Shanghai Triad (1995)

Just perfect...

Don't listen to the negative reviews

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

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 gang lord's mistress.Roger Ebert provided a counterpoint to the film's general praise, arguing that the choice of the boy as the film's main protagonist ultimately hurt the film, and that Shanghai Triad was probably "the last, and certainly the least, of the collaborations between the Chinese director Zhang Yimou and the gifted actress Gong Li" (though Gong would again work with Zhang in 2006's Curse of the Golden Flower). Even Ebert however, conceded that the film's technical credits were well done, calling Zhang one of the "best visual stylists of current cinema." I don't know if I would be as harsh as Ebert. I do think the cinematography is the film's strong point, much more than the plot itself. But I take no issue with the boy being the protagonist. That seems to make more sense if you want to keep the gangster film fresh.

In some quarters, Shanghai Triad has been acclaimed both for its excellent cinematography and storyline. I'll go along with the accolades for cinematography but storyline I'm not so sure about. 'Triad' is seen through the eyes of Shuisheng, a boy from the country, who is brought to Shanghai by his Uncle Liu, both distantly related to #1 crime boss, Tang. Uncle Liu has arranged for the boy to act as a servant to Xiao Jingbao (Gong Li), a cabaret singer who happens to be Tang's mistress.All the action occurs within a week's time. It seems Shuisheng has bad luck as shortly after he's picked up by Uncle Liu, he witnesses a gang rub out by Tang's second in command, Song. It seems that Song felt that an associate of rival crime boss, Fat Yu, did not show enough respect. Tang tries to smooth things over with Fat Yu by making a courtesy call to his rival and they eventually end up playing a friendly game of mah jong.Meanwhile Shuisheng must endure catering to Xiao who arrogantly treats him like dirt, calling him a country bumpkin. Xiao is a popular singer at Tang's club but must be continually reminded not to sing a particular song that the boss despises. In fact, Xiao hates being Tang's mistress and trashes her own apartment, cursing the boss when he's out of earshot.Things move along slowly until Fat Yu's henchmen attack Tang at his home and seriously wound him. During the attempted assassination, Uncle Liu is murdered. The attack forces Tang to regroup and he and his posse, along with Xiao and Shuisheng relocate to an isolated island off the coast of Shanghai. There, Xiao softens up and befriends a peasant woman and her young daughter. She also gives Shuisheng some coins and hopes that one day he can go off on his own and open up his own business.Finally, things come to a head when Shuisheng overhears a muted conversation by thugs hired by Song who plans to murder his boss. Shisheng bursts into a cabin and informs Tang of the plot but it seems that the boss already knows Song has planned to murder him. Song is soon dispatched along with Xiao who is blamed for having an affair with Song. Xiao pleads with Tang to spare the peasant woman's life but he tells her that she knows too much and must be disposed of. The peasant woman's daughter will be taken into captivity and raised to be Tang's new mistress. Meanwhile, Shuisheng tries to attack Tong, enraged that Xiao has been put to death. Tang teaches Shuisheng "a lesson" by hanging him upside down on the boat and the coins that Xiao gave him fall into the water. Shuisheng will not be opening up any businesses of his own anytime in the foreseeable future!As you can see, there isn't a whole lot of plot to sink your teeth into here. Triad is slow-moving and simply doesn't have a lot of surprises. On the plus side, there's no Hollywood happy-ending as all the protagonists meet an untimely end, either dead or in captivity. The unsentimental ending is meant to illustrate the nature of pre-Communist, urban Chinese society in the 30s, replete with amoral, brutal gangsters such as Tang and self-centered materialists like Xiao, who tragically fails to wake up until it's too late.Shanghai Triad is worth watching mainly for the cinematography and overall style and atmosphere. If you're looking for an in-depth character study, you will not find it here. 'Triad' emulates American gangster pictures but unlike some of the better American efforts, its characters don't have enough idiosyncrasies to draw you in (that includes the mostly mute Shuisheng, who says very little during a good part of the film). 'Triad' is definitely worth watching at least once, but I'd have to think hard about watching it twice.

Shanghai Triad has an interesting MO. It is really a socio-historical commentary masquerading as a coming of age story masquerading as a Gangster Film.Yimou makes bold storytelling choices - using the servant boy of a gang lord's mistress as the unlikely protagonist - shifting the setting of the film suddenly from bustling urban Shanghai to the peaceful Chinese Countryside.The risk taking pays off - it is what separates Triad from generic Hollywood tripe.Rather than some sort of high-handed morality play or costume melodrama, Yimou uses the story to illustrate the corruption of innocence, shifting loyalties and the endless struggle for power and dominance.Yimou purposely subverts our expectations of the genre picture by denying any form of release - any false catharsis/closure.The protagonist/viewer can only watch helplessly from the sidelines as the cycle of violence and exploitation continues.This device will prove undoubtedly frustrating to a Hollywood Audience and I commend him for it.

Here's something you don't see every day - a mobster movie that focuses on the evil of criminals, instead of their coolness. "Shanghai Triad" shows you how mob violence destroys the life of a gangster's moll and endangers her innocent, fresh-from-the-country servant. It's exactly the kind of story you wouldn't see in a Hollywood movie - which is, I suppose, why we watch this weird foreign stuff!Gong Li is, as ever, forceful and compelling, with a role that's infinitely more interesting than what America's "lead" actresses usually get. She's very glamorous here, and totally unlike the peasant characters she played in "To Live" and several other films. What a wonderful, versatile actress.The film's other strengths include gorgeous, award-winning cinematography, interesting point-of-view shots, and an effective shift from an urban to a country setting that's pulled off very smoothly. It's a shame that this is the last film that director Zhang Yimou and Gong Li made together, but at least it caps off their collaboration on a high note.