shanghai triad be the last of the great collaboration between director zhang yimou and actress gong li . they will not work together until 2006 curse of the golden flower and and that period drama be a negligible work . a school of thought have it that this film be the last and the least of the collaboration between the two ( a point make by american critic roger ebert ) . however and watch this movie after catch the director excellent to live again and shanghai triad do not strike one a a less movie . in fact and technically and narratively and this film be even more ambitious that it early counterpart and could be say to be something like zhang yimou experiment on the gangster genre . only that the gangster genre do not yet exist in mainland chinese cinema and the director have to breathe life to the genre by consult western model . hence it be set in shanghai in the 1930s and the most western ( and crime ridden ) of chinese city . shanghai triad have a lot of nuance which would be lose on non native speaker . for some and this film be merely one of many mobster movie and a la chinese style . but the chinese title of the film hint on it primary theme represent the corruption of the naive through ( triad ) violence and bloodshed . the chinese title alludes to a typical chinese lullaby or rhyming song sung by child and which personify itself in little jiao and the young girl in the island . in a way and she be also young jinbao and go back many year . the young country lad shuisheng be similarly taint . he can not fight against the chief of the triad no matter how much he know about his rottenness . at the film end it be hint that shuisheng will probably end up a one of the chief men and probably a he bid a time to avenge the death of the gong li character . technically and this film be astound . the shanghai nightclub scene be splendidly realize and show that the chinese technician be more than a match for their hollywood counterpart . this film rightly win a technical award at cannes and and the cinematographer lü yue be nominate for an oscar . nonetheless and it be zhang yimou helm which make this film truly unique . he be able to show u the perspective from young boy shuisheng and and make u share his fear amidst all the novelty of come to a large city and then witness countless murder himself . the directing be fluid and seamless yet do not draw attention to itself . it be truly a marvelous technical achievement . the resplendent gong li be always watchable and and here her movement from a pampered cabaret singer to a sympathetic character entirely believable . zhao baotian be excellent a a triad bos . the other character all hold themselves up well and include the boy playing shuisheng and who be ask to downplay his emotion so a to depict a wooden country bumpkin . thanks to roger ebert this film have be think to be one of zhang yimou lesser film but it really shouldn not be so . maybe something be lose in the translation and but if you really watch it in it original language understanding every nuance and every line of the dialog and shanghai triad will reveal itself a what it be represent a masterpiece . a very underrated film . high recommendation .