The tragedy of the ending is hurt by the meandering narrative that precedes it (I do like the nightclub scenes but I think they should have added a lot more character focused material to balance this out) which is a shame because the cinematography and set/costume designs are exquisite.

The tragedy of the ending is hurt by the meandering narrative that precedes it (I do like the nightclub scenes but I think they should have added a lot more character focused material to balance this out) which is a shame because the cinematography and set/costume designs are exquisite.

We get an interesting perspective of 1930s gangland Shanghai through the eyes of the servant, Shuisheng, and the godfather's lover, Bijou, and it is far from complimentary. Shuisheng sees the wanton violence of the gang, and Bijou tries to stare down the godfather who objectifies her as an ornament. Many films romanticize gangster power dynamics but Zhang Yimou choses instead to turn a critical eye against it from characters outside of, but critical to the performance of, the power brokers.

Sumptuous period piece - but director Zhang Yimou can't seem to settle on which story to tell: the coming of age of the boy Shuisheng or the humanization of his "Miss" Bijou. Zhang's stumblebum Shanghai mob just gets in the way.

Depressing but visually poetic film.

Zhang Yimou is a director who continues to surprise me, even though I have only seen four of his films so far. I had only seen his more well known martial arts films like Hero, House Of Flying Daggers, and Curse Of The Golden Flower, but yet again I have been surprised by him in the form of this gangster film set in the 1930's in Shanghai. The film follows the point of view of a 14-year-old boy named Shuisheng, who is brought in by his uncle to be the servant of a woman named Bijou, who is a showgirl and the girlfriend of a mobster who is only known as "Boss." Though only a servant, Shuisheng gets to see some of the inner workings of the gangsters he works for and the life of the woman whom he serves, who treats him like garbage and is having secret affairs. Things begin to fall apart in this dangerous world of the Shanghai mafia when a trusted associate attempts to murder the "Boss" and kills some of his associates in the process. Now the "Boss" along with his girlfriend, trusted associates, and Shuisheng must go into hiding on a tiny island where things get progressively more dangerous as Bijou herself causes things to unravel, while her servant watches on. Shanghai Triad is a very subdued and quiet gangster film, rather than a bombastic and violence-filled one like most others. It's one that's all about characters, story, and making the viewer pay attention to all the little details as they watch. But, when it strikes, it leaves a powerful impact on the viewer. The acting is also quite good, especially from actress, Gong Li, who plays the troubled Bijou. Her character was the most complex and fascinating, especially when she begins revealing parts of her life before getting caught up in the criminal world. She really steals the show, though her fellow actors are no slouches either, and deliver fantastic performances as well. It's film that's all about story, characters, and little details for the viewer to process, which is why it gripped and engaged me so much from beginning to end. Shanghai Triad is easily one of the best crime films I've ever seen and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a film that is mostly story and character-driven.

This is a very good looking film. Many of the early scenes are shot in a kind of golden light. It looks as if a late afternoon sun is shining upon the scene. This is the story of a 14 yr old boy who comes to the city to work for a crime group or triad. It is set in 1930s Shanghai. The movie focuses almost entirely upon the sumptuous gangster life. There is a fair amount of violence. Lots of bodies pile up. But, almost all of the violence occurs off-screen. The story unfolds with some mystery and intrigue. There is ambition and betrayal. There are very little gangster goings-on seen on screen. That is all in the background. The boy, Shuisheng (Wang Xiao) is our central character. And, he spends almost all of his time in the company of the mob boss mistress, Jinbao (Gong Li). Ms Gong is appropriately attractive. The boy becomes smitten. The story revolves around these two. The story held my interest. It was an OK visit with the flics.

Some beautiful shots in this 1930s Shanghai mob movie by Yimou Zhang (Hero, House of Flying Daggers, Curse of the Golden Flower etc.)

Another stunning achievement from Yimou Zhang, Li Gong and China. Sumptuous in its splendor and gripping in its drama -- few films have mesmerized me like Shanghai Triad. From the glitzy, showy nightclub numbers to the simpler life in the country -- nothing is safe in a world dominated by a life of crime and showgirl/gangster's moll Bijou (Li Gong -- gorgeous and siren-like) finds herself in the middle of all of it as the girl of a very dangerous man. As a woman who values her life of materialism, she is forced to re-examine and contemplate her own life when it clashes with that of an innocent servant boy enamored with the beautiful creature when they are forced to escape the dangers of Shanghai and seek refuge in a rural, isolated island locale. As I said ... the film is stunning (in ALL aspects). This has been a favorite of mine since I first saw it.

Anti-climatic, story not explored enough, good cinematography.

Another great effort by Zhang Yimou. The greatest Asian mob movie that I have seen thus far. Very entertaining.

There is no dispute Yimou Zhang is still the best-known working director from China, but after the lucrative-but-critics-panning CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER (2006, a 6/10), which also marks a reunite with Goddess Li Gong after 11 years, his successive works (A WOMAN, A GUN AND A NOODLE SOUP 2009, a Chinese adaption of Coen Brothers BLOOD SIMPLE. 1984; UNDER THE HAWTHORN TREE 2010, an over-innocuous love story under the backgrounds of Cultural Revolution of the 1960s and 70s; and his latest, a westerner saving Chinese women from Japanese invaders during Nanking 1937 stars the newly Oscar-crowned Christian Bale, THE FLOWERS OF WAR 2011; I havenâ??t watch any of them yet) all have received pretty lukewarm feedbacks and even dire dissatisfaction from both audience and critics. So since then his domestic reputation has been quite disproportionate to his renowned international prestige. SHANGHAI TRIAD, Yimou Zhang's period drama set in Shanghai of 1930s, has eluded me for 17 years, but sincerely culminates Zhangâ??s ingenuity in his virtuoso cinematography scale, while the story itself, doesnâ??t match his previous masterpieces, namely, TO LIVE (1994, an 8/10), THE STORY OF QIU JU (1992, an 8/10), JU DOU (1990, an 8/10) or his groundbreaking debut RED SORGHUM (1987, a 9/10). The ugly truth is that Zhang is never an exceptional storyteller, if he has an excellent script (the said four films), with the aid of which the films surge onto an elated dimension of ethos, otherwise, the outcome could be a lesser achiever notwithstanding with stunning shots abound. Take this film for example, it owns an experimental use of camera angles, DP Yue Lv even garners an Oscar nomination, for me the cunning tactic is the maneuver of two drastically different terrains: Shanghai's lavish villa for the richest and an ominous countryside island with wild weed backdrops, they are in parallel to dissect the storyline with an absorbing visual momentum which flourishes successfully to meet the eyes, especially for those non-Chinese audience bearing some exotic curiosities. The cast is solid, Li Gong (at her prime-time being the muse of Zhangâ??s oeuvre) does provide a wide range of emotional scopes as the bossâ?? mistress whose ill-fated destiny sparks a woeful compassion, and surpasses the common dolly bird blandness, but the film still has too many corny characters (basically all the male characters here, with Baotian Li, the ruthless gang lord as a borderline exception) and lacunae in the script which should not have been underwritten (an non-fictional gangsterâ??s life could be more intriguing and intricate). ps: As a home-grown Chinese, Li Gongâ??s cabaret renditions are quite amateurish and lip-synched, while the music numbers are sentimentally undue, which I have already had a bellyful of.

Gong Li is superb. Gong Li is superb

I've only seen one Yimou Zhang film before this (Hero) and both are shot beautifully. This one, however, I had a problem with the focus of the film. Perhaps it was just because I love coming-of-age stories so much that I wanted to have more of Shuisheng's character. The film opens up with him coming to Shanghai to work for a gang's boss's misstress. The boy feels trapped after realizing how much work it's going to take and how the work is degrading. He begins to despise Bijou. But what choice does he have other than to stay with her? Especially after breaking the mirror. This story was great, so I was trying to figure out why it felt so sloppy. Then I realized, they are putting us in his POV for a lot of the film, but I really didn't get much of a sense of the kid other than his feeling of anger and entrapment. Some things he did just seemed aggravatingly stupid. He's 14, not 6. If someone shows you how to do something at that age, you should be able to do it. So why couldn't he use the lighter? I did like when he ran into the mirror though, because that just shows how nervous he feels about the whole situation once he's in it. I can't really remember others too well, but his quietness also felt like he was dumb rather than shy. Maybe I just don't like the way Zhang directed him. Whatever it is, this didn't ruin the movie for me. The character of Bijou is so fleshed out that I had something else to grasp on to. I really love the way they start out making you hate Bijou, then when they move out to the country we see her human side. She tells Shuisheng that she was once a country bumpkin as well. Later, we get the impression that the change to being the boss's misstress might not have been her fault. I think the POV shot that stuck with me the most was when Shuisheng goes upstairs to check up on Bijou when she's screaming after Song left. Going up the stairs looked so beautiful with the blue the filled the screen and the smooth movements. The gangster story in the 30s worked really well for me, and I really liked the musical scenes that went along with it. If Zhang could have found a better was to incorporate Shuisheng into the story I would have enjoyed it more. But as is, it's still a really dang good movie.

Långsamt berättad film med intressanta karaktärer och vackra miljöer. Upplösningen är grym och (lite) oväntatd.

A story about power, discovery, beginnings and endings in 1930s China. Yimou gets at the pursuit of success through the lens of the mob - a crime family and its adopted children and wives. It has Yimou's characteristic depth and imagery and a compelling story to accompany. Raise the Red Lantern and his more recent Hero, House of Flying Daggers and Curse of the Golden Flower may be more mesmerizing than this film, but a solid and well crafted piece this is.

The storyline seems pointless after you finish the whole movie. Good cinematic techniques to incite tension.

One of the most dissapointing enedings to a movie ever. I expected so much more and the last 1/4 of the movie was very lame. What more can i say? Gong Li is gorgeous as always and plays such a bitch in this film. The story was great until the end and it seemed the writer just had writers block or something.

Interesting yarn about the girlfriend of a crime boss who tries to double cross him in 1930s Shanghai.

Not the best from Yimou Zhang (or Gong Li) for me, Raise the Red Lantern still stands out for me but a solid story and good acting.