LayarHijau – The Tang Dynasty costume drama The Vendetta of An, starring Cheng Yi, has once again sparked discussion, this time due to a scene where a knife suddenly changes position. The revenge and political intrigue drama went viral even before its release with the slogan “1 crew, 5 award-winning actors,” and it now tops multiple streaming platform charts with an online viewership rating exceeding 9000.
Recently, sharp-eyed viewers noticed a strange moment when Cheng Yi’s character, Xie Huaian, is attacked from behind by his uncle, Liu Ziyan. In one shot, the knife is shown lodged near the shoulder by the neck, but in the following shot of Xie Huaian lying in bed, the knife has inexplicably shifted to the main artery of the neck. This sudden shift drew comments from viewers who criticized the visual as “unprofessional.”
In addition, the angle and orientation of the knife also change between shots; the handle faces left in one, then right in the next, prompting jokes that “the knife has legs.” Netizens commented, “Is this the same knife?” and “Is this a serious drama or a comedy?”
It’s not only the knife that drew attention; some other scenes show inconsistencies with Tang Dynasty official attire, such as the way belts are tied. This sparked debate given the production’s previous claim of spending 120 million yuan on historical costume research and reconstruction.
Interestingly, this is not Cheng Yi’s first time caught in a blooper (filming mistake) in a costume drama. In September, while starring in The Journey of Legend alongside Guli Nazha, a scene captured Cheng Yi holding a script marked with blue highlighter for about three seconds, and he was also seen wearing thick-soled perforated shoes. Netizens joked, “Wuxia drama suddenly turned into a time-travel drama” and “Now actors don’t even memorize lines anymore?”
In The Vendetta of An, Cheng Yi plays Xie Huaian, a character obsessed with avenging his uncle, presenting a complex plot of intrigue and conspiracy, though some scenes have drawn attention due to visual inconsistencies.
