This director is vindictive.

Chapter 196 Acquittal, a cause for great celebration

Once a case becomes sensational and attracts widespread attention, the background and the individuals involved will become transparent.

Of course, the main point is that this was a sudden incident, and there was no premeditation or conspiracy involved.

And precisely because of this, it can be said that there are no secrets in this case.

The details of the incident were also posted online, and soon, the two parties involved were thoroughly investigated by netizens with their extensive knowledge.

One is an ordinary working person, with no special background or special circumstances.

The other one, however, had a long criminal record and was a frequent offender in fights.

It can be said that his background is even simpler and clearer than that of the case of the mother's insult.

In the case of the mother-insulting incident, at least because it involved a series of events such as usury, you can't say that the perpetrator's family bears no responsibility at all. However, the working-class people in the "Kunshan Brother Long" case are truly innocent.

He can be said to reflect the experiences of millions of ordinary people, which is why the vast majority of netizens empathize with him and feel sympathy for him.

Because anyone could become him! He could be anyone.

If someone is riding their bike normally on the road after get off work and is suddenly hit by a BMW, and then beaten and slashed by the people in the car, what would you do?
Moreover, it's obvious that the other person isn't a good person. After all, what good person would keep such a dangerous thing as a controlled knife in their car?

In the previous life, because there was no movie called "Article 20", people didn't understand what continuous unlawful intent to harm was, what the right to unlimited self-defense was, and there was no movie like this for everyone to refer to.

Therefore, when this case broke out in the previous life, although it also attracted attention, many people felt that after "Brother Long" lost his knife and was injured, he was no longer a threat and should not have been chased and attacked. This was undoubtedly excessive self-defense, or even intentional homicide.

However, with Article 20, although the cases are different, the processes are too similar.

Both cases involved chasing and attacking someone, but Article 20 provides a perfect legal interpretation, so this time, the vast majority of people believe that this is legitimate self-defense!

This is actually influenced by empathy. After all, if it weren't for the subsequent stabbing and self-defense, the first half of this case could have happened almost every day in various parts of the country.

Road rage is all too common.

What if we encounter a similar situation?
This is the main reason why everyone is paying attention to this case and hopes for a just verdict.

The movie "Caught in the Web" sparked heated discussions when it perfectly linked with reality, but it wasn't exactly a sensation, since no one was killed in that case.

But this time, someone really died!
However, just as there are all sorts of birds in a big forest, a sensational case means a surge in attention and a huge increase in traffic.

As a result, before the case was even decided, several people were arrested for spreading various rumors.

One of them posted a rumor on Weibo saying, "The cyclist's family is in financial difficulty, and his brother has already donated 30 yuan to help his child with medical treatment!"

"I'll cover his son's medical expenses. If he's detained, I'll bail him out. If he doesn't find work afterward, I'll arrange it for him!"

Then, it was quickly proven to be false information; the brother in question had never accepted any financial assistance from anyone.

This person who spread the rumor was quickly detained for ten days by the police for "spreading false information" and for the egregious nature of the offense.

For a moment, netizens were speechless.

"Does this guy really not know how Chen Mo, the director of 'Article 20,' made his fortune? He should look into the first case of online defamation, buddy!"

"Hey, my friend, things aren't like they used to be. Online defamation and spreading false information can have legal consequences!"

"So, this guy in prison probably doesn't watch many movies. If he had watched 'Caught in the Web' and known about Chen Mo's background, I believe he wouldn't have done something like this, right?"

Of course, this is just some background information on the case.

Soon after, someone raised another question: when Brother Long was arbitrarily attacking Brother Bai, the judgment of right and wrong was simple and clear, but no one in the surrounding crowd came to help Brother Bai or stepped forward to stop Brother Long. Was it really because people were cold-hearted?

After this question was raised, many people immediately thought of the blank space left at the end of Article 20 regarding acts of bravery.

Some reporters also went to interview the people who were present at the time.

"You must have been terrified at the time, right? I did think about going up to help, but I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to help and would only cause trouble for myself!"

“I really don’t dare to help now, I can only call the police. Isn’t it always said that even when you do something brave, you should do it within your capabilities?”

"Even the police are now giving out information on 'how to protect yourself when you go out.' I admit, I chickened out at the time! I was only thinking about protecting myself!"

A series of interviews added even more interest to the case.

Some experts believe that "many people think that the fact that so many bystanders didn't step forward to help or stop it shows a lack of human compassion, but the real reason is that the current legal and social guidance is flawed. We are taught from a young age to 'resolutely fight against bad people and bad deeds!'"

However, nowadays, the focus is more on law enforcement's propaganda on "how to protect yourself when going out." While the word "protect yourself" sounds correct on the surface, a deeper analysis reveals that it is fundamentally flawed.

If citizens' rights need to be protected by the citizens themselves, then what is the point of laws?
In fact, the state institutions are now advocating that as long as you are a Chinese citizen, the state will unhesitatingly protect your civil rights. This is the reason why "Wolf Warrior 2" became a hit. The legal orientation should be that as long as you are a Chinese citizen, you have the right to defend your civil rights and have the legitimate right to self-defense. In particular, as a Chinese citizen, you must fulfill your obligation to stop ongoing acts of violence that seriously endanger your personal safety.

Only with such legal guidance can we fundamentally eliminate the breeding ground for organized crime. When acts of bravery are not just a reward, but a duty and right of every Chinese citizen, then it will be meaningful to judge whether those who defend their own civil rights or act bravely have "excessively defended themselves."
Every citizen can do something brave and righteous if they have the will!

The Kunshan "Dragon Brother" incident, in which he was killed in self-defense, was a misfortune for the "White-Clad Brother," but it also timely revealed the social truth behind the incident, which is a great fortune for society. When we reflect on this incident, correct our mistakes, and have the courage to improve our social environment, it is an even greater fortune for us ordinary citizens!

This expert's remarks have garnered many likes.

This case has sparked further discussions, and for a time, it seemed as if the entire nation was engaged in legal education and learning.

Everyone is researching and analyzing it, and many netizens on the internet are debating whether this case constitutes legitimate self-defense.

Some netizens joked that this is real progress, because in the past, even if you wanted to discuss it, there was no suitable reason, no suitable environment, and not many people would discuss it with you.

But this time, because of Article 20 and the "Kunshan Brother Long" case, this environment has emerged, causing everyone to start paying attention, to start learning, and to start actively researching the relevant legal provisions.

Many legal professionals also appeared to promote legal knowledge.

Was it not like this before? No, it just didn't receive this much attention before.

This is the significance of the film "Article 20"!
However, as the case broke out and more and more people discussed it, the biggest beneficiary was actually the movie "Article 20". Well, what can you do when it's a perfect match for your major?
August has passed, and four days have passed since the incident.

On September 1st, the official announcement was released.

That announcement was forwarded over a million times immediately.

Because the notice stated: "Defensive actions taken against ongoing acts of violence such as assault, murder, robbery, rape, kidnapping, and other serious violent crimes that endanger personal safety, resulting in injury or death to the perpetrator, do not constitute excessive self-defense and do not incur criminal liability," Yu's actions constituted legitimate self-defense and he was not criminally liable. Therefore, the case was dismissed in accordance with the law.

The reasons given also mentioned that Brother Long's act of violence constituted an unlawful infringement, and an unlawful infringement is a continuous process.

Throughout this process, the man in white was still within the bounds of his right to self-defense.

Therefore, the case was ultimately dismissed in accordance with the law!
Immediately, netizens were overjoyed and spread the news. "Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap, this is fantastic! Article 20 is awesome!"

"This is the best news I've seen all year. Chen Mo is truly amazing, Article 20 is amazing, and the relevant local departments are amazing too!"

"They made a judgment so quickly, and even withdrew the case directly. That's impressive! I have to give them a thumbs up!"

"I don't know why, but seeing this announcement made me want to cry for no reason!"

"This is what the law should look like! Article 20 has truly come into being, achieving a perfect synergy once again. I can't help but wonder, without the movie Article 20, and without the brilliant judicial interpretation in the film, would the verdict in this case have been so swift?"

"There are no 'what ifs,' the present is good enough, and we can't ask for more. The movie 'Article 20' actually provides the answer. Judges are human, and prosecutors are human. They also need to withstand pressure to make such a judgment. But no matter what, this time we must give them a thumbs up because this case has really advanced the implementation of this clause by at least 10 years!"

"I hope there will also be precedents for acts of bravery, so that the movie can become a reality again, and those who act bravely will have no worries about the consequences!"

Many people praised the local judicial authorities, believing that the verdict in this case has advanced the "Article 20" of "legitimate defense" by 10 years!
At the same time, the Supreme People's Procuratorate also released several typical cases of non-arrest and non-prosecution for legitimate self-defense!

This serves as a model and reference case for "legitimate self-defense".

The "Kunshan Brother Long" case ranked first! People then realized that the authorities had been working on this all along. These cases were all real cases, and all of them resulted in serious injury or death, but were ultimately determined to be legitimate self-defense.

Then everyone realized that things weren't as bad as they had imagined, and the authorities had been working to make Article 20, the "legitimate defense" legal provision, work.

However, those cases were not as sensational as the case of the mother-insulting case or the Kunshan Brother Long case, which is why they are not widely known.

It's understandable if you think about it. The country is so big, and cases happen every day. It's impossible for every case to be as famous as these.

However, compared to the past, this is already a huge improvement.

Meanwhile, even the official Weibo account tagged "Article 20" and praised the film, saying: "Focusing on the legal provisions of legitimate self-defense, it tells the story of ordinary people defending justice. The light of the rule of law illuminates the path of reality!"

For a time, "Article 20" was incredibly popular, which was tantamount to the official recognition of the film.

September is a well-known and generally unpopular film season because it is the gap between the end of the summer movie season and the National Day movie season.

Few big-budget productions are released during this period, especially since it's the start of the school year.

However, after two weeks of release, "Article 20" experienced a significant drop in box office revenue due to the impact of the Kunshan Long Ge case, with daily box office revenue rebounding to over 50 million.

The box office of "Article 20" has been soaring. Although it has not surpassed "Hello Mr. Billionaire", it seems that it is about to surpass it.

This was welcomed by everyone.

Because, in comparison, the box office success of a film like "Article 20" is clearly more in line with everyone's expectations.

Meanwhile, the consecutive box office successes of realistic films have also sparked a series of discussions.

This has suddenly made realistic films a hot commodity in the film market.

"Realistic films are consistently box office hits; this is what the film market should look like!"

"Yes, the market will give the best response to more films with realistic themes and more meaningful content!"

"Stop talking nonsense. Realistic films are not so easy to make. It's just that Chen Mo's films are very pleasing, clever, and ingenious, which is why they are so popular. Go and see how many of the other realistic films are big hits. Many have good reviews, but they still fail at the box office. That's the norm!"

"Holy crap, I didn't know until I saw it, Chen Mo is really amazing! From 'Caught in the Web' to 'Dying to Survive', to 'Life's Big Events', and now 'The Twentieth Article', all of them are films that focus on reality, and they have all achieved both box office and critical success. He has created so many realistic films and they have all been successful. In the entire Chinese film industry, it seems that he is the only one who can do it, right?"

This comment immediately sparked another round of exclamations.

"It really is true. I hadn't paid much attention before, I only knew that Chen Mo's movies were all successful. I didn't expect that there were actually so many realistic films among his movies!"

"So, shouldn't we give him another title—King of Realistic Films?"

"That makes perfect sense. Among all the directors in the country, he may not have made the most films, but he is definitely the most successful and influential, right?"

"The Search" made everyone aware that cyberbullying is also illegal; "Dying to Survive" indirectly promoted medical reform; "Life's Big Events" helped us understand death and the funeral industry; and "Article 20" further popularized the law on "legitimate self-defense" and indirectly guided the verdict in the Kunshan Brother Long case!

I think, looking across the entire country, there's probably no other director who has achieved this level.

"Not only that! Has everyone forgotten that Chen Mo himself once single-handedly created the first case of online defamation, and that case became a guiding case for online defamation cases at the time?"

It's already in the textbooks!

"Perhaps it was because of that incident that he developed a particular fondness for realistic themes?"

"What makes a director successful? I think Chen Mo has set an example in this regard. This is what a director should be like! So, his ability to become the first Chinese director to have a box office of over 10 billion yuan is not only due to his talent, but also to his unwavering commitment to his original aspirations!"

Making realistic films is indeed quite enjoyable, especially for Chen Mo.

Look at "Caught in the Web"—it was the biggest cyberbullying case, which indirectly greatly amplified the film's influence.

As for "Dying to Survive," there's no need to elaborate. Similarly, if "Article 20" had been released after or even earlier than the Kunshan Long Ge case, its impact and influence wouldn't have been as significant.

Of course, no one would believe that Chen Mo could have foreseen the Kunshan Long Ge case.

It's just that it happened by chance. You see, cases of good Samaritans aren't so coincidental, are they?

However, regardless of the circumstances, "Article 20" has indeed left a very significant mark on film history because of the Kunshan Longge case.

In fact, to this day, apart from "Dying to Survive," no other realistic film has had an impact comparable to "Article 20"!
Even more so, many netizens believe that it was because of the perfect judicial interpretation given by Article 20 that the case was so quickly judged as legitimate self-defense, rather than excessive self-defense.

The film directly impacts reality, and in a way that is tangible and perceptible to everyone. That's what makes this film so powerful.

It's safe to say that in the future, any film with a realistic theme that doesn't connect with reality will be embarrassed to say it has a significant impact.

The final box office of "Article 20" still did not break the record of 25.5 billion yuan set by "Hello Mr. Billionaire". However, compared with Zhang Yimou's version in the previous life, Chen Mo's version was affected by the case, so the final box office was 24 billion yuan!
What's most unsettling is that "Article 20" is a project of Shengshi Pictures, and it's not just that Chen Mo himself directed it. But Shengshi Pictures also invested in "Hello Mr. Billionaire" and "The Island." It can be said that during this summer's box office season, Chen Mo's Shengshi Pictures had a significant share of investment in the top three films.

It's hard not to feel envious, jealous, and resentful!

However, Chen Mo was unusually low-key at the moment, and didn't even hold a celebration banquet for "Article 20".

Chen Mo really has to give the China Securities Regulatory Commission some face!

The investments in films like "Article 20," "Hello Mr. Billionaire," and "The Island" have captured more than half of the box office during this year's summer season, which is already quite high-profile.

If this continues, I reckon the IPO might even be ruined!
Finally, the final launch date has been set.

On November 1st, it was officially listed on the stock exchange and held a bell-ringing ceremony!

(End of this chapter)