Review of Curse of the Golden Flower (2006) by Benoit B — 16 Dec 2008

Less is more, they say. Zhang Yimou is a highly gifted filmmaker and proved it by giving us some of the best chinese films there are. He has a remarkable sense of visual style, poet of color and light. But this time, it feels he went overboard. We get lost in all these bright colours and costumes, borderline OD. Maybe the art department is overcompensating for the frailty of the story. It sometimes feels like watching a melodramatic soap opera. Yet I must admit I was totally taken by Li Gong performance.

Conclusion: a disappointing film, considering Zhang Yimou's talent. But if you're a hardcore fan of Zhang or of the genre, then it's good enough.