Going along with a bonkers plot and lashings of melodramatic confrontations between the characters is a hell of a lot easier to do when you have a well-done Wuxia spectacular to delight your eyes.

~ Owen Van Spall -

Going along with a bonkers plot and lashings of melodramatic confrontations between the characters is a hell of a lot easier to do when you have a well-done Wuxia spectacular to delight your eyes.

~ Owen Van Spall -

This may be one man’s story but the themes are epic.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

This may be one man’s story but the themes are epic.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

With its beautiful look and haunting themes and sublime performances, Raise The Red Lantern is Yimou’s master work.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

With its beautiful look and haunting themes and sublime performances, Raise The Red Lantern is Yimou’s master work.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The beauty of Zhang Yimou's film is its simplicity. Using untrained actors, he has achieved a unique and wondrous thing.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

The beauty of Zhang Yimou's film is its simplicity. Using untrained actors, he has achieved a unique and wondrous thing.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

As well as having an eye for the dramatic – such as yards of cloth tumbling from a height or flames licking up a wall – Yimou also has a way of conveying the emotion of a scene with incredible brevity.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

As well as having an eye for the dramatic – such as yards of cloth tumbling from a height or flames licking up a wall – Yimou also has a way of conveying the emotion of a scene with incredible brevity.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The action is exquisite, the cinematography sublime.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

The action is exquisite, the cinematography sublime.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

Every cinematic trick in the book to make Hero's violence as sexy as a car commercial

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

Every cinematic trick in the book to make Hero's violence as sexy as a car commercial

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

Zhang Yimou's delightful film is a rarity, being a comedy of modern-day China.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

Zhang Yimou's delightful film is a rarity, being a comedy of modern-day China.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

Gong Li is magnificent as always.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Gong Li is magnificent as always.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Shakespearian, dynastic tragedy on an operatic scale

~ Max Crawford -

Shakespearian, dynastic tragedy on an operatic scale

~ Max Crawford -