IMDb review
It's risky when a director change genre half way through the movie... lots of big names did it successfully and the result is a fun ride.
Quentin Tarantino's From Dusk Till Dawn, Bong Joon-ho's Parasite, Ruben Östlund's Triangle of Sadness, and now... Zhang Yimou's Full River Red. These are risky masterpieces the directors undertook. I enjoy the ride throughly. Act one was so different from Zhang's previous films, I had to double check the credits. I went along with it, trying to forget it's the same director that gave us Hero and Raise the Red Lantern. I even let go and started laughing at some of its jokes. But Act 2 got my attention... Act 3 had me in tears! What a ride.
The movie has its problems. But overall it worked for me. I applaud Zhang's attempt at this script and giving us this rare masterpiece from China. Perhaps the only one so far that has attempted this kind of story telling. Maybe this is ahead of its time for the intended audience, but I believe it'll age like a fine wine.
