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Curse of the Golden Flower

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Curse of the Golden Flower

R

Released Dec 21, 2006

1h 54m

History

Drama

Romance

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Popcornmeter

65%

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124 Reviews

65%

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50,000+ Ratings

In 928 A.D. a power struggle emerges in the palace of China's emperor (Chow Yun-Fat). A cruel man, he is secretly having his wife (Gong Li) poisoned with a substance that will eventually drive her insane. Meanwhile the empress is having an affair with Prince Wan (Ye Liu), her husband's son from a previous marriage. But the prince secretly wishes to run away with Chan (Li Man), the daughter of the imperial doctor.

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Critics Consensus

Melodrama, swordplay, and CG armies -- fans of martial arts epic will get what they bargain for, though the baroque art direction can be both mesmerizing and exhaustively excessive.

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Namrata Joshi

Outlook

Yi Mou does show his undeniable expertise in the spectacularly mounted warfare sequences that can rival anything you saw in the Lord of the Ring movies. The wonderfully choreographed martial arts sequences are heartstopping...

Rated: 3/4

Jan 25, 2019

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Christopher Orr

The Atlantic

Despite its flaws, Curse of the Golden Flower is a diverting enough film, just somewhat flat compared to Zhang's previous epics--a little too willing, perhaps, to let story and action cede the field to costume and set design.

Feb 6, 2018

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Empire Magazine

Rated: 3/5

Apr 13, 2007

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Mattie Lucas

The Dispatch (Lexington, NC)

There's great film hidden somewhere beneath the gold plating and silk brocade. But as it stands, the film we see, while gorgeous to look at, is merely mediocre.

Rated: 2/4

Jun 6, 2019

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Michael Dequina

TheMovieReport.com

Zhang Yimou serves up a sumptuous sensory feast with spectacular set pieces and--crucially--the story, characters, and connection to back it up.

Rated: 4/4

Jan 21, 2012

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Fernando F. Croce

CinePassion

Zhang's beauty is one of furious defiance

Aug 28, 2009

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Gary P

Over the top acting. Over the top action. Looks like the Olympics opening

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

09/18/24

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Alec B

Gorgeous to look at and I think the operatic plot works as it has the right balance of camp and legitimate emotional payoff.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/21/24

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R 9

Now that's awesome! Where to start with 'Curse of the Golden Flower'? Firstly, I need to show some appreciation for the score - incredible! From the very first scene I knew I was in for a treat in that department, it sets the tone perfectly throughout. This also features outstanding performances from Gong Li (!), Chow Yun-fat, Chen Jin and Jay Chou, among some others. I was particularly impressed by Gong, she truly is terrific from beginning to end - as what is a memorable character. I know I say this a lot with actors, but I'm gonna need to try and check out more of her filmography! Chow is the only actor in this that I'm familiar with, but this clearly tops what I've seen (not enough, granted) of him thus far - still a fan of him as Sao Feng in 'Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End', though. The rest of those onscreen, despite the commanding presence of the aforementioned, still manage to standout in my memory as well, from earlier noted Chen and Chou to Li Man to Liu Ye. The costumes, the sets... I personally do not think this film really put a foot wrong in terms of how it's made. How about those battle sequences too? Visually stunning, but also audibly so. The ending didn't go the way I was expecting, which is very much a positive thing. Admittedly, this film hit an unwritten cheat code for me. As in: Give me strong performances and a great score and I am hook, line, and sinker. This Zhang Yimou flick gave me that in abundance. Overall, in my opinion: top notch!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

06/23/23

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isla s

This film features lots of impressive martial arts style, well choreographed fighting, large scale battles and its certainly lavishly stylish. Thematically its about jealousy, infidelity and anger. Its a bit hard to follow the plot in its entirety but its an entertaining watch regardless.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

Gorgeous to look at and I think the operatic plot works as it has the right balance of camp and legitimate emotional payoff.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

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Audience Member

Beautiful movie. Loved the story.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

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Yimou Zhang

Director

Chow Yun-Fat

The Emperor

Gong Li

Empress

Jay Chou

Prince Jai

Ye Liu

Crown Prince Wan

Jin Chen

Imperial Doctor's Wife

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Synopsis

In 928 A.D. a power struggle emerges in the palace of China's emperor (Chow Yun-Fat). A cruel man, he is secretly having his wife (Gong Li) poisoned with a substance that will eventually drive her insane. Meanwhile the empress is having an affair with Prince Wan (Ye Liu), her husband's son from a previous marriage. But the prince secretly wishes to run away with Chan (Li Man), the daughter of the imperial doctor.

Director: Yimou Zhang
Producer: William Kong, Weiping Zhang
Screenwriter: Yimou Zhang, Wu Nan, Bian Zhihong
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: Edko Films, Film Partner International, Beijing New Picture Film Co.
Rating: R (Violence)
Genre: History, Drama, Romance
Original Language: Chinese
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 21, 2006, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 16, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $6.6M
Runtime: 1h 54m

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