Directed by: Yimou Zhang
Genres: Crime, Drama
Cast: Li Gong, Baotian Li, Wang Xiaoxiao, Xuejian Li, Chun Sun, Biao Fu, Shu Chen, Liu Jiang, Baoying Jiang, Yang Qianquan
IMDB raintg: 7.2
My rating: 5.0 [rate 5.0]
A good movie overall was spoiled by the pace. It is way too slow and takes too long to tell the story. 108 minutes of running time are used for what could be done in 15 minutes. Make it 20 for all the gory details and drama moods.
Other than that, the film is very nice – interesting story coupled with an interesting storytelling concept of all major events happening outside of frame. The choice of point of view from the young servant was a good touch to it. The music and costumes helped to create the atmosphere and kept the movie somewhat astetic forcing the audience to focus more on the drama at hand.
Resume: watch it if you are in for a slow movie. Make sure you aren’t sleepy and have a lot of coffee available.