Black Coal, Thin Ice

In 1999, in northern China, dismembered remains turn up at several coal yards, and detective Zhang Zili is among those investigating the case. A confrontation with the suspects leaves colleagues and suspects dead, Zhang wounded, and the murders unresolved. Five years later, Zhang has left the police and works as a security guard, drinking heavily and drifting. When a new killing echoes the old case, he starts looking into it himself, helped by a former colleague. The trail repeatedly leads to Wu Zhizhen, a quiet young woman employed at a laundromat, whose connection to the victims draws Zhang into watching her closely.

Black Coal, Thin Ice is a Chinese crime drama directed and written by Diao Yinan, his second feature as director, released ahead of The Wild Goose Lake in 2019. Liao Fan plays Zhang Zili and Gwei Lun-mei plays Wu Zhizhen, with Wang Xuebing, Wang Jingchun, Yu Ailei and Ni Jingyang in supporting roles. Vivian Qu, Wan Juan and Shen Yang produced. It runs 106 minutes.

On IMDb the film holds 6.7 out of 10 from around 10,000 votes, and on TMDB 6.5 out of 10 from roughly 320 votes, indicating a solid but not especially high audience response. A film critics' rating of 7.8 out of 10 from 26 reviews is noticeably higher than either audience figure, suggesting reviewers responded more warmly than general viewers.