ReviewNo More Bets Movie Review: Chinese Blockbuster About Digital Scamming Is Less A Thriller Than An Idiotic Take On A Very Serious Subject

1/5 stars

No More Bets tries to turn these stories into gripping thrillers and the results are excellent in many ways.

Directed by Shen Ao and produced by Ning Hao, the film follows a cast of characters caught in the treacherous web of crime lord Lu (Eric Wang Chuanjun), aspiring gunman Jordan Belfort.

In an anonymous Southeast Asian hellscape reminiscent of a chaotic crossroads between Macau and Myanmar, Peng is kidnapped and taken to a remote cyber farm where hundreds of penniless people are forced to work at gunpoint in an exploitative prison. .

Now it attracts hapless gamblers like Tian (Darren Wang Da-lu), whose insatiable habits constantly ruin the lives of those around him.

When a scene in which a family cat is mercilessly killed causes a wave of laughter in the audience, it can be a sign that the film did not find the tone it wanted.

There is no denying that the issue is of great concern. Online fraud has become an inevitable epidemic, and smartphones have made us all vulnerable to attacks and temptations.

However, No More Bets takes a cynical view of the issue fueled by theatrical scaremongering and xenophobia, and then inadvertently enlists the comic help of the Chinese police.

The closing credits alone reveal the extent of the filmmakers' serious and in-depth research, as dozens of real-life victims recount their experiences.

Perhaps a documentary exploring their stories would produce more interesting results, although I suspect it would not yield the same results.

The message of the film is loud and clear: don't bet! Don't trust anyone you meet on the internet! Don't believe the promise of attractive jobs abroad! Do not travel abroad! Don't answer the phone! But if the author adds to this list... Don't watch this movie!