Zhang Yimou is undoubtedly one of the foremost names in Mainland Chinese cinema, one of the first names that would come up in a discussion on cinema from the country and one that is synonymous with quality mainstream works that range from period pieces painted on the largest canvas, to small, personal human dramas and everything in between. Despite working on large scale productions, he manages to frequently put out quality features that boast of big-name star-casts and top-drawer production values that never lose out in showcasing his superior storytelling abilities, making him a darling of the audiences and critics alike, both of who look forward for his newest works, including the latest “Full River Red” with great anticipation.
Full River Red is released in North American theatres by Niu Vision Media
Set in the Southern Song Dynasty and five years after heroic general Yue Fei was executed by prime minister Qin Hui, “Full River Red” opens two hours before dawn of the morning when Qin Hui is due to meet with the Jin delegates at the border. It has been found that a Jin diplomat has been killed in the courtyard where Qin Hui and his army have been provided accommodation. Qin Hui orders Sun Jun, his Deputy Commander, to round up the suspects, one of which happens to be recruited soldier Zhang Da, who was on duty overnight. As Zhang Da pleads innocence convincingly, Qin Hui orders both Sun Jun and Zhang Da to find not only the culprit but also an important confidential letter that the diplomat is said to have been carrying. As they begin their investigation though, they find a widespread conspiracy far bigger than they thought and no one, including the prime minister's general manager He Li and vice general manager Wu Yichun, is above suspicion and involvement.
If one goes into “Full River Red” expecting another period-set action extravaganza akin to the likes of “Shadow” or “The House of Flying Daggers”, there would be severe disappointment in store. In fact, it is hard to pin Zhang's latest into one genre. Told in real-time, the feature begins as a Song dynasty whodunit, taking an approach not too dissimilar to a buddy-cop narrative, but swiftly gives way to a mystery/political thriller as layers upon layers of intrigue are slowly peeled away, only to reveal more layers. The palace politics in particular are etched out wonderfully, making the narrative come closest to a real-life chess game being played out in real time. There are deaths of course, but they are sudden and swift, and often bloody, a far cry from what one is accustomed to in a Zhang Yimou production. The narratively constantly evolves into something else, refusing to pigeonhole itself into one genre and is all the more unpredictable for it.
The fact that Zhang is able to juggle not only all these elements without a single hiccup, but also six important, truly well-written characters with their own motives and loyalties (which may or may not change), only speaks volumes for the prowess of the veteran director. Despite a runtime of 159 mostly talkative minutes, the story never feels stagnated thanks to its many twists and reveals, which are also helped by the inclusion of wonderful dark humour at opportune moments. It does throw a number of characters at the audience in the beginning, which may prove overwhelming for some viewers, but it swiftly loses most to focus on the key players, making it easy to recognise and follow these selected characters.
It also helps that these characters are played to perfection by a cast that doesn't falter. Shen Teng as Zhang Da and Jackson Yee as Sun Jun take up the majority of the runtime and Shen, in particular, goes through a wide range of emotions as more notches are added to his character. Jackson Yee's maturity as an actor is most impressive with each passing role and this too is no different as he brings a lot of seriousness and gravitas to Sun Jun. Lei Jiayin makes national traitor Qin Hui a man to dislike, particularly near the end, whereas both Zhang Yi and Yue Yunpeng provide the required dramatic effect and comic relief with their performances. Zhang Yimou has a proven track record of debuting actresses that go on to be superstars and Wang Jiayi as the dancer Zither is another impressive debut, but it remains to be seen how well she progresses.
Like with all of Zhang's historicals so far, “Full River Red” too is a visual delight. Given the nighttime setting of the story, long-time collaborator Zhao Xiaoding shoots with a day-for-night approach, but his use of blue hues to depict the nearly-dawn time is effective and believable, which works with the use of red when blood and cherries, an important element of the storyline, come up to create a truly mesmerizing image. Given that the entire narrative is set within the constraints of the house that the army is housed in, Zhao uses the tight spaces well, often filling the screen with many characters at one time. The montages of people walking down narrow corridors are a particular highlight.
But perhaps the real star here is Han Hong's music, which is used in those corridor scenes in the most inspired way, with a song that can be best described as a mix of classical Chinese opera singing done in a modern rap form accompanied by both classical and modern instruments used every time someone is walking, hurrying or straight running down corridors. Besides that, traditional Chinese instruments populate the soundtrack, which is a very suiting support to both the events in the narrative, and most notably at moments the key twists are played out.
71 years of age and working in a political environment that is probably not the best suited for an artist, it is incredible that Zhang Yimou continues to make impressive feature after impressive feature, regardless of the genre he works on. Once again proving that he has lost none of his touch and bite with this tale of mystery, intrigue and conspiracy, “Full River Red” is Zhang Yimou's newest masterwork, a gorgeous, satisfying feature that deserves to been seen on the biggest screen and with the loudest sound. This is one that will likely feature in many year-end Best Of lists.
