind Article 20]. Beijing Youth Daily.
  3. ^ a b "张艺谋新电影开机!新"谋女郎"是她..." Sohu. 2024-02-22. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  4. ^ "两部春节档影片最终票房出炉:《飞驰人生2》近34亿元 《第二十条》超24亿元-新闻-上海证券报·中国证券网". news.cnstock.com. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
  5. ^ "张艺谋新电影开机!新的"谋女郎"是她......-上游新闻 汇聚向上的力量". www.cqcb.com. Retrieved 2024-01-27.
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