Kung Fu Review #3

Curse of the Golden Flower

What up people! It's that time again.
Kung Fu Review y'all!
I re-watched Curse of the Golden Flower, and was amazed by the sheer beauty of the film. It is a film which was directed by
the same director of Hero with Jet Li (stay tuned for a review). It's a visually breathtaking Wuxia, or swordfighting film which is saturated with near neon colors of golds, reds, pinks, blues, and blacks which seem to fit the moods, the personalities, and the actions of each character.
The film takes place in china during the tenth century, and opens with the emperor (Chow Yung Fat) returning home from a campaign suspicious that eldest of his three sons is planning to usurp his position. He later spars with him in order to learn of his true intentions, his skill level, and discourage him from entertaining any thoughts of rebellion.
Also during the opening, we see the emperess (Gong Li) during her preparation to receive the emperor. Before she meets with her husband she is required to drink a mixture of herbs to counteract her life threatening illness. She soon learns that she is slowly being poisoned by the elixer she has been taking for nearly a year. She had suspicions about what was happening but had been powerless to discontinue her medication because it was the will of her husband. Betrayed, she becomes a woman scorned. She decides to try and sway her sons to side with her and overthrow her husband, utilizing the golden flower (Chrysanthemum) as her symbol for revenge, rebellion, and liberation.
The film is feels Shakespearean throughout, full of betrayal, contradiction, deceit, and death. This makes for a feeling of uneasiness throughout- almost as if you know something bad is most certainly about to happen at any moment. There are amazing action sequences, but I have to complain about the amount of wire work. There was no real physical prowess exhibited by the actors, (neither Chow or Gong are martial artists) but their acting chops more than made up the difference. Chow makes for a very imposing and overbearing emperor, and Gong is just as powerful in how reserved she is, with a seething hate boiling for her husband beneath the surface. If you liked Hero, and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, then give this film a try. It is beautiful to look at, and a very well done and acted film.
I would have given it a higher rating, but this is a MARTIAL ARTS film review, and there is very little within. Also, the actors are not martial artists, so I will give the film four kung fu kicks out of five.

PEACE.