Preface:

Today, not many people can read out loud the above sentence in perfect flow of Beijing accent, even if they are natives of Beijing, let alone migrants from elsewhere. This is exactly the flaw of the film Mr. Six—not everyone, not every native Beijinger, can get it. You must be older than 50, you must have lived in a hutong of Dongcheng or Xicheng district, and you must have the experience of skating on the Shichashai Lake or Longtan Lake, and you must know what are some typical weapons old Beijing natives used to fight. Only if you are a Beijing native who meet all these requirements will you feel the heavy blow of this film. You are so damn great, Feng Xiaogang, to present such a film at the end of the year!

Mr. Six: Picking up a Fight

Picking up a fight is a complex and a way to present heroism. When Mr. Six was skating, the background sound was Yuan Kuocheng’s voice telling the story of the Three Kingdoms: At Changban Slope, Zhao Yun fought his way in and out of the battlefield for seven times. If you failed to notice this voice when watching the film, you probably don’t really share this complex.

At that time, many people thought they had been born in a wrong time. They would rather be one of the heroes of the marshes or a general serving under Zhuge Liang of the three kingdoms. Everyone wanted to fight because fighting made them feel like they were really someone in those classical ancient novels. To fight, you must have some decent reasons. So you try to find fault with someone and fight once you succeed. Picking up a fight actually it a shorter way to say picking up some excuse for a fight.

But how to find fault with someone? The easiest way to do it is to lock your eyes on him/her.

Mr. Six locked his eyes on Mensan’er and he got the long scar of 18 stitches. He did not fall so his rival admired him and they became brothers, just like the heroes of the marshes. They became friends of life or death and stayed loyal to each other for the rest of their days

Mr. Six: Courtesy

Mr. Six was always courteous but he was never a coward. He never bullied anyone and was always reasonable. This was why people admired him. When someone gives you an onion, you give back a plate of dumplings. This is courtesy. Not being courtesy as you should, you will break the bottom line. As good revenge, you will get a slap on the face or a broken finger and you truly deserve it.

Without this film, I would have forgotten about all these. You may as well try them when necessary. They will work, I assure you.

Mr. Six was not a ruffian, even though he was once in the jail. A ruffian would not get down on his knees to beg forgiveness from his son. A ruffian would not be so respectful as to light a cigarette deferentially for Erye. A ruffian would not shed a tear for Aunt Xia.

Erye’s pat before Mr. Six went to fight was also courtesy. It represented inheritance and signaled satisfaction in handing down his banner to one of the younger generation. From this scene, you can infer that Erye must have been as great as anyone can imagine in his prime time.

In today’s society, everyone knows who indeed is the damn ruffian.

Mr. Six: Drawing out the Sword

Drawing out the sword was a ritual. It was about basic ethics and justice. Mr. Six had quitted long ago and had been living a quite relaxed and normal life. But he must return to the fight to uphold justice even though he knew he had no chance to win.

 In or out of a fight, Mr. Six showcased the fearlessness of Beijing natives who were born in the 1950s or 1960s and spent most of their lives in a hutong or a residential complex of government dorms.

We could do nothing about the merger of Xuanwu and Xicheng districts. But as long as we are still here, the old Beijing style is here, we are still loyal brothers, and we can still hold our swords. We will remain composed and have no regret in shedding our blood on the ice if we have to.

It must have been many years since I was last left in tears in a cinema. But this time, my tears trickled down my cheeks like streams. Feng Xiaogang, I’ll remember this. You really got me moved, deeply and painfully.