Fridae

The rise of Chinese cinema continues unabated. The Banquet is the latest big-budget period epic from mainland China to hit our screens since Zhang Yimou's House of Flying Daggers (That's if you choose to ignore the preposterously bad The Promise by Chen Kaige.)

Set in the ancient Chinese kingdom of 907, the film boasts lavish production values that are alone worth the price of admission. Oscar-winning production designer Tim Yip created the eye-popping sets and costumes, award-winning composer Tan Dun (from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) wrote the majestic score, and world-famous action choreographer Yuen Wo-ping (The Matrix) supervised the balletic fight sequences.

Directed by China's most profitable helmer Feng Xiaogang (World Without Thieves), this gorgeous-looking film stars Daniel Wu as a melancholy crown prince whose father, the Emperor, has been murdered. His stepmother, the Empress (Zhang Ziyi), subsequently marries his uncle (Ge You) who assumes the throne of the kingdom. Smelling treachery, the crown prince goes desperately in search of the truth. All is revealed during the sumptuous banquet at the end of the movie...

The well-read among you would instantly recognize the plot as one based on Hamlet, one of Shakespeare's most enduring classics. Director Feng, who made The Banquet partly to deflect criticism that he only knows how to make commercial movies, is fairly successful at weaving the complex element of the film into one seamless chamber drama.

The Banquet is not only dazzling to look at, it also boasts strong performances from some of its stars. Zhang Ziyi is particularly good as the Empress, while Ge You shows you why he is one of China's leading actors. Though the film occasionally lapses into melodrama, it is still one lavish banquet you should not miss.