Hmmm not bad. Not quite what I was expecting. I thought it would be more of the usual Crouching Tiger, House of Flying Daggers and Hero type of thing. You know, big stunning visuals, vibrant sets and landscapes, flowing colorful robes and so on. And of course it was just that, with the color factor turned UP a notch if you can believe that... but very little kung fu.
This was not a martial arts flick
Oh there are some fight scenes but they're kept to a minimal here. However it's an interesting drama anyway. Some of it is a little to predictable to be a great movie but it's good enough. There are enough twists and turns to keep it interesting. What a crazy dysfunctional family this is!! Incest, faked deaths, sibling rivalry, muderous spouses (Gong Li was brilliant as the Empress) and all kinds of plotting behind a facade of being the nations exemplery family.
Keep up here, this bit's like sunset beach on acid...
The emporer is poisoning his wife who had been having an affair with his son from his first marriage (the crown prince). That son is now sleeping with the daughter of the royal physician and unbeknownst to him, his half sister. The Empress, realising she is being poisoned enlists her son to help plot a rebellion against the Emporer to make him abdicate the throne. The Youngest son smiles at all innocently and plots in the background. The long dead first wife of the crown prince is not really dead but married to the physician and mother of the girl sleeping with the crown prince. She is also helping the Empress plot against her husband. It gets even more twisty lol
I'm not sure at all if there was a message behind this movie, everybody's treachery was a result of somebody else betraying them and it got circular... I do rate it though. The acting was high standard all round. Go see it!
Last edited on Saturday April 14th, 2007 20:12 by The Watcher
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