Search: Directed by Zhang Yimou

Shakespearian, dynastic tragedy on an operatic scale

Gong Li is magnificent as always.

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

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

The action is exquisite, the cinematography sublime.

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.

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

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

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

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.