Curse of the Golden Flower

Director Zhang Yimou is consistently ranked among the best directors in the world and for good reason. His films, ranging from his smaller, earlier work (Red Sorghum, Raise the Red Lantern) to his more recent epics (Hero, House of Flying Daggers), are rife with so many themes and are so masterfully executed that they stand head and shoulders above the works of most other filmmakers. Often using ancient Chinese legends for inspiration, he threads together wonderful narratives that focus on characters and relationships, while also creating some remarkable visual templates. Curse of the Golden Flower employs all of the director’s skills to their maximum effect. It is his most gorgeous looking film to date, and it features action sequences that would rival any of the Lord of the Rings pictures. On top of that, the plot is something right out of Shakespeare. Emperor Ping (played with a terrifying coldness by Chow Yun-Fat) has assembled his wife and three sons at the Forbidden City for the upcoming chrysanthemum festival. Although the eldest son, Xiang, is the Crown Prince, the Emperor would prefer to leave his throne to the middle son, Jie. Meanwhile, his wife, the Empress Phoenix (superbly played by Gong Li) suspects that her husband has been gradually poisoning her for several days. The story unfolds to include murder, love, conspiracy, incest, betrayal and madness among a host of other themes. Shigeru Umebayashi’s score oozes majesty and treachery all at once, and Zhao Xiaoding’s cinematography is truly breathtaking to behold. Although, when compared to Hero and other earlier works, Curse of the Golden Flower emerges as being decidedly harsh and unsympathetic, it is nonetheless one of Zhang Yimou’s richest endeavors to date and only serves to solidify his position as a superior filmmaker.

Directed by Zhang Yimou.
Written by Zhang Yimou.
Starring Gong Li, Chow Yun-Fat, Liu Ye, Jay Chou, Junjie Qin, Li Man, Jin Chen and Ni Dahong.

Rated R for violence. 114 min.

****½ so says The Fish