there have be way to much chatter about how beautiful this film be with it sumptuous set and costume and and magnificent photography . on the surface this look like another gangster film and this time take place in shanghai . but of course and it isn not . the gangster scenario be just the backdrop really . shuisheng and a boy of 14 and have come to the city to serve the haughty and beautiful xiao jingbao and the nightclub sing moll of tang and head of the most powerful gang in shanghai . shuisheng uncle be a riot a he give the boy a whacky set of instruction on how to be a proper servant to snobby xiao and wonderfully play by gong li . call her miss . follow her wherever she go and not to far behind and and not to close . that the rule . hold her coat in your left hand and her hat in the right and but do not let the coat drag on the floor . that the rule . get it . and the shuisheng reply and get it . however and after miss delight in call him a country bumpkin and and chew him out a couple of time and ( and why not and shuisheng can not tell a red dress from a green one . ) the kid start look for the exit . when his uncle tell him and when she ring for you and stop everything ( yes and everything ) and go to her . get it . his reply this time be and i want to leave . bad move and uncle be most displeased . in many way and shuisheng be the most inscrutable character in the movie . he get a real poker face and and you will probably have a tough time decide if he an idiot and or a sharp kid who observe thing closely and learn fast . this be the heart of the film and the relationship between the boy and the woman . eventually and the boy will find out the self important and hip swing xiao jingbao be miserable . she be the beautiful songbird hopelessly trap in a world where she be bath in luxury by the ruthless tang and with no hope of freedom . the boy whole attitude change when he realize this and and the question the film pose from here be . what and if anything and can he do about it . if this be an american film and ( and i would love to see such a version ) probably plenty and but director yimou zhang be a cynical man with a dark outlook on life . all his film have downbeat ending and and this one be no exception . what really bother me though and be that event take place that result in a complete shift in set half way through the film and and that always a dangerous move in the cinema . and this abrupt shift come at a time when thing be just get interest in the nightclub and when shuisheng realize miss be very unhappy . he might have be able to help her in the big city and spacious confines of the nightclub and but maroon on an island and there not much he can do . this be a good film and but i would have like to see the plot move in a different direction in the second half .