Review of Curse of the Golden Flower (2006) by Hawk L — 16 Dec 2009

I wish I had a better understanding of Mandarin -- I know the subtitles do not do the dialogue justice (from what I could understand). It is a very complex story with intricate relationships among the family members. The 'secret' which leads to the ending -- one could say it is a tragic ending of Greek tragedy proportions -- doesn't quite satisfy the journey of watching the film.

Zhang Yimou is a master of cinematography. The level of detail in the costumes and scenery are impressive. Because of all this effort, it is a movie that has to be seen in hi-def (blu-ray) to appreciate the detail.

As for the acting, it is nice to see Chow Yun Fat in a more non-likable role (as he protrays in western films). Gong Li -- great acting like a b*tch (is it acting or is she really like that?). The other characters who play the princes in this film -- nothing really noteworthy.

Overall, this was not Zhang Yimou's best work to date. It keeps up to his level of artwork but nothing groundbreaking was apparent in this film. If you are collector of Asian cinema-- it might be worthwhile (you should see it in high-def) to watch. Not sure if I'd shell out the $$$ to buy it to own.