Zhang Yimou once again proves himself as an awesome visual storyteller. As for the narrative structure of the film…eh, I think it could’ve been organized better. For example, I was frustrated with some of the plot twists. The way or time those were introduced could have been rethought. Something that also bothered me was how Andy Lau’s character wasn’t developed enough for the purpose of the narrative. Finally, the last chunk of the film, although beautiful, could have been omitted.

In short, it was gorgeous, BUT the story had problems…especially the ending!

View the trailer here.