Chapter 357: Chapter 81: Very Good at Seizing Opportunities

The movie was a success, and Fincher didn’t aim to give the audience a warm and fuzzy story. From the outset, it was oppressive, with the color palette of the shots forever tinged with grey, whether on the streets, at the police station, in the library, or in a bar, it never changed. Coupled with the exquisite montage editing techniques, the film also carried added weight and suspense.

However, the same editing techniques yielded vastly different effects when used in different scenes. For example, when Mills and Shamosai encountered the killer outside the fourth victim’s house, disguised as a reporter, the infuriated Mills, believing him to be an intruder who had sneaked in, angrily grabbed the camera from him and chased him away, unwittingly making himself a target of the criminal.

Close-ups, speed ramp cuts, and transition effects instantly brought the contrasting personalities of Mills and Shamosai to life on the screen, with their anxiety and anger coming across vividly. Yet earlier, when Mills and his wife had invited Shamosai to dinner, the same editing techniques essentially remained the same – close-ups, speed ramp cuts and transitions – and only a few angles changed slightly. However, Mills’ happiness and his wife Trish’s tender and charming image were portrayed just right, showcasing the basic qualities that a good director should possess.

Of course, that’s not to say Fincher’s editing was flawless. At least in Adrian’s eyes, there were many areas that could have been improved. For instance, Kevin Spacey’s first full appearance could have been more impactful with two long, rotating shots combined with a seamless transition. It would have made the already shocking and creepily eerie atmosphere even denser and captivated the audience’s minds more strongly.

Fincher overexerted himself here, wanting to highlight the killer’s indifference and cruelty, but it did not have the intended effect. He was now at his most prominent, and veering towards aggression in his control was normal. And even so, he handled it well. Adrian could see it was due to the accumulation of experiences from past and present lives.

Kevin Spacey’s portrayal of John Doe’s shocking entrance surprised many, and the film’s atmosphere became even more horrific and unpredictable. Here, the unpredictability refers to the killer’s intentions, not so-called intellectual crimes. To a large extent, John Doe was the kind of cold and cruel religious fanatic, as seen when he included himself in his scheme to make Mills complete the Seven Deadly Sins ritual.

Yet the reason for the perception of high intellect in the film is crucial. It’s narrated from the perspective of the two detectives, who are constantly outwitted, leading to Mills being ultimately outmaneuvered – thus giving the impression of a formidable killer. If we’re talking about intellectual crimes, “The Usual Suspects,” which is awaiting release, is more deserving of the title. Even so, “The Usual Suspects” had plenty of minor flaws. A perfect intellectual crime movie is not easy to make – films like “Seven Deadly Sins” that sketch crime methods ambiguously are often seen as intellectual crime movies.

Regardless, the ending once again shocked the audience. It was so cruel, so dark and gloomy, it seemed hopeless, leaving behind only Mills’ face, full of extreme anger and sorrow just before firing the gun, and Shamosai’s remark, “Hemingway said the world is a fine place and worth fighting for. I agree with the second part.”

Although Adrian had already seen Dennis’ performance on set and applauded it, the post-production-screened image was even more powerful. The nuances in facial expressions were maximized, especially those eyes, shifting from astonishment to fury to bloodshot and tear-filled, perfectly conveying the emotions of grief and rage. At the moment of the gunshot, Adrian even faintly heard someone in the audience angrily swear “fuck.”

After the movie ended to applause, those who congratulated Dennis weren’t much fewer than those for Spacey. While filming, Adrian had thought Dennis would be at least a notch above Pitt, but now it seemed it was much more.

The following day, more film critics who saw the movie also immediately published their reviews. They acknowledged the performances of Dennis, as well as Freeman, Spacey, and Gwyneth, but their comments were noticeably sharper than the audience’s.

“The most obvious difference between Shamosai and Mills is that Shamosai grew up with traditional media such as newspapers and books, while Mills grew up surrounded by television and radio. Therefore, Shamosai is more composed, searching for information in the library while Mills can only be helplessly frustrated. David Fincher obviously wants to show the disconnect between these two generations and to explore the reasons for society’s apathy, and he does quite well in this regard in the film.

The actors are also quite impressive. Morgan Freeman’s acting goes without saying, his portrayal of the veteran cop leaps out of the screen; Kevin Spacey, despite only having over ten minutes of screen time, made a shock as strong as Anthony Hopkins in ‘Silence of the Lambs’; Gwyneth Paltrow, an equally important but less seen character, interpreted the gentle and charming wife to perfection, becoming the most beautiful part of the film. No wonder at the last moment, Dennis Knight was so furious; I think his close-up should be one of the best shots of the year. It’s a pity that in real life, there isn’t such a woman who could make him so tender,” wrote critic Frank Betman, known for his biting remarks, and this time was no exception. He praised plenty only to make one feel stifled with the last sentence.

It’s not surprising that he mocked at the end because most media outlets did the same while praising the film, always with a few jests about his gossip-filled love life – who could resist such salacious stories?

“Never mind what the media is saying, your main task now is to placate them, the statements you’ve already issued should be enough. Whatever you choose to do later, charm them first, let them calm down before anything else,” Adrian said to Dennis, apparently with his best interests in mind – well, he indeed had his best interests at heart, just with slightly different motives.

As for the reason, it was quite interesting. Knight could say that he had completely unearthed it himself; he was different from Hanks, Spacey, and others — those were people he got to know and drew in because he knew of their future achievements. Even River Phoenix had already achieved dazzling success early on.

Only Knight was a blank slate, both in his past and his future. Adrian still remembered how Knight had looked when he said, “It can’t get worse than now,” with a sort of despair that seemed heavier than death itself. They say the Miracle Director has an incredibly sharp eye for discovering the potential in every actor, but this kind of praise was truly fitting only in Knight’s case.

So Adrian always saw him in a different light, and Knight had not disappointed that trust. Therefore, since he had already designed a bright future for him, why not make that future even more interesting? After all, Knight had the potential, and Adrian had already taught him quite a bit.

“Think about it, isn’t this a very interesting thing?” Adrian said with a smile, looking at the newspaper.

“What’s very interesting?” Gwyneth asked as she came over with some fruit.

“Nothing much, they’re just full of praise for your performance,” Adrian raised the newspaper in his hand, “In the dark tone that runs through the entire film, you are the only bright spot, beautiful and moving, yet not just a mere vase.”

“Still a vase after all,” Gwyneth sighed as she sat beside him, but the smile on her face couldn’t be concealed. Compared to her previous works which received mediocre reactions, her minor role in “Seven Deadly Sins” had won overwhelming praise from most film critics — how could she not be happy?

“This is just the beginning, dear,” Adrian wrapped an arm around her shoulder, “Don’t forget, at the end of the year an excellent film is going to be released, and you’re about to take part in a major production that will make its mark in the history of cinema.”

“I’m very excited, Ed,” Gwyneth blinked her eyes, “Your opinions are never wrong.”

Adrian burst into laughter and pinched her chin: “So, what kind of reward do you think I should get?”

“What do you want, Ed?”

“Oh, that’s for you to decide, my dear.”

Watching Adrian’s playful gaze, Gwyneth, who was now much more familiar with his style, gave a light huff. Then she reached for a decent-looking banana from the fruit plate, tenderly peeled it with her slender fingers, and seductively began to feed the white flesh into her mouth, slowly rotating, chewing, simultaneously drawing it out and pushing it in, before swallowing it down while arching her graceful neck. Halfway through, she took it out completely and licked its surface delicately with her tongue — the sight was as tempting as it gets.

“Mmm… you can’t do that, Gwyneth,” Adrian, gazing somewhat dumbfounded, coughed and said.

“Why not? Don’t you like it?” Gwyneth began giggling.

“Because this afternoon we’re going shopping,” Adrian shrugged, “You don’t want me to turn into a demon now and ruin a beautiful afternoon that’s supposed to be nice, do you?”

“Even if it’s ruined, so what?” Gwyneth raised her eyebrows, biting off a large piece of her banana with such a flirtatious look that she all but said outright “come here.” She truly was a woman who seized opportunities.

And no wonder, compared to others, Gwyneth approached Adrian from the start with a purpose, so her emotional investment was significantly lesser. Although her utilitarianism was not as strong as that of Zetajones, it still made up a larger proportion. Now that her career was beginning to dawn, the fact proved her initial choice was right, and naturally, she needed to further consolidate it.

It didn’t matter, she was already mine. Adrian thought without a care, currently looking at Gwyneth’s legs sprawled across the long table.

In fact, ever since “Seven Deadly Sins” received critical acclaim and soared at the box office, Gwyneth always complied with Adrian in bed, because he had many women; he might be sweet-talking her in the morning, and by the afternoon, he could be hugging another woman and whispering sweet nothings. Although thinking this made Gwyneth uncomfortable, since she had to make sure to hold onto him more tightly, she couldn’t care too much. Besides, Adrian was also very good at sweet-talking women, and it was still very comfortable being with him; as long as it could continue, why care too much about the rest?

The reason Adrian was so good at sweet-talking women was not just because of his eloquence but also his first-class ability to read people and situations, and he was familiar with every woman’s characteristics, always managing to capture their hearts just right. For example, for Gwyneth, sweet nothings were not as effective as painting a picture of a future together, but it had to be done subtly. Or being patient with Kate, who was pregnant, listening to her ramble without getting angry over her unreasonable tantrums; or like now–

“I don’t understand, he just wanted to save the woman he loved, isn’t that totally understandable?”

“Of course, it’s understandable. If we speak just from a man’s perspective, I entirely support his actions. A man who doesn’t consider his woman won’t be a good man. If you were in that situation, I would do the same thing without any hesitation.”

“…I definitely wouldn’t believe that.”

“It’s okay, I don’t ask for your belief, as long as I know what I’m doing–that aside, let’s return to the subject. Although that may be, you need to understand that many things must not be judged solely from one individual’s standpoint; regardless, the male protagonist’s actions, at that time, were tantamount to treason.”

“Yes, but… the main issue that this novel wants to explore is not about that.”

“Sure, I’m just stating an objective fact. Everyone has a selfish side. Some things might be right for a few individuals, but when you step back and look at the broader context, they could be wrong.”

“… Then why are you still keen to film this movie? And you don’t seem worried at all.”

“It’s simple, we are the victorious country, and we won rightfully so; we won’t mind such a plot and might even sympathize with the protagonists. Think about it, if we had fought to a stalemate with Germany and they were still occupying Europe to this day, leaving us helpless, or if we had suffered several major defeats in North Africa, what do you think the public would think of this movie?” Adrian sighed to himself at this point, and then thought of that country across the Pacific.

The United States could make movies like “Letters from Iwo Jima” because they are in charge. As long as their dog is obedient and submissive enough, the master doesn’t mind digging out a bit of humanity from them, and incidentally showing the master’s magnanimity and compassionate nature. But if it were China, with wounds from brutal bites not fully healed, and due to a series of events even the title of victor being rather precarious, but they are in a rush to consider the other side–without an apology from the other side, they apologize on their behalf; what kind of mentality is that?

Adrian quickly pulled himself out of that mood. There was no use saying anything now–the most he could do was play second fiddle. So, his gaze refocused on the lady in front of him.

Rachel looked distracted, gazing elsewhere, seemingly lost in thought. No wonder, though–the novel’s content revolved around the emotions of people affected by war, but the main storyline was the poignant love affair between the male lead and a married woman. It was a touching story that now faced criticism if set in a different context. Anyone might struggle to accept such a shift.

“Alright, Rachel, let’s head to the company now, and meet with some of the main actors,” Adrian said as he wrapped his arm around Rachel’s waist.

“Now?” Rachel was surprised. Suddenly, she realized that she had unconsciously gotten so close to Adrian that their noses were nearly touching, and his deep black eyes were just as close as they had been before.

“Of course, I’ve been waiting a long time for your reply.” Adrian naturally kissed her on the lips, then pulled her to her feet. Once Rachel had changed clothes, he wrapped his arm around her again and they left the hotel room.

Rachel was compliant throughout the process, though her eyes spoke of resignation. They arrived at Bossworth Film in silence, and Adrian led her by the hand into the conference room–his actions not as intimate as in the hotel, but still close.

After calling his assistant, the first person arrived in the conference room rather quickly–a balding old man in his fifties with a goatee.

“Hi, Anthony, sorry to keep you waiting,” Adrian said as he shook hands with him.

“No problem, it wasn’t very long, and I’m glad to have your support. A few more minutes would’ve been fine,” the old man replied with a modest smile, then looked at Rachel curiously.

Before Adrian could introduce her, the second person entered the conference room, and Rachel’s eyes widened. She might not know who the old man was, but she certainly recognized the handsome yet slightly sinister man before her–Ralph Fiennes, known for playing Nazi officer Amon in “Schindler’s List.”

“It’s great to see you, Ralph, how’ve you been?” Adrian greeted him with a smile, and Fiennes just shrugged his shoulders and shook hands, without saying much.

Adrian immediately complained, “You’re always like this, so laconic.”

“If you know I’m always like this, then you shouldn’t complain,” Fiennes said innocently, spreading his hands.

“Alright, fine, I won’t complain then,” Adrian laughed, and just then, the conference room door opened again. Before he could make introductions, the third person appeared.

Rachel became increasingly puzzled, as the newcomer was Sophie Marceau, who had played the leading lady in Adrian’s new movie just a few months ago!

“Great, everyone’s here, now I can introduce everyone all at once,” Adrian said with a smile. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it at wuxiaworld.site with recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)