Shanghai Serenade (1995)

Shanghai Serenade: Directed by Yimou Zhang. With Gong Li, Baotian Li, Xiaoxiao Wang, Xuejian Li. A provincial boy related to a Shanghai crime family is recruited by his uncle into cosmopolitan Shanghai in the 1930s to be a servant to a ganglord’s mistress.

“A country lad in brought to Shanghai to be a servant to a gangsteru0026#39;s moll. Thereu0026#39;s not a whole lot to say about this movie, itu0026#39;s pretty standard stuff about evil corrupting and destroying everything it touches, et cetera. Li Gongu0026#39;s performance is good as always, and the sumptuous photography is a delight to behold, although the color palette appears muted on the DVD. The plot and Liu0026#39;s character take some interesting turns in the third act, but itu0026#39;s not quite enough up for the mundane build-up. Although itu0026#39;s not one of Zhangu0026#39;s best, especially from this period, itu0026#39;s perfectly watchable and sticks with you for a bit.”