AniInterview Sorry, this movie sucks

Listonixio Fresh and Exciting

Adeel Hail Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

Verity Robins Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

classicsoncall Apparently director Yimou Zhang was just warming up with "Hero" and "House of Flying Daggers" before tackling the project that resulted in "Curse of the Golden Flower". I think it's pretty safe to say you won't find a more outrageously colorful film anywhere in any genre, even topping the effort of Zhang's prior two films.It seems there's a bit of a disconnect between the opening scene which states the story takes place in 28 A.D. China during the Tang Dynasty, while the story line indicated on the IMDb title page for the movie places the time frame in the Tenth Century. A quick internet search reveals that the Tang Dynasty lasted from 618 to 907 A.D., so something must have gone awry there. Nevertheless, it's a compelling story if you're into dysfunctional royal families, because this tale is loaded with intrigue, falsehoods, and a surfeit of double crosses that results in disaster for most of it's principals.What you won't find here so much is traditional martial arts mayhem when it comes to the action scenes. A lot of that is provided by the ninja-like, black clad warriors who descend on the royal palace to defend the Emperor (Yun-Fat Chow), while an immense battle scene is staged in the latter part of the picture that rivals the opposing forces in "The Return of the King" from The Lord of the Rings trilogy. If you like to see your fight scenes handled realistically, better pass here as Prince Jai (Jay Chou) finds himself continually surrounded by hordes of attacking soldiers and fighting his way out just a bit too handily.So that's not the reason I would recommend the film for potential viewers. What I thrill to is the gorgeous cinematography and spectacular use of color for scenes ranging from the Imperial Palace to the chrysanthemum laden battlefield that lends a sublime backdrop to the carnage that follows. You'll also have to pay attention to the machinations of the main characters, virtually all of them deceitful and decadent as they play out their strategies to disastrous ends.

Leofwine_draca CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER is a sumptuous and beautiful film – a real treat for the senses. Every shot has been painstakingly put together, and the colour palette on display here is like nothing you've ever seen before. The scenery is almost overpowering in its luxury. Now usually, I'd follow this description up by saying something like 'unfortunately, there's no plot to go with it' – but not in this case. CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER is a Shakespearian tragedy told anew and a film Kurosawa himself would have been proud of.At its heart, this is a family drama. Corruption, secrets and lies always seem to be present at the highest households in the country, and it's no exception here. A web of blackmail, adultery, incest, poison and murder unfolds in a completely spellbinding way and it's an added bonus that the cast can do the story so much justice. Gong Li is fantastic as the centrepiece of the film, the doomed empress trying to get herself out of an impossible situation; the three actors playing the sons are all brilliant in their own way, and Chow Yun-Fat makes for a hissable yet understandable villain.Of course, there's the martial arts too. While I would have preferred for more realism, there's no denying the artistry of the fights here. Watching shadowy assassins flying through the air or an army of golden warriors battling it out with their silver enemies is breathtaking and tremendously entertaining. This is a film that starts off slowly before ending on a real high – a modern masterpiece at that. I hated HERO and really liked HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS – but CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER is the best yet!

esmorr I caught this movie on TV the other night while flicking around, and could not turn it off! As a Westerner with little knowledge of Chinese history or culture, (any knowledge that I do have has come from a smattering at school as a child and some movies as an adult), this visually spectacular work grabbed my attention and would not let me go.As has been said by others here, this picture is set during the reign of the famous Tang dynasty, where the Emporer lusts for complete control of everyone in his kingdom, including his immediate family. If he cannot gain this by twisting their lives to his will, he will do so by blood-lust. The machinations which surround his ambitions involve every member of the family, and his personal army, as well as his doctor and his relatives.I am not normally a fan of martial arts movies, but the fighting scenes which sew this story together are extremely well choreographed and spectacular to see. Be aware that the blood does flow though. The scenery in this movie is mostly of the Forbidden Kingdom palace and grounds, but is spectacularly offered. Hollywood could certainly learn something from the way that these sets are presented.Masterful performances by the two leads steer this movie through twists and turns which demand the viewer's full attention. Chow Yun Fat is wonderful as Emporer Ping, and the very beautiful Gong Li is quite incredible as the dutiful Empress Phoenix, and grabs your attention in every scene. While on the subject, from a male's point of view it is notable that the push-up bra's are doing overtime in this movie!This is a great picture which I believe that any fan of Chinese cinema, and also those who enjoy Hollywood's offerings about ancient China, will love. It is more than a martial arts movie, and more than a drama involving family. It is a thoroughly engrossing story told in spectacular fashion. I look forward to seeing this picture again, subtitles and all !!

ma-cortes 10th Century , during China's Tang dynasty the emperor has taken the princess of a neighboring province as wife. She has borne him two sons and raised his eldest . On the eve of the Chong Yang Festival, golden flowers fill the Imperial Palace. The Emperor (Chow Yun Fat) returns unexpectedly with his second son, Prince Jai (Jay Chou). His pretext is to celebrate the holiday with his family, but given the chilled relations between the Emperor and the ailing Empress (Gong Li), this seems disingenuous . The control of emperor over his dominion is complete, including the royal family itself . For many years, the Empress and Crown Prince Wan (Liu Ye), her stepson, have had an illicit liaison and unspeakable secrets are hidden within the Forbidden City. Feeling trapped, Prince Wan dreams of escaping the palace with his secret love Chan (Li Man), the Imperial Doctor's daughter. Meanwhile, Prince Jai, the faithful son, grows worried over the Empress's health and her obsession with golden chrysanthemums. The Emperor harbors equally clandestine plans; the Imperial Doctor (Ni Dahong) is the only one privy to his machinations. When the Emperor senses a looming threat, the emperor relocates the medic's family from the Palace to a remote area . While they are en route, mysterious assassins attack them. Chan and her mother, Jiang Shi (Chen Jin) are forced back to the palace. At the night, thousands of soldiers are trampled as blood spills across the Imperial Palace in a spectacular final battle .This luxurious epic film was marvelously filmed with impressive production design , colorful cinematography and breathtaking scenes . The picture is full of tumultuous sequences with dark surprises , thrills , fierce combats and groundbreaking battles . Amid the glamour and grandeur of the scenarios is developed a familiar intrigue in Shakespeare's King Lear style , including betrayal , incest , crime and exploring the dark side of Chinese empire . Impressive and rousing fights with thousands of golden armored warriors reenacted by lots of extras . Overwhelming attack on the fortress where is relocated the doctor's family , being subsequently copied in ¨Kung Fu Panda¨ . Wonderfully photographed especially when against a moonlit night, thousands of chrysanthemum blossoms are trampled as blood spills across the Imperial Palace. The motion picture was glamorously directed by Yimou Zhang who often works with the actress Li Gong and as well as most of his films , it begins with the title displayed in Chinese calligraphy style. Zhang forms part of China's Fifth Generation of filmmakers, who began making films after the Cultural Revolution , others from this group include Chen Kaige and Jinzhan Zhang . He is an expert on Chinese epics such as ¨Shanghai Triad¨ , ¨Hero¨ ,¨House of Flying Daggers¨ , ¨The flowers of war¨ and of course the Oscarized and successful ¨Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon¨ . Rating : Better than average . Worthwhile watching .