Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Li Gong | ... | Xiao Jingbao (as Gong Li) | |
Baotian Li | ... | Tang, the Gang Boss | |
Xiaoxiao Wang | ... | Shuisheng, the boy | |
Xuejian Li | ... | Liu, 6th Uncle | |
Chun Sun | ... | Song, Tang's No. 2 | |
Biao Fu | ... | Zheng, Tang's No.3 | |
Shu Chen | ... | Shi Ye | |
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Jiang Liu | ... | Fat Yu |
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Baoying Jiang | ... | Cuihua, the Widow |
Qianquan Yang | ... | Ah Jiao | |
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Ying Gao | ||
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Weiming Gao | ||
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Shuliang Lian | ||
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Ya'nan Wang | ||
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Zhang Yayun |
Uncle Liu brings his cousin to Shanghai to work for 'Boss,' the leader of a powerful drug empire in the 1930's. Shuisheng, a simple country boy is awed and overwhelmed by the opulence and immense wealth he is suddenly surrounded by. He is to be the attendant of Xiao Jingbao, the new mistress of 'Boss.' While he fumbles with the demands of his new role, much intrigue is going on around him, well beyond his bewildered perception. Xiao Jingbao is having a tumultuous affair, Fat Yu is starting a gang war, and 'Boss' is beginning to suspect that one of his trusted men is not loyal. Written by Tad Dibbern <DIBBERN_D@a1.mscf.upenn.edu>
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.