Curse of the Golden Flower (Man cheng jin dai huang jin jia) (2006)

Posted : 7 months, 1 week ago at Apr 15 23:16

Some of the most breathtaking & gorgeously intricate background set designs ever in a film. So rich are the colors & exquisite details in this movie, that it requires multiple viewings just to be able to soak it all in. Once one can get passed that aspect of the film, it will become obvious that the sets are not a distraction, but an enhancement to the story. An enrichment that adds to the dialogue with an intensity that allows the ideas of what appears to be human pettiness behavior in a royal setting to be revealed as much grander in scope & concept.
And for a movie that can make someone as simple minded as myself come to a conclusion like that, that's definitely a statement to the power of it's artistry.



Rating : 9/10

Posted : 1 year, 3 months ago at Aug 24 0:17

I'm always entertained by quasi-historical dramas that have an interesting plot coupled with good acting and direction. This fits the bill very nicely. I was very impressed by Chow Yun Fat's performance. His cold cruelty and brutality were a change from his other roles that I've seen over the years. Gong Li was brilliant too as the suffering queen. The acting was good to exceptional throughout.

Apart from that, the convoluted plot is fairly typical of most Chinese historical dramas and I usually like those, this was no exception. The production quality and costumes were truly exceptional. I loved the chrysanthemum covered palace ground, they looked very stunning. There's much to like about this movie.

Rating : 8/10

Posted : 1 year, 11 months ago at Dec 7 16:21

I watched this film purely because I was so amazed by the previous films of Yimou Zhang. You kind of go into the film expecting something epic, with grand fights and amazing colours, and while this film delivers on the colours front, there isn't really much else that you would expect. The first half of the film dragged substantially, I wondered if there would ever be any actual entertainment. One thing you can count on from wuxia is that you pretty much have to suspend belief in feasible plots and chains of events to get any enjoyment out of the movie, but the beginning was pure plotline - and while it wasn't too far fetched to believe, it just wasn't interesting. Worse still, it is all set inside the confines of an imperial palace and so you get no breath-taking scenery of the likes t...Read more

Rating : 6/10

Posted : 2 years, 10 months ago at Jan 21 16:37

I am surprised to see suck a low average rating on this movie here. Being a huge wuxia/period fan I am naturally a little biased, but it totally blew my mind. The first half was an interesting build-up of character and plot, the second exploded into a climax I haven't seen the likes of for quite some time.

I am usually not a huge Gong Li fan but she was FANTASTIC in her role as the Empress. Chow Yun Fat was great in his role, and dare I say that Jay Chou wasn't nearly as bad as I was expecting him to be.

I am hesitant to give any movie a solid 10, especially in a review that others might read for advice, but it is up up up there. 9.5 and a must-see.

Rating : 9/10