The Procurator

The Procurator (Chinese: 检察风云; pinyin: Jian cha feng yun) is a 2023 Chinese crime drama film directed by Alan Mak, and starring Johnny Huang, Bai Baihe, and Wang Likun. The film was released on April 29, 2023, by China Lion Film. College professor Xia Wei is on trial for murder for killing Chen Xin, a man involved in the rape of her student Ye Xiaohuan three months earlier. Xia Wei remains silent without making a statement, so the procurator Li Rui begins his arguments, connecting the parties involved in the crime to the criminal underworld of the Liucheng District as well as to the robbery of the Tang Dynasty Empress Tomb thirty years earlier and Mayor Yan Zhitian himself. The script was co-written by Zhao Peng, a veteran procurator who drew inspiration from real cases for the script. The film was shot in China. The film was released theatrically in China on 29 April 2023, followed by a short run in New Zealand. Derek Elley of Sino-Cinema gave the film a rating of 6 out of 10, writing, "Part courtroom drama, part crime procedural, this ends up being not especially involving on either count, though a strong cast makes it watchable." Reviewer Joshua Polanski of bostonhassle.com wrote, "The genius of Mak’s storytelling is still there—one just has to be willing to do a little archeology to uncover it." Reviewer Kyle McGrath of lilithia.net wrote, "The Procurator is a stylish murder mystery with some refreshingly intriguing ideas and an exceptional cast.