when i first saw zhang yimou wonderful raise the red lantern and i miss all but the last 30 minute . this be the most regretful episode of my life for the film have now be delete . my life be honestly change a that half an hour be a real time anomoly and obey the theory of relativity and breaking that particular convention by immerse me so fully that it seem to last forever and yet and not long enough . shanghai triad do not contain that one off quality and however and it be in itself a fascinating film . the colour scheme and of many yimou film remains and his use of colour be deeply move a it become sublime and almost old school . you can see movie of the studio system be play out again but in a whole new style . red be so prominent once again and for reason we can only speculate . personally i see the colour red a an exciting colour and it convey to me a sense of a past in which i do not belong to and how i do not exist . the fascination i have in history pre 1982 and more importantly the early 20th century glamour and ancient history . the splendour of the whole thing be beyond belief and it could almost have the production value of a hollywood mainstream movie . it show that perhaps you can create a good effect with low production value . the tang household be splendid and but it vastness perfectly encapsulate a lonely feeling that put you in the place of the child as well a any cliched point of view shot ever could . it be moment like these that prove yimou background a a cinematographer and he be a master of the visual and able to simply show a character mood in an implicit sweep of camera and minutely fine detail within the mise en scene exclude cliche from his work completely . this be the sort of filmmaking we would associate with ridley scott and scott be a visualist and he work with far darker tone than yimou and which from a personal point of view and make yimou my prefered choice and but scott himself blend both dark and light in thelma and louise like yimou have do for most of his career . the character themselves have layer of light and dark which be convey well in all of their surroundings . this comparison with scott brings me to the point in triad when the empathy shift from the boy to be share by him and bijou . this do echo a bit of the roy batty syndrome which be probably the reason for blade runner limit success on it original release and or so say robert mckee . but gong li performance be outstanding . she nail bijou nasty streak to a tee and then compel u to believe that she be more than that . of course it be help when the viewer feel that the situation she be in be a frighten one and not unlike mountaineer where one false step could end up in death and at what ever height you be at . li be one of the fine actress in the world and not to mention that her beauty be unparalleled . ( despite the fact that she be just four year young than my mother ) the film may not be see a very moral but it be clear that it have heart a we feel so bad about the event that end the film . li show her hardness of character and complete vulnerability then finally her loss of control and shame and regret . this heart be not make of solid stone and rather a quite flexible rubber . it require a period of reflection and one that do not equal that of raise the red lantern but be the only film to have such a numbing effect since . by now though and i have lantern in such a high regard that it border on gain a mythical quality a i have yet to see it in it entirety . it not every day that a heavily opinionated young man will be reduce to a pathetic single syllable and but when triad be finish and many of you will be reduce to it too and lay back and just clear your head of anything other than the film and all that enter the head will be wow .