Other Titles • Shanghai Triad (1995) • Yao a yao yao dao waipo qiao
Synopses for Shanghai Triad (1995)
1.
Not even close to his best work, Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou--far from a favorite of Chinese authorities, and frequently harassed and stymied in his career--creates an impressive-looking period piece in this gangland story set in the 1930s. Gong Li (Raise the Red Lantern) gives a colorful performance as a nightclub diva who is the mistress of a mob boss. Told from the point of view of a boy (Wang Xiaoxiao) sent by the gangster to wait on the arrogant singer, the story follows these characters over several days as they flee Shanghai to hide out in the countryside. A supreme stylist, Zhang in his best work (Ju Dou, The Story of Qui Ju) is not dependent on conventional story structures or expensive sets. But Shanghai Triad leans heavily on both, and while it is an interesting and enjoyable film--and not without subtle allusions to the political climate and culture in modern China--it is finally an unsatisfying experience. The saving graces are the performances, most of all that of the masterful, chameleonlike Gong Li. --Tom Keogh
(15 votes)
2.
A visually dazzling gangster film from director Zhang Yimou. Nightclub singer Xiao Jingbao lives a pampered life as the mistress of Shanghai godfather Mr. Tang. However, she gets in over her head after she begins an affair with Song, Mr. Tang's number two man, who wants to wrench control of the crime dynasty.
Eventually, Xiao Jingbao finds herself caught in the middle of a mob war. Forced to leave behind her life of luxury and go into hiding with Mr. Tang, she gradually realizes just how expendable she is to both men.
We see all this through the eyes of Shuisheng, a 14-year-old boy whose uncle has brought him into the Tang Brotherhood. Assigned the task of keeping watch over Xiao Jingbao, he ultimately becomes her sole, trusted confidante.
(15 votes)
3.
A Film By Zhang Yimou
The charms of an alluring prostitute are used as bait between feuding ganglords against a dramatic backdrop of 1930's Shanghai in this exotic and utterly captivating thriller.
Award winner Zhang Yimou directs his enigmatic muse Gong Li in the latest in a long line of memorable collaborations (Red Sorghum, Ju Dou, Raise the Red Lantern, The Story of Qiu Ju and To Live).
"From the glowing artifice and warm surfaces of chic Shanghai to the natural blues and greens of the misty countryside where the tale leads, it is, in the truest sense, poetry in motion." - Jack Matthews, NEWSDAY
(15 votes)
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