Fridae

Zhang Yimou, possibly the greatest Chinese director ever, is back with a star-studded historical epic set during the Tang dynasty era. With it lavish costumes, eye-popping backdrops and powerhouse acting, the word 'magnificent' doesn't even begin to describe the proceedings. It's truly an embarrassment of riches, right down to its elaborate soap-operatic plot that produces one twist after another.

Curse of the Golden Flower centers on a dysfunctional royal family who are plotting to destroy each other. The ruthless king (the magisterial Chow Yun Fat) is secretly poisoning the queen (Gong Li). He doesn't love her anymore because she is sleeping with the Crown Prince (Liu Ye), his son from a previous marriage. Meanwhile, she is plotting to overthrow him and put her own son (a wooden Jay Chou) on the throne. There is a third son (Qin Junjie) who is very young but no less ambitious. As if that wasn't enough, the story also implicates another family with a dark connection to the king.

Though the plot feels absurdly complicated at times, what keeps the audience's eyes glued to the screen is the endless parade of sets, costumes, make-up, fight sequences and crowd scenes, among others. Some of the computer-generated images will be dismissed by jaded moviegoers, but those of us who choose to be in thrall to its magic will lap up every second of it.

As expected, Chow Yun Fat and Gong Li are extraordinary performers who command the screen each time they enter frame. So much so that the other actors (Liu Ye as the Crown Prince, Ni Dahong as the royal doctor, Chen Jin as his wife) struggle to keep up with them, even though they are not without talent. The only actor who is seriously miscast is singer Jay Chou playing the second son. Sure, he can sing pretty well. But his acting is one-note. He tries desperately to emote during his important close-ups, but all we can see is a slightly constipated face.

Some will complain that the film is overdone, confusing, too ambitious for its own good, too CGI-driven to the point of looking like a videogame, and so on. But these forgivable flaws aside, Curse of the Golden Flower is still a first-rate royal treat.