CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER (2007)
Dir. Zhao Xiadong
Chow Yun Fat
Gong Li
Jay Chou
Liu Ye
Chen Jin
Ni Dahong
Li Man
Oin Junjie
This is a spectacular film. It is a story of betrayal, vengence and lust in the forbidden city of feudal China. This is far more than a martial arts movie, but there is some excellent kung fu in it as you would expect from Chow Yun Fat. The cinematography is astounding. The movie is an epic on a huge scale-some of the battle scenes use thousands of extras, and there are armies of servants in the palace. It shows very clearly how tightly controlled the lives of the ruling family of China were controlled. They were virtually under surveillance 24 hours a day. It was possible for a member of the family to live out their entire lives without ever leaving the palace grounds. The movie shows how they deal with this. It also makes clear that a normal person lived only at the indulgence of the rulers, and the rulers at the privilege of the Emperor. Chow Yun Fat is brilliant as the Emperor, and Gong Li gives an excellent performance as the Empress being slowly poisoned. The rest of the cast is very strong. It's a must see, so if you haven't seen this one yet, go rent it. Tonight. And get some popcorn too, dammit.