Chinese director Zhang Yimou ends his bid to outfly Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon with Curse Of The Golden Flower, the third in his Wuxia (the Chinese style of flying and fighting) films. Much like Hero and House Of Flying Daggers, it is drenched in colours so dazzling, and boasts action scenes so exhilarating, that you can almost forgive any shortcomings in the story. Almost. Despite its grandeur, this film is in many ways the least rewarding of the three.

Set in China’s tenth century Tang dynasty, the story sees Chow Yun Fat’s emperor trying to poison his wife, a trussed-up and progressively unstable Gong Li, who is having an affair with her step-son Wan, and trying to manoeuvre her other son Jai against his tyrannical father. Let’s just say that it gets more complicated from there on in, and involves lots of running through endless corridors, but really, it’s best to just sit back and let that intense visual style work its magic.

Swapping action for dramatic intrigue might have been Yimou’s mistake, but there’s no mistaking his knack for breath-taking cinematography. Even if purely on a visual scale, Golden Flower still manages to captivate, and the final battle scene is at least worth the slightly overlong wait. Die hard fans of these films might feel a bit stiffed, but everyone else won’t be short of eye candy. --Luke Mawson
In 2004, Zhang Yimou caused a sensation with his astonishing House of Flying Daggers, and his Curse of the Golden Flower is yet another dazzling, visually stunning film. Calling again upon the talents of the striking Gong Li, Yimou tells an epic tale of lust and power set in the opulent world of the Later Tang dynasty. The plot follows the story of the Emperor (Chow Yun Fat) and his Empress (Li) and the tragic disintegration of their royal family--whose problems go far beyond the merely dysfunctional. For starters, the ailing Empress has long been having an affair with her stepson, the Crown Prince Wan (Liu Ye). Unbeknownst to her, Wan has been dallying with the Imperial Doctor's daughter (Li Man), and has plans to escape the palace with her. Meanwhile, the Emperor himself has just returned from a long trip, and while relations with his wife are obviously icy, it becomes clear that his plans for her are far more ominous than she could ever imagine. Everyone involved has a secret plan for either escape or domination, resulting in an explosive ending wherein the darkest family secrets are revealed and horrifically bloody battles are waged both inside and outside the walls of the sparkling, gold-encrusted palace. Yimou appears to be trying to balance his flair for telling an emotional story with his talent for thrilling, detail-driven action sequences, and while Curse's plot does at times seem close to that of a soap opera, the phenomenal performances and breathtaking visuals are more than enough to power the film forward. Fans of Yimou's quieter work (Riding Along For Thousands of Miles) are likely to enjoy the dramatic exploration of family relationships, while there are still plenty of hissing ninjas to satisfy Daggers enthusiasts.

Customer Rating:
Summary: Chinese eye Candy.
Comment: This film is the 'ROlls ROyce' or the 'Ritz' version of 'Crouching Tiger, hidden Dragon'. However, in my opinion, Hero still has to reign supreme over these 3 most well-known chinese masterpieces.
There is no doubt that no expense has been spared producing and making this film. It is opulent, extravagant and has the most luscious, and grand sceneries, backdrops and costumes of the 3 films. Its storyline is just as if not a lot more complex to follow as well, especially if you're being distracted by all the extravagance and action. Gong li as ever is seductively, sublimely, beautiful. If nothing else, buy this to watch and admire her. I would give this 3 and a half stars.

---

Customer Rating:
Summary: Curse of the Golden Flower
Comment: 'Curse of the Golden Flower' is an epic saga of family loyalty and betrayal. The direction is truly sumptuous and the use of colour is as beautiful as in this directors other highly lauded films. The story kept me engaged the whole time and the film sets and costumes were amazing to see. The acting is excellent and you barely even notice you're reading subtitles this film keeps you so engrossed. Although not strictly a martial arts film, this does have some excellent martial arts scenes and the end battle is an epic tour de force. This is one to watch and appreciate again and again. Highly recommended.

---

Customer Rating:
Summary: Good film - but suffers in comparison to its brethren
Comment: The Amazon review, above, actually sums it up rather well. It's a spectacular looking film that just suffers from being the third film in a series where the first two are true cinematic greats. This is a very good film, just not on the same level as the excellent "Flying Daggers" and the simply breath-taking "Hero".

The cinematography is, once again, superb with a dazzling use of colour. But the plot drags along and the fight sequences don't seem so imaginative, flowing or beautiful as before.

Maybe if I hadn't already seen Hero I would have been more impressed but, as it is, I'm glad I've seen it for the sake of completion if nothing else.

---

Customer Rating:
Summary: Fantastic
Comment: Much better than "The Warlords" which I saw recently, and I would say considerably better than "The Banquet" which is along the same lines. Gong Li really gets into her role and the twists and turns continue to the exit curtain.

---

Customer Rating:
Summary: A colourful dramatic spectacular epic.
Comment: This is not a martial arts film. It is full of intrigue, drama, colour and bloody action especially towards the end of the film. The Emperor is poisoning the Empress and the Empress is plotting a coup to overthrow him. The acting is first class. The scenery and the colours are stunning. The filming is simply superb. When the action comes it is epic in scale. The subtitles are small and sometimes move along at quite a pace, which is a little unfortunate but this should not put you off. Well worth watching. Recommended. I look forward to watching it again.

---