Chinese director Zhang Yimou ends his bid to outfly Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon with Curse Of The Golden Flower, the third in his Wuxia (the Chinese style of flying and fighting) films. Much like Hero and House Of Flying Daggers, it is drenched in colours so dazzling, and boasts action scenes so exhilarating, that you can almost forgive any shortcomings in the story. Almost. Despite its grandeur, this film is in many ways the least rewarding of the three. Set in Chinas tenth century Tang dynasty, the story sees Chow Yun Fats emperor trying to poison his wife,... a trussed-up and progressively unstable Gong Li, who is having an affair with her step-son Wan, and trying to manoeuvre her other son Jai against his tyrannical father. Lets just say that it gets more complicated from there on in, and involves lots of running through endless corridors, but really, its best to just sit back and let that intense visual style work its magic. Swapping action for dramatic intrigue might have been Yimous mistake, but theres no mistaking his knack for breath-taking cinematography. Even if purely on a visual scale, Golden Flower still manages to captivate, and the final battle scene is at least worth the slightly overlong wait. Die hard fans of these films might feel a bit stiffed, but everyone else wont be short of eye candy. --Luke Mawson [show more]
We will publish your review of Curse of the Golden Flower [Blu-ray] on Blu Ray within a few days as long as it meets our guidelines.
None of your personal details will be passed on to any other third party.
Lavish historical drama directed by Yimou Zhang. During the latter days of the Tang Dynasty in 10th-century China, the Emperor (Chow Yun-Fat) returns home from war unexpectedly along with his son Prince Jai (Jay Chou). But while the Empress (Gong Li) is happy to see her son, her reception of her husband is less cordial - their marriage has been an unhappy one for many years and in the Emperor's absence she has taken her step-son, Crown Prince Wan (Liu Ye) as a lover. In frustration, the Emperor orders the Imperial doctor (Ni Dahong) to secretly drug the Empress and render her insane. But the situation is further complicated by the doctor's daughter, with whom the Crown Prince secretly wishes to elope. As the family's entangled motives lead inevitably towards violence and retribution, their youngest member, Prince Yu (Qin Junjie), struggles to bring peace to the royal household.
This site uses cookies.
More details in our privacy policy
