Shanghai Triad

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Shanghai Triad

R

Released Dec 22, 1995

1h 48m

Crime

Drama

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Popcornmeter

90%

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29 Reviews

71%

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2,500+ Ratings

When teenager Shuisheng (Wang Xiaoxiao Cuihua) arrives to Shanghai from the country, he is brought by his uncle (Li Xuejian) to work for gang leader Tang (Baotian Li). Tang assigns Shuisheng to aid his girlfriend Xiao Jinbao (Gong Li), a nightclub singer. After a rival gang kills some of Tang's men, he takes Shuisheng and Jinbao to an island hideout. Here Jinbao forms a friendship with peasant Cuihau (Jiang Baoying), while Tang attempts to determine if there are traitors in his ranks.

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Critics Consensus

Well-acted and beautifully filmed, Shanghai Triad deftly depicts a young man's coming of age against the backdrop of mob violence and its punishing legacy.

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David Ansen

Newsweek

A deep, powerful and rivetingly complex study of Tienanmen - and, ironically, it's far more evenhanded in its account of the massacre that killed more than a thousand protesters than the Chinese government might suspect.

Feb 26, 2018

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Shanghai Triad plays like a movie in which some scenes are missing, and others have been stretched out to make up the difference.

Rated: 2/4

Jan 1, 2000

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Mike Clark

USA Today

Shanghai Triad concludes the sublime seven-movie collaboration of Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou and actress Gong Li with a bang worthy of the most jubilant New Year's Eve.

Rated: 4/4

Jan 1, 2000

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Kathy Fennessy

Seattle Film Blog

Though autobiography may not have been Zhang Yimou's intention with Shanghai Triad, it's hard not to see the film as a form of self-critique, not least because Boss may be ruthless, but he's also clever, charismatic, and perceptive...

Rated: 3/4

Aug 23, 2022

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Wilson Kwong

VCinema

In the end, Shanghai Triad isnt the most complex or nuanced film out of Zhangs varied filmography, but it still manages to be a layered examination of the triad world.

Feb 12, 2022

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

A typically formidable performance by Gong Li .

Rated: 3/4

Aug 16, 2020

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Stephen C

Success in 1 hour and 48 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In Chinese and English audio versions with English subtitles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $2,100,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/01/25

Full Review

Alec B

The tragedy of the ending is hurt by the meandering narrative that precedes it (I do like the nightclub scenes but I think they should have added a lot more character focused material to balance this out) which is a shame because the cinematography and set/costume designs are exquisite.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/21/24

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Audience Member

The tragedy of the ending is hurt by the meandering narrative that precedes it (I do like the nightclub scenes but I think they should have added a lot more character focused material to balance this out) which is a shame because the cinematography and set/costume designs are exquisite.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

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peter w

We get an interesting perspective of 1930s gangland Shanghai through the eyes of the servant, Shuisheng, and the godfather's lover, Bijou, and it is far from complimentary. Shuisheng sees the wanton violence of the gang, and Bijou tries to stare down the godfather who objectifies her as an ornament. Many films romanticize gangster power dynamics but Zhang Yimou choses instead to turn a critical eye against it from characters outside of, but critical to the performance of, the power brokers.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

Sumptuous period piece - but director Zhang Yimou can't seem to settle on which story to tell: the coming of age of the boy Shuisheng or the humanization of his "Miss" Bijou. Zhang's stumblebum Shanghai mob just gets in the way.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/08/23

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Audience Member

Depressing but visually poetic film.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/24/23

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Yimou Zhang

Director

Gong Li

Xiao Jingbao

Baotian Li

Tang

Li Xuejian

Liu

Chun Sun

Song

Wang Xiaoxiao Cuihua

Shuisheng

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Synopsis

When teenager Shuisheng (Wang Xiaoxiao Cuihua) arrives to Shanghai from the country, he is brought by his uncle (Li Xuejian) to work for gang leader Tang (Baotian Li). Tang assigns Shuisheng to aid his girlfriend Xiao Jinbao (Gong Li), a nightclub singer. After a rival gang kills some of Tang's men, he takes Shuisheng and Jinbao to an island hideout. Here Jinbao forms a friendship with peasant Cuihau (Jiang Baoying), while Tang attempts to determine if there are traitors in his ranks.

Director: Yimou Zhang
Producer: Yves Marmion, Jean-Louis Piel, Yigong Wu
Screenwriter: Bi Feiyu, Li Xiao
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: La Sept Cinéma, Alpha Films, UGC, Shanghai Film Studio
Rating: R
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: Chinese
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 22, 1995, Original
Release Date (Streaming): May 7, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA): $2.1M
Runtime: 1h 48m
Sound Mix: Surround

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