Cast Member: Jay Chou

‘Curse Of The Golden Flower’ is another sign of the growing confidence of Chinese cinema, the imagination of Zhang Yimou and the iconic status of Gong Li and Chow Yun-Fat.

The linear narrative and lack of real danger in the story may limit what would otherwise be a sure-fire hit.

The set pieces in general are nice, while the cinematography and the musical score do stand out but again, as a whole the film just doesn’t do what it says on the tin.

Lam certainly throws a lot in and the tone does vary but thanks to the confident staging and the unrelenting momentum it all works for the most part.

Action fans in particular will find much to appreciate here, especially the chance to see the Drunken style so excellently represented on screen.