Min jing gu shi

A hilarious and realistic look at (police) life in Beijing; this film was produced on location and used real police, not actors; allegedly, the criminals shown were actually apprehended during the production of the film.

The other review commented that this film was incredibly dull and boring-- I it found the exact opposite. It was absolutely amazing to see the real mid-nineties Beijing. The supposedly "every-day" nature of the material is enlightening to one who has not experienced the mid-nineties Beijing, and is surely an insightful "step-back" analysis even to one who has experienced it.

All the material is first-rate. For someone not particularly looking for sensationalism, for someone who is fascinated by amazing (but not ridiculous) people and things that happen in the real world, this is a great film. I marvelled at the resourceful-- albeit somewhat pathetic, but nonetheless likable-- police officers and criminals.