Based on Zhang Xianliang’s novel, this black comedy film satirizes the bureaucracy and paranoia of Chinese authority. One rainy night, engineer Zhao Shuxin goes to the post office to send an urgent telegram: “Missing black cannon, search in 301 for Zhao.” Suspicions aroused, the postal worker alerts the authorities, who begin to spy on Zhao. The government’s bungled involvement in Zhao’s life and work results in a serious loss for the Chinese side, a development that coincides with the resolution of the “black cannon” mystery. A rare political satire, The Black Cannon Incident garnered a Golden Rooster award for actor Liu Zifeng. The film was screened out of competition at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival.
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