Man Jiang Hong, internationally known as Full River Red, is a mixture of a period drama and a conspiracy thriller taking place during the Shaoxing period of the Southern Song dynasty. The entire movie takes place at the prime minister's residence where a foreign diplomate dies under mysterious circumstances and a secret letter he was carrying disappears without a trace. A team of investigators uncovers a conspiracy that is much more significant than initially anticipated.
This movie convinces on several levels. It has been directed by experienced veteran Zhang Yimou who has been responsible for cinematic masterpieces such as Shadow, The Flowers of War and Hero. While Full River Red isn't among his greatest movies, the calm, precise and swift camera work, the impressively detailed bird perspectives and the use of epic backdrops make this movie a visual sensation.
Full River Red brings the Southern Song dynasty to life with numerous imaginative details. This includes the diversified clothing, the way the huts and palaces are designed and also the use of numerous different weapons. The attention to detail in this film is particularly outstanding.
This film also entertains with a fluid blend of genres that will keep viewers intrigued through its ambitious running time. The movie starts with some slapstick comedy scenes, quickly features some visually stunning martial arts sequences, develops into a profound drama and ultimately becomes a gripping conspiracy thriller. The transitions between all these sections are very smooth as each genre gets about thirty to forty-five minutes to start, shine and fade out before the next section takes over. This procedure makes for a highly entertaining final result.
This movie however isn't without its flaws. The running time of one hundred fifty-nine minutes is a little bit too long for one single film. Zhang Yimou could have easily cut half an hour worth of material to avoid unnecessary repetitions and slow transitions. The plot is very clever but at times includes a few too many twists for its own good before concluding on an exaggeratedly patriotic note that many contemporary Chinese movies are dreadfully suffering from. One last element to criticize are the acting performances that are decent to good but fail to leave a deeper impression. The country's greatest actresses and actors can be found in other contemporary films such as Ride On, Sakra and Post Truth rather than this film.
At the end of the day, Full River Red is a wonderful movie for anyone interested in ancient Chinese culture, creative martial arts films and twisted conspiracy thrillers. For anyone who appreciates all three elements, this movie should firmly sit among the top twenty films of the year. However, this movie isn't as great as the promoters would like us to believe and Zhang Yimou has done better jobs on numerous occasions in the past.
