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Shanghai Triad

Original title: Yao a yao, yao dao wai po qiao
  • 19951995
  • RR
  • 1h 48m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
5.6K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Yao a yao, yao dao wai po qiao (1995)
Theatrical Trailer from Sony Pictures Classics
Play trailer4:38
1 Video
53 Photos
  • Crime
  • Drama
  • History

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 ganglord's mistress.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 ganglord's mistress.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 ganglord's mistress.

IMDb RATING
7.1/10
5.6K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Yimou Zhang
  • Writers
    • Feiyu Bi
    • Li Xiao(novel)
  • Stars
    • Gong Li
    • Baotian Li
    • Xiaoxiao Wang
Top credits
  • Director
    • Yimou Zhang
  • Writers
    • Feiyu Bi
    • Li Xiao(novel)
  • Stars
    • Gong Li
    • Baotian Li
    • Xiaoxiao Wang
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 40User reviews
    • 33Critic reviews
    • 77Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 5 wins & 4 nominations total

    Videos1

    Shanghai Triad
    Trailer 4:38
    Shanghai Triad

    Photos53

    Yao a yao, yao dao wai po qiao (1995)
    Yao a yao, yao dao wai po qiao (1995)
    Yao a yao, yao dao wai po qiao (1995)
    Gong Li in Yao a yao, yao dao wai po qiao (1995)
    Xiaoxiao Wang in Yao a yao, yao dao wai po qiao (1995)
    Baotian Li in Yao a yao, yao dao wai po qiao (1995)
    Gong Li, Biao Fu, Shu Chen, Chun Sun, and Baotian Li in Yao a yao, yao dao wai po qiao (1995)
    Biao Fu in Yao a yao, yao dao wai po qiao (1995)
    Shu Chen in Yao a yao, yao dao wai po qiao (1995)
    Baotian Li and Xiaoxiao Wang in Yao a yao, yao dao wai po qiao (1995)
    Xiaoxiao Wang in Yao a yao, yao dao wai po qiao (1995)
    Gong Li in Yao a yao, yao dao wai po qiao (1995)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Gong Li
    Gong Li
    • Xiao Jingbaoas Xiao Jingbao
    Baotian Li
    Baotian Li
    • Tang, the Gang Bossas Tang, the Gang Boss
    Xiaoxiao Wang
    Xiaoxiao Wang
    • Shuisheng, the boyas Shuisheng, the boy
    Xuejian Li
    Xuejian Li
    • Liu, 6th Uncleas Liu, 6th Uncle
    Chun Sun
    Chun Sun
    • Song, Tang's No. 2as Song, Tang's No. 2
    Biao Fu
    Biao Fu
    • Zheng, Tang's No.3as Zheng, Tang's No.3
    Shu Chen
    Shu Chen
    • Shi Yeas Shi Ye
    Jiang Liu
    • Fat Yuas Fat Yu
    Baoying Jiang
    • Cuihua, the Widowas Cuihua, the Widow
    Qianquan Yang
    Qianquan Yang
    • Ah Jiaoas Ah Jiao
    Ying Gao
    Weiming Gao
    Shuliang Lian
    Ya'nan Wang
    Zhang Yayun
    Guo Hao
    Jiasheng Zhen
    Ni Zengshao
    • Director
      • Yimou Zhang
    • Writers
      • Feiyu Bi
      • Li Xiao(novel)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    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. —Tad Dibbern <DIBBERN_D@a1.mscf.upenn.edu>
    • boy
    • timeframe 1930s
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Taglines
      • In 1930's Shanghai violence was not the problem. It was the solution.
    • Genres
      • Crime
      • Drama
      • History
      • Romance
      • Thriller
    • Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
      • Rated R for some language and images of violence
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      This was a difficult film for Yimou Zhang to make. His relationship with his leading lady Gong Li was coming to an acrimonious end and the Chinese authorities were deliberately hassling him with complicated and elusive work permits. That was mainly because they were still annoyed with him for submitting his previous film Huo zhe (1994) to the Cannes Film Festival without their permission.
    • Quotes

      Xiao Jingbao: [to Song] Just because you fucked me you think you're the boss?

    • Connections
      Featured in 53rd Annual Golden Globe Awards (1996)

    User reviews40

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Let's get out of the weeds and back in the nightclub.
    There has been way to much chatter about how beautiful this film is with its sumptuous sets, costumes, and magnificent photography. On the surface this looks like another gangster film, this time taking place in Shanghai. But of course, it isn't. The gangster scenario is just the backdrop really.

    Shuisheng, a boy of 14, has come to the city to serve the haughty and beautiful Xiao Jingbao, the nightclub singing moll of Tang, head of the most powerful gang in Shanghai.

    Shuisheng's uncle is a riot as he gives the boy a whacky set of instructions on how to be a proper servant to snobby Xiao, wonderfully played by Gong Li. "Call her 'Miss'. Follow her wherever she goes, not to far behind, and not to close. That's the rule. Hold her coat in your left hand and her hat in the right, but don't let the coat drag on the floor. That's the rule. Got it?" And the Shuisheng replies, "Got it." However, after "Miss" delights in calling him a country bumpkin, and chews him out a couple of times, (And why not, Shuisheng can't tell a red dress from a green one.) the kid starts looking for the exit. When his uncle tells him, "When she rings for you, stop everything (yes, everything) and go to her. Got it?" His reply this time is, "I want to leave." Bad move, uncle is most displeased.

    In many ways, Shuisheng is the most inscrutable character in the movie. He's got a real poker face, and you'll probably have a tough time deciding if he's an idiot, or a sharp kid who's observing things closely and learning fast. This is the heart of the film, the relationship between the boy and the woman. Eventually, the boy will find out the self-important, hip swinging Xiao Jingbao is miserable. She is the beautiful songbird hopelessly trapped in a world where she is bathed in luxury by the ruthless Tang, with no hope of freedom.

    The boy's whole attitude changes when he realizes this, and the question the film poses from here is ... what, if anything, can he do about it? If this was an American film, (and I'd love to see such a version) probably plenty, but director Yimou Zhang is a cynical man with a dark outlook on life. All his films have downbeat endings, and this one is no exception. What really bothers me though, is that events take place that result in a complete shift in setting half way through the film, and that's always a dangerous move in the cinema. And this abrupt shift comes at a time when things are just getting interesting in the nightclub, when Shuisheng realizes "Miss" is very unhappy. He might have been able to help her in the big city and spacious confines of the nightclub, but marooned on an island, there's not much he can do. This is a good film, but I would have liked to see the plot move in a different direction in the second half.
    helpful•10
    6
    • Ted-101
    • Feb 9, 2001

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 22, 1995 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • France
      • China
    • Official site
      • Sony Pictures Classics
    • Language
      • Mandarin
    • Also known as
      • Hội Tam Hoàng Thượng Hải
    • Filming locations
      • Shanghai, China
    • Production companies
      • Alpha Films
      • La Sept Cinéma
      • Ministère des Affaires étrangères et du Développement International
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $2,086,101
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $209,098
      • Dec 25, 1995
    • Gross worldwide
      • $2,086,101
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 48 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby
      • Dolby SR
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Related news

    From Legendary Director Zhang Yimou Comes Shanghai Triad, On Blu-ray for the Very First Time in North America on 8/11
    From Legendary Director Zhang Yimou Comes Shanghai Triad, On Blu-ray for the Very First Time in North America on 8/11
    Aug 6Horror News
    Zhang Yimou Classic ‘Shanghai Triad’ Lands Blu-Ray Release In August
    Zhang Yimou Classic ‘Shanghai Triad’ Lands Blu-Ray Release In August
    Jul 21HollywoodOutbreak.com

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