Record Without Words (2023): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 2023, Record Without Words is a crime, drama and mystery film directed by Feihuan Hao, running about 91 minutes.

What it’s about. In the early 1990s, "Public Order Defence Squads" in China — usually made up of discharged military personnel, unemployed young adults and local hooligans — were supposed to maintain public order in villages and towns. Most of the time, however, they ended up dealing with all sorts of mundane matters in their towns. The story begins with a mysterious case of serial dog killings. LI Lizhong, leader of the local defence squad, starts an investigation into the case, following a set of strange clues and studying them using piecemeal knowledge of primitive criminology and ichnology. After a string of hijinks, the squad catches the dog killer. However, the evidence also shows that the case is closely related to the accidental death of Lizhong’s father.

Who’s in it. Record Without Words stars Zhang Yu as 李立忠, Ma Yinyin, Chubu Huajie and Sun Min as 奎叔, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 5.8/10, Record Without Words has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Record Without Words page.

If you liked it. Fans of Record Without Words tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, The Godfather Part II and The Dark Knight.