Director: Zhang Yimou
Year: 2006
Staring: Chow Yun Fat, Gong Li, Jay Chou, Liu Ye
Format: blu-ray
Zhang Yimou's period martial art's epic trilogy comes to a close with the most lavish incarnation yet as the astoundingly colourful sets and costumes of the Forbidden City provide the backdrop for a tale of intrigue and murder within the Imperial Family. Set during the Tang Dynasty of 10th century China, Curse of the Golden flower revolves around the secretive relationships between the Imperial Family and the rules and customs that make life extremely perilous in the Forbidden City where the Emperor is worshipped as a god on earth and his word is law.
Chow Yun Fat does an admirable job of playing the despotic Emperor of China, but the real star of the movie is Gong Li as the Empress Phoenix and much of the film is focused on her actions and the effect they have in the events that unfold. The story is a little convulted, and the running time a tad on the long side - but this is a visual treat of a movie with some nice action seqeuences and good solid performances from the cast and the hundreds upon hundreds of extras.
Overall i'd highly reccomend Curse of the Golden Flower, it's not as epic and lavish as Hero and doesn't have the same level of action as House of Flying Daggers - but in terms of the plot, the performances and the presentation, Zhang Yimou's direction can't be faulted and the film looks frankly stunning in high-definition.
8/10
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