Review of Curse of the Golden Flower (2006) by Kevin P — 17 Jun 2009

As with the previous 2 Yimou Zhang films that have made significant headway over here, Curse of the Golden Flower is first and foremost beautifully shot. With characteristically fantastic use of cinematography and colour to suggest moods, atmosphere and location changes it is very easy to get lost in the visuals and not pay attention to the plot at all. This would be un-just however as in this case, the political intrigue and confusion, evident in Hero but lost in House of Flying Daggers, has returned and the narrative takes the viewer on a detailed and tragic journey through the various emotions and motivations of each character.

The only place the film falls down slightly is in the martial arts and coreography, which isn't as strong as previously but with all this to offer, the Curse is a highly watchable and visually stunning film, ideal for an audience who enjoyed the aforementioned Chinese epics.