Though autobiography may not have been Zhang Yimou's intention with Shanghai Triad, it's hard not to see the film as a form of self-critique, not least because Boss may be ruthless, but he's also clever, charismatic, and perceptive...

| Original Score: 3/4 | Aug 23, 2022

In the end, Shanghai Triad isnt the most complex or nuanced film out of Zhangs varied filmography, but it still manages to be a layered examination of the triad world.

| Feb 12, 2022

A typically formidable performance by Gong Li .

| Original Score: 3/4 | Aug 16, 2020

On paper, a pretty tired old story of a gangster and a gangster's moll, but Zhang's telling of it is so meticulous, so layered, that it feels fresh at every turn.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Aug 9, 2020

A film that would persuade you to support Mao's revolution if only for wiping out the feudal-like criminal gangs.

| Aug 3, 2020

The film's told from the the boy's viewpoint and as a result, the narrative occasionally has a halting quality. The scenes of sudden violence, however, are orchestrated with visceral effect by Zhang...

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Jul 15, 2020

Less a crime or action flick than a class drama, Shanghai Triad regretfully reminds us that even those who set themselves on a path out of nameless poverty are at the whim of the men with the real power.

| Jul 1, 2020

A deep, powerful and rivetingly complex study of Tienanmen - and, ironically, it's far more evenhanded in its account of the massacre that killed more than a thousand protesters than the Chinese government might suspect.

| Feb 26, 2018

| Original Score: B | Sep 7, 2011

A powerful portrait of mob power from the gifted and versatile director Yimou.

| Original Score: B | Jul 22, 2011

Soando como um mero veículo para a beleza de Gong Li, este aspirante a Ajuste Final conta com uma bela fotografia (com exceção da noite americana pavorosa), mas nada mais, revelando-se o pior filme da carreira de Yimou.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Mar 30, 2006

Stunning cinematography, uniformly good acting.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Dec 5, 2004

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jun 22, 2004

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | May 14, 2004

Full Review | Original Score: 6/10 | May 13, 2004

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Mar 11, 2004

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Nov 12, 2003

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jul 30, 2003

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | May 20, 2003

Shows how an innocent and ignorant young boy is initiated into the violent ways of a group of gangsters.

| Aug 21, 2002