Watched this after finishing The Rise of Phoenixes as I can't get enough of Chen Kun. Enjoyed to see two roles of the Qiao Brothers. The serious / nerd and the playful / smart aleck Qiao Brothers. Thumbs up to Chen Kun.
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shzlim5 October 2018
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julier-890324 October 2018Kun has always been so amazing!What does he act like!Recommend, deserve to appreciate well!
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Jinxxa_Wolf14 September 2023LOST IN 1949 (2018) is a Chinese Historical Drama featuring Communist Spy rings and espionage in the Chinese Republican Era, year 1948-1949, building up to what the series calls the Returning Project or the day of reckoning for the country's corrupt elite class.
I should first give a warning here, as the topic of Communism can be generally inflammatory subject here in the West. So be warned that this is a very PRO-Communist drama and obviously going to be biased to that end. Hopefully negative reviews won't be written because of that fact alone. However, I personally feel that regardless of your political stance on the topic of Communism as an effective form of governance or not, the series was a completely engrossing and compelling watch and offers reasonable and understandable causes for the drive of the people's movement towards Communism in those days. This drama portrays a highly romanticized, dramatic and somewhat nationalistic take on political tensions, war and Communism in China in the year of 1949.
"On New Year's Day in 1949, female accountant Huang Liwen returns to her hometown Shanghai in order to commemorate her husband and comrade's death. As a newly turned Communist agent, she is ordered to obtain valuable information for the Communist Party and aid them in their quest for liberation. During her mission, Liwen is reunited with her family members, and becomes acquainted with the savy streetwise Qiao Zhicai(Chen Kun) and his younger twin brother Qiao Lijie, who turns out to be a key player in Huang Liwen's mission."
This series contains two of my favorite Chinese Stars, the ever captivating Chen Kun (Qiao Zhi Cai & Qiao Li Jie) and the wonderful Regina Wan / Wan Qian (Huang Li Wen), both of whom shine here, though the former really steals the show. Chen Kun is a sheer genius and master of his craft and absolute joy to watch. And per his usual, he was phenomenal. This review will probably become a rant now...
This series was highly engrossing after a few episodes it really picked up. There is certainly a lot of world and character building, political intrigue and dialogue, family and romantic relationship conflict, etc, but it kept me hooked. The costumes and production were stunning and really capture the Era well, for what one might expect. The entire cast were excellent really.
I've now watched so many of Chen Kun's projects and am ALWAYS, ALWAYS blown away by his performances. He is an absolute force to reckoned with, a literal genius in my personal and humble opinion. He is on a whole next level than many performing actors these days (compared to many actors both in the East and in the West), and never fails to impress, and not simply because of his gorgeous features and dashing charisma. He can make a viewer go from laughing to crying easily, offering up very effective and memorable performances. I honestly can't praise him enough, as this review probably shows...
Anyways. In LOST IN 1949, Chen Kun plays two characters, the twin brothers Qiao Zhi Cai and Qiao Li Jie, with absolute skill and genius. His vast range as an actor was really put to the test when the two brothers frequently interact with each other and the world around them. You get to see two really different characters played by a single man and honestly it did feel like watching two separate men in their respective parts. Hmmm...Does he have a real life twin? Or a clone? The point being, he's incredibly believable and deliciously entertaining to watch. And did I mention hilarious? While this isn't listed as a comedy, he is incredibly hilarious here, playing both the quirky and lovable, streetwise Qiao Zhi Cai, as well as the cool and awkward physicist, Qiao Li Jie. Many comedic coincidences ensue.
While the first few episodes might move a bit slowly, this series is a rather short drama in the grand scheme of C-Drama's, lasing only 46 episodes. Typical dramas could range around 80-100 eps. And these 46 episodes blew past me in no time and left me wishing for more.
As for qualms, I have very little for this series. One issue would be the writing / handling of Regina Wan's character, Huang Li Wen, towards the later part of the series. She started off very well balanced. Strong and yet hinting at deeper vulnerability and pain. In the later part, she seemed to become very bland and distant and consumed by her vulnerabilities, loosing some of her previously earned wit and strength of character. I have no doubt that has nothing to do with Regina's acting skill, as she is very talented actress indeed, but rather the writing direction chosen for her character. While her circumstances were understandably difficult, I wish she'd been given a bit more time to shine again before the series had ended. Perhaps this series could have been longer? Or perhaps it has been previously edited down.
Overall, finding this gem was a huge win for me. While not perfect, I can't bear to dock it any points. 10 stars because I was kept highly entertained throughout. When not engrossed in the espionage plots and communist tasks, I was kept amused with wonderful characters developing and interacting. Both Romance and Family were key central elements. Hence, I greatly enjoyed almost everything about this series, the story, the portrayal of the Era, the costumes and settings, the atmosphere, the chemistry between characters, all the cast was excellent, even the main theme song was pretty catchy and likeable. Most of all the masterful Chen Kun and intelligent Regina Wan were a sheer delight to watch onscreen with great chemistry. Really loved this drama and super glad I had stumbled across it free and subbed on Youtube. -
Glue2Screen26 May 2021Who doesn't love mystery, spies, espionage and switched luggage. I was so hopeful of this show but it didn't take long for me to begin hitting the fast forward button. First three eps started strong and caught my attention, but from there on it became long winded poorly paced soap opera.
The main characters doesn't seem to make very wise decisions, they seem to have zero precautionary planning, the two main characters gets caught multiple times but escape through rather stupid solutions. They introduce new characters that didn't really build the plot or character development. The story is sloppy as the initial tension and suspense was lost as it felt like the writers didn't know where to go with the story.
Not recommended if you are hoping for action and spy thriller. If you just want soap-opera then this might be your show.