# The Dead End (烈日灼心)

**The Dead End** (烈日灼心) is a 2015 Chinese crime-suspense film directed by Cao Baoping (曹保平) and adapted from the novelist Xu Yigua's (须一瓜) long novel *Sunspots* (《太阳黑子》). It stars [Deng Chao](https://www.edgepedia.org/deng-chao), Duan Yihong, Guo Tao, and Wang Luodan, and tells of three sworn brothers who have hidden for seven years after a family massacre, raising an orphaned girl together while a police detective closes in on them.<sup>[1](https://wapbaike.baidu.com/item/%E3%80%8A%E7%83%88%E6%97%A5%E7%81%BC%E5%BF%83%E3%80%8B/15386682)</sup> The film premiered at the 18th Shanghai International Film Festival in June 2015, where it won Best Director and a shared Best Actor award for its three male leads, and was released in mainland China on 27 August 2015.<sup>[2](https://whb-oss.oss-cn-shanghai.aliyuncs.com/zhuzhan/wangyan/20150622/32607.html)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[3](https://www.1905.com/mdb/film/2222954/)</sup>

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director and writers | Cao Baoping, co-written with Jiao Huajing (焦华静)<sup>[3](https://www.1905.com/mdb/film/2222954/)</sup> |
| Source | Xu Yigua's long novel *Sunspots* (《太阳黑子》)<sup>[3](https://www.1905.com/mdb/film/2222954/)</sup> |
| Release | 27 August 2015, mainland China; 139 minutes; Mandarin; 2D and China Film Giant Screen<sup>[3](https://www.1905.com/mdb/film/2222954/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[4](https://m.1905.com/m/film/info/2222954.shtml)</sup>  |
| Main cast | Deng Chao (Xin Xiaofeng), Duan Yihong (Yi Guchun), Guo Tao (Yang Zidao), Wang Luodan (Yi Guxia), Gao Hu (Chen Bijue)<sup>[1](https://wapbaike.baidu.com/item/%E3%80%8A%E7%83%88%E6%97%A5%E7%81%BC%E5%BF%83%E3%80%8B/15386682)</sup> |
| Shanghai festival honors | Best Director (Cao Baoping) and Best Actor shared by Deng Chao, Duan Yihong, and Guo Tao at the 18th Shanghai International Film Festival, June 2015<sup>[2](https://whb-oss.oss-cn-shanghai.aliyuncs.com/zhuzhan/wangyan/20150622/32607.html)</sup> |
| Box office | First-day takings of about 25 million yuan; 100 million yuan within three days; 305 million yuan total in mainland China<sup>[5](https://culture.people.com.cn/n/2015/0829/c22219-27530623.html)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[6](https://news.cntv.cn/2015/09/02/ARTI1441183729702702.shtml)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[1](https://wapbaike.baidu.com/item/%E3%80%8A%E7%83%88%E6%97%A5%E7%81%BC%E5%BF%83%E3%80%8B/15386682)</sup>  |
| Later awards | Hundred Flowers Best Picture and Best Screenplay (2016); Golden Rooster Best Actor for Deng Chao (2017)<sup>[7](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E3%80%8A%E7%83%88%E6%97%A5%E7%81%BC%E5%BF%83%E3%80%8B/15386682?fromModule=lemma_inlink)</sup> |

## Spoilers

### Plot

The story opens with a massacre in Xilong, Fujian: five members of one household die on the same day in a villa, a crime that shocks society, while the suspects, Yang Zidao (Guo Tao), Xin Xiaofeng (Deng Chao), and Chen Bijue (Gao Hu), remain at large.<sup>[1](https://wapbaike.baidu.com/item/%E3%80%8A%E7%83%88%E6%97%A5%E7%81%BC%E5%BF%83%E3%80%8B/15386682)</sup> Seven years later the three men live in Xiamen under other identities: Yang drives a taxi, Xin serves as an auxiliary police officer (协警, an assistant to regular police without full officer status), and Chen, left cognitively impaired by an accident, cares for the abandoned girl the three found and named Weiba ("Tail"), living at a relative's fish farm.<sup>[1](https://wapbaike.baidu.com/item/%E3%80%8A%E7%83%88%E6%97%A5%E7%81%BC%E5%BF%83%E3%80%8B/15386682)</sup> To atone, they work hard and keep a low profile, marrying no one and making no friends.<sup>[3](https://www.1905.com/mdb/film/2222954/)</sup>

The detective Yi Guchun (Duan Yihong), an experienced investigator, is transferred to lead Xin's squad. He values Xin's ability but senses a connection between the man and the old massacre case; a small habitual gesture, Xin extinguishing cigarettes with his left hand, feeds the suspicion.<sup>[1](https://wapbaike.baidu.com/item/%E3%80%8A%E7%83%88%E6%97%A5%E7%81%BC%E5%BF%83%E3%80%8B/15386682)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[4](https://m.1905.com/m/film/info/2222954.shtml)</sup>  Meanwhile Yi's sister Yi Guxia (Wang Luodan) falls for Yang at first sight and is repeatedly rebuffed.<sup>[4](https://m.1905.com/m/film/info/2222954.shtml)</sup> A scholarly account of the film describes its structure as three interwoven lines, the contest between Yi and Xin as the main thread, the doomed love between Yang and Yi Guxia and the father-daughter bond between Chen and Weiba as supporting threads, joined by parallel editing.<sup>[8](https://m.fx361.com/news/2022/1113/10880266.html)</sup> The film's opening already discloses the massacre's outline and the young woman's fatal heart attack during the assault, so the suspense rests not on whodunit but on whether the three men's seven-year flight will end in exposure; the revelation that a fourth man actually killed the family comes at the end.<sup>[8](https://m.fx361.com/news/2022/1113/10880266.html)</sup>

### Cast and characters

- **Deng Chao** as Xin Xiaofeng, the auxiliary policeman who is Yi Guchun's most capable partner and the man Yi never stops suspecting<sup>[4](https://m.1905.com/m/film/info/2222954.shtml)</sup>
- **Duan Yihong** as Yi Guchun, the detective<sup>[1](https://wapbaike.baidu.com/item/%E3%80%8A%E7%83%88%E6%97%A5%E7%81%BC%E5%BF%83%E3%80%8B/15386682)</sup>
- **Guo Tao** as Yang Zidao, the taxi driver<sup>[1](https://wapbaike.baidu.com/item/%E3%80%8A%E7%83%88%E6%97%A5%E7%81%BC%E5%BF%83%E3%80%8B/15386682)</sup>
- **Wang Luodan** as Yi Guxia<sup>[1](https://wapbaike.baidu.com/item/%E3%80%8A%E7%83%88%E6%97%A5%E7%81%BC%E5%BF%83%E3%80%8B/15386682)</sup>
- **Gao Hu** as Chen Bijue, the fish-raft keeper<sup>[4](https://m.1905.com/m/film/info/2222954.shtml)</sup>
- **Lü Songxian** as a Taiwanese designer, **Xu Xihan** as Weiba, **Li Xiaochuan** as Zhuo Shengfa, and **Du Zhiguo** as the master (师傅)<sup>[1](https://wapbaike.baidu.com/item/%E3%80%8A%E7%83%88%E6%97%A5%E7%81%BC%E5%BF%83%E3%80%8B/15386682)</sup>

## Development and production

The film took about five years from rights acquisition to release. The literary editor Sun Qing of Zhejiang Blue Star Pictures negotiated several rounds with Xu Yigua for the adaptation rights; the producer Ye Jinjun later called it the most grueling production he had worked on.<sup>[9](https://hznews.hangzhou.com.cn/wenti/content/2015-08/25/content_5895575.htm)</sup> To pass censorship review, Cao Baoping rewrote the film's structure three times. Casting was also troubled: Huang Bo had no availability, and Sun Honglei agreed but fell ill before shooting began.<sup>[9](https://hznews.hangzhou.com.cn/wenti/content/2015-08/25/content_5895575.htm)</sup>

[Principal photography](https://www.edgepedia.org/principal-photography) ran from 15 February to 3 June 2013, on locations including Xiamen and [Zhangzhou](https://www.edgepedia.org/zhangzhou) in Fujian and Zhoushan in Zhejiang.<sup>[1](https://wapbaike.baidu.com/item/%E3%80%8A%E7%83%88%E6%97%A5%E7%81%BC%E5%BF%83%E3%80%8B/15386682)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[4](https://m.1905.com/m/film/info/2222954.shtml)</sup>  After shooting, the actor Gao Hu was detained in a drug case, and the film's release was indefinitely postponed from its announced date of 21 November 2014.<sup>[9](https://hznews.hangzhou.com.cn/wenti/content/2015-08/25/content_5895575.htm)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[10](https://media.people.com.cn/n/2014/0814/c40606-25462075.html)</sup>  Cao Baoping said publicly that Gao Hu's scenes would not be cut.<sup>[10](https://media.people.com.cn/n/2014/0814/c40606-25462075.html)</sup>

Cao Baoping, born in 1968, is a screenwriter, director, and producer who graduated from the Beijing Film Academy, where he later taught, and began directing features in 2001; his other films include *The Equation of Love and Death* (《李米的猜想》) and *Einstein and Einstein* (《狗十三》).<sup>[11](https://www.goldenhorse.org.tw/film/about/archive/detail/1292)</sup> He has rejected the label of art-film director, saying all his films are drama films with strong character relationships and clearly defined events.<sup>[12](https://culture.people.com.cn/n/2015/0825/c22219-27512175.html)</sup> In adapting the novel he kept the character relationships but reworked the narrative order substantially, saying a film must "rebuild" its own system for the audience.<sup>[6](https://news.cntv.cn/2015/09/02/ARTI1441183729702702.shtml)</sup>

Deng Chao prepared for Xin Xiaofeng by staying in character between takes, rarely leaving his auxiliary-police uniform; he was simultaneously shooting the comedy *The Breakup Guru* and described swinging between the two productions as close to breakdown, fainting twice on set.<sup>[13](https://www.chinanews.com/yl/2014/08-14/6493767.shtml)</sup> For the lethal-injection scene he chose to receive a real injection to feel the fluid entering his bloodstream.<sup>[7](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E3%80%8A%E7%83%88%E6%97%A5%E7%81%BC%E5%BF%83%E3%80%8B/15386682?fromModule=lemma_inlink)</sup>

## Release and box office

The film premiered at the Shanghai International Film Festival on 15 June 2015 and opened in mainland China on 27 August 2015.<sup>[14](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5jSVKCAqgE)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[3](https://www.1905.com/mdb/film/2222954/)</sup>  Its first-day screenings, box office, and per-screen attendance all set records for a mainland Chinese-language crime film, with first-day takings of about 25 million yuan against competition from *Terminator Genisys* and *Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation*.<sup>[5](https://culture.people.com.cn/n/2015/0829/c22219-27530623.html)</sup> Box office passed 100 million yuan within three days of release.<sup>[6](https://news.cntv.cn/2015/09/02/ARTI1441183729702702.shtml)</sup> The final mainland total was 305 million yuan.<sup>[1](https://wapbaike.baidu.com/item/%E3%80%8A%E7%83%88%E6%97%A5%E7%81%BC%E5%BF%83%E3%80%8B/15386682)</sup> The film was also the opening film of that year's FIRST Youth Film Festival.<sup>[15](https://www.scdnews.com/images/paper/150721/150721C.pdf)</sup>

## Awards

At the 18th Shanghai International Film Festival's Golden Goblet awards in June 2015, Deng Chao, Duan Yihong, and Guo Tao jointly received the Best Actor award, and Cao Baoping received Best Director; the Best Picture prize went to the French film *The Night Watch*.<sup>[2](https://whb-oss.oss-cn-shanghai.aliyuncs.com/zhuzhan/wangyan/20150622/32607.html)</sup> The film was later nominated for Best Actor at the 52nd Golden Horse Awards in 2015.<sup>[7](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E3%80%8A%E7%83%88%E6%97%A5%E7%81%BC%E5%BF%83%E3%80%8B/15386682?fromModule=lemma_inlink)</sup> In 2016 it won Best Picture and Best Screenplay (Cao Baoping and Jiao Huajing) at the 33rd Hundred Flowers Awards, and Wang Luodan won Best Supporting Actress at the 13th Changchun Film Festival.<sup>[4](https://m.1905.com/m/film/info/2222954.shtml)</sup> On 16 September 2017, Deng Chao won Best Actor at the 31st Golden Rooster Awards for the film.<sup>[1](https://wapbaike.baidu.com/item/%E3%80%8A%E7%83%88%E6%97%A5%E7%81%BC%E5%BF%83%E3%80%8B/15386682)</sup>

## Reception

Audience scores have stayed high: Douban 8.3 out of 10 from 704,410 users, Mtime 7.7 from 8,258 users, and iQIYI 8.9 from 2.005 million users, as of 17 May 2024.<sup>[16](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E7%83%88%E6%97%A5%E7%81%BC%E5%BF%83/15386682)</sup> Critics credited the film with raising the ceiling of the Chinese-language crime genre. A 1905.com review argued that it treats crime seriously, giving its criminals a two-sided humanity rare in mainland crime films, with Deng Chao's auxiliary policeman solving cases recklessly not from bravery but from a need to atone.<sup>[17](https://www.1905.com/news/20150828/926351.shtml)</sup> A 2017 academic survey of mainland police-crime cinema described the film as a new benchmark for the genre, citing its plot twists, sharp editing, performances, and social consciousness.<sup>[18](https://m.fx361.com/news/2017/1113/10891936.html)</sup> A newspaper commentary later grouped it with Diao Yinan's *Black Coal, Thin Ice* as work that revived Chinese crime cinema, noting that it produced the "miracle" of three shared Best Actor awards.<sup>[19](https://epaper.lnd.com.cn/lswbepaper/pc/att/201909/02/8e5a28e7-7e26-4679-a691-96185df77ca1.pdf)</sup> Reviewers also noted flaws: a 1905.com critique found some unrestrained elements damaged the narrative rhythm.<sup>[17](https://www.1905.com/news/20150828/926351.shtml)</sup>

## References

1. [《烈日灼心》（2015年曹保平执导的犯罪悬疑电影）, Baidu Baike](https://wapbaike.baidu.com/item/%E3%80%8A%E7%83%88%E6%97%A5%E7%81%BC%E5%BF%83%E3%80%8B/15386682)
2. [《烈日灼心》让邓超段奕宏郭涛同获影帝, 文汇报 (2015-06-22)](https://whb-oss.oss-cn-shanghai.aliyuncs.com/zhuzhan/wangyan/20150622/32607.html)
3. [烈日灼心 The Dead End (2015), 1905电影网](https://www.1905.com/mdb/film/2222954/)
4. [烈日灼心 详细资料, 1905电影网](https://m.1905.com/m/film/info/2222954.shtml)
5. [《烈日灼心》刷新内地犯罪电影首日多项纪录, 新华网 via 人民网 (2015-08-29)](https://culture.people.com.cn/n/2015/0829/c22219-27530623.html)
6. [《烈日灼心》3天票房破亿 导演：邓超段奕宏一拍即合, 央视网 (2015-09-02)](https://news.cntv.cn/2015/09/02/ARTI1441183729702702.shtml)
7. [《烈日灼心》获奖记录, Baidu Baike](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E3%80%8A%E7%83%88%E6%97%A5%E7%81%BC%E5%BF%83%E3%80%8B/15386682?fromModule=lemma_inlink)
8. [智婧 (2022). 《烈日灼心》的叙事与影像解构. 戏剧之家 2022年7期.](https://m.fx361.com/news/2022/1113/10880266.html)
9. [浙产电影《烈日灼心》折腾了5年本周上映, 杭州网 (2015-08-25)](https://hznews.hangzhou.com.cn/wenti/content/2015-08/25/content_5895575.htm)
10. [《烈日灼心》定档 导演曹保平：不删减高虎戏份, 人民网 (2014-08-14)](https://media.people.com.cn/n/2014/0814/c40606-25462075.html)
11. [烈日灼心 The Dead End, 台北金马影展](https://www.goldenhorse.org.tw/film/about/archive/detail/1292)
12. [曹保平解读《烈日灼心》：好电影从不止步于类型, 北京晨报 via 人民网 (2015-08-25)](https://culture.people.com.cn/n/2015/0825/c22219-27512175.html)
13. [邓超演《烈日灼心》险被虐到"崩溃", 中新网 (2014-08-14)](https://www.chinanews.com/yl/2014/08-14/6493767.shtml)
14. [烈日灼心 (film listing with release dates), YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5jSVKCAqgE)
15. [美南新闻日报影视版 (2015-07-21), FIRST影展开幕报道](https://www.scdnews.com/images/paper/150721/150721C.pdf)
16. [《烈日灼心》影片评价（大众评分）, Baidu Baike](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E7%83%88%E6%97%A5%E7%81%BC%E5%BF%83/15386682)
17. [《烈日灼心》：用案件讲人性 华语犯罪片的突破, 1905电影网 (2015-08-28)](https://www.1905.com/news/20150828/926351.shtml)
18. [崔墒烈 (2017). 当下国产警匪电影的类型叙事——以《烈日灼心》为中心的考察. 文艺论坛 2017年8期.](https://m.fx361.com/news/2017/1113/10891936.html)
19. [辽宁晚报 (2019-09-02), 罪案电影评论版](https://epaper.lnd.com.cn/lswbepaper/pc/att/201909/02/8e5a28e7-7e26-4679-a691-96185df77ca1.pdf)

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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Crime, thriller, and mystery films (individual works) › 2015–2019 films › Crime drama and neo-noir films*

*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*

*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*

License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license