Zhang Yimou

I’ve tried leaving a comment on Russell Arben Fox’s excellent Zhang Yimou post, but it’s not working so I’ll just do it here. I admired Hero a great deal more than he did (it’s quite high on my soon-to-be-published on LGM 2004 top 10; I’ve got a couple more 2004 releases I need to check out before I can make it official); I found it’s structure and the fable of political founding at its heart to be utterly and completely gripping, providing a near ideal context for the astonishing tapestry of color and movement he created. Dagger’s love triangle, by comparison, seemed like a device for Yimou’s considerable artistry, but not much more.

But I share with Russell the sincere hope that Yimou’s wuxia turn is a detour rather than a turning point. He’s also a master of subtle drama; To Live, The Story of Jou Du, and Raise the Red Latern are minor key masterpieces. Gong Li, for my money, is quite possibly the most captivating actress of her era, and no one understands how to make the most of her considerable talents as well as Yimou. I could go on but he already said it better than I could.