Curse of the Golden Flower

Reviewed by:
Pete Hammond

Boasting millions of golden chrysanthemums and thousands upon thousands of extras playing soldiers, this eye-popping epic from the great Chinese director Zhang Yimou tops even the spectacle of his last two period pieces, Hero and House of Flying Daggers. Now, he has delivered unquestionably one of this year's most spectacularly visual treats. Curse of the Golden Flower has wide screen images that are beyond astounding, and by the way the flowers are real, not CGI concoctions. But even nicer to look at are vivid close-ups of the twin assets displayed by lead actress Gong Li (Memoirs of a Geisha, Miami Vice), who as a raging and vengeful empress from the 10th Century ruling Tang dynasty shows more than her considerable cinemascopic bosom. She is sensational, tearing up the opulent wall-to-wall scenery with a go-for-the-fences performance that could have been laughable in less skilled hands. As for the plot? Well yeah, it is a lot of Chinese people dressed in elaborate costumes spewing venom at each other. That's what they do in these films, so think of it like a period Asian soap opera dealing with everything from oedipal affairs to endless betrayals within a dysfunctional family that just can't seem to get along. Apparently, living life in a dynasty was quite challenging just 11 millenniums ago. Chow Yun-Fat co-stars as the Emperor who unexpectedly shows up for the holidays with his second son. To say this causes tension with the Empress who has been carrying on illicitly with his other son while he has been out of town…well you get the picture. With elaborate battle scenes that are awesome to behold, Curse doesn't quite achieve the brilliance of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, but like a great Chinese dinner, it nevertheless will fill you up even as it leaves you wanting just a little more.