Shanghai Triad (1995)

Original title

摇啊摇，摇到外婆桥

Directed by

Zhang Yimou

Genre

drama film, crime film

Country

People's Republic of China, France

Runtime

1h 43m

Rated

R

Rating

6.8 of 10 from 114 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A 14 year old boy from the countryside is brought to 1930s Shanghai to serve a powerful mob boss. He becomes an errand boy for the boss's beautiful and lonely mistress, observing the violent and treacherous world of the criminal underworld over the course of a week.

suspensefulatmosphericstylizedslow-burntenseelegantbroodingvisceral

What happens

Shanghai Triad is a 1995 Chinese crime-drama film, directed by Zhang Yimou and starring Gong Li. The script is written by Bi Feiyu based on Li Xiao's 1994 novel Rules of a Clan (门规). The film is set in the criminal underworld of 1930s Shanghai, Republic of China and spans seven days. Shanghai Triad's Chinese title reads "Row, row, row to Grandma Bridge", which refers to a well known traditional Chinese lullaby. The film was the seventh collaboration between director Zhang Yimou and actress Gong Li, ending a successful partnership that had begun with Zhang's debut, Red Sorghum (1987), and had evolved into a romantic relationship as well. With the wrapping of filming for Shanghai Triad the two agreed to end their relationship both professionally and personally. Zhang and Gong would not work together again until 2006's Curse of the Golden Flower. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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