The Road Home (5 Stars)

I have a principle. Every time I watch a bad film, like "Spring Breakers" yesterday. I make sure that the next film is something I know and love. Bad films have an effect on my mood. They bring me down. So what better film can I watch than "The Road Home", a beautiful love story directed by Zhang Yimou?

"The Road Home" is one of Zhang Yimou's most deceptively simple films; a rural love story told with the clarity of folklore and the emotional precision of memory.

Set in a small northern Chinese village, the film unfolds through a son's recollection of how his parents met. The present is rendered in austere black and white, while the past blooms into saturated colour; a visual strategy that quietly reverses expectation, suggesting that memory is more vivid than lived reality. At the centre is Zhang Ziyi's luminous performance as a young woman whose love expresses itself through ritual, patience and stubborn devotion. Her repeated walks along the dirt road become acts of faith; love is not declared but enacted.

Zhang strips away political spectacle and urban modernity, focusing instead on landscape, tradition and the dignity of ordinary people. Yet beneath its pastoral calm lies a subtle meditation on change. The arrival of modern education, the Cultural Revolution's aftershocks and the erosion of village customs hover at the edges of the frame. What remains constant is the emotional architecture of remembrance.

Unfashionably earnest and almost defiantly sentimental, "The Road Home" works because it believes in its own sincerity. It's a film about waiting, about honouring the past and about how love survives in gestures repeated over time. In its quiet way, it's one of Zhang's most moving achievements.

Hero (5 Stars)

My mother-in-law used to say, "If you haven't held something in your hand for a year, throw it away". That was her advice to prevent a house being cluttered with unwanted items. I can see the sense in her words, but it doesn't apply to me. I haven't held my "Hero" Blu-ray disc in my hand for ten years. It would have been a tragedy if I'd thrown it away, or even sold it on Ebay. It's a wonderful film.

It has a prominent place on the top shelf in my film collection. Most of my collection (over 2000 films) is in alphabetical order, but my top shelf is reserved for films that are special to me. They're the first films I see when I look at my shelves. Why haven't I watched it all these years? I honestly don't know. I didn't think it was that long. If it weren't for my blog acting as an infallible film diary I wouldn't have known.

"Hero" is a majestic film. Despite the frequent fight scenes, it's slow and philosophical. Jet Li plays a nameless warrior. His lack of a name is significant in itself. A man doesn't become a hero to have his name remembered in history books. A true hero does what's right, even if nobody will ever know what he did.

The film takes place in 227 BC. China was divided into seven kingdoms. Qin was ruled by a tyrant who was waging war against the other six kingdoms. The nameless warrior trained for ten years to assassinate the king, but when he had victory in his grasp, he refused to carry out his mission and walked away. He came to the conclusion that it's better for China to be united under a tyrant than divided.

Calligraphy plays an important part in the film. Before challenging a rival swordsman, the nameless warrior asks him to draw the symbol for sword on an eight feet canvas. He says that there are 19 ways to draw the symbol, but there's a 20th way. By looking at the canvas he'll understand his opponent's fighting skill.

While waiting to be slain, the king meditates on the canvas.

"I have come to a realisation. This scroll contains no secrets of swordsmanship. What it reveals is the highest ideal.

In the first stage, man and sword become one; even a blade of grass can be used as a lethal weapon.

In the next stage, the sword resides not in the hand, but in the heart; even without a weapon the warrior can slay his enemy from 100 paces.

But the ultimate ideal is when the sword disappears altogether. The warrior embraces all around him. The desire to kill no longer exists. Only peace remains".

That's a lot to learn from a painted symbol. The King of Qin may look like a tyrant, but he's a very spiritual man. He embraces death, not knowing he will be spared.

Success Rate:  + 3.7

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Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (5 Stars)

Could this be one of the greatest love stories ever told? Maybe. For those of us who consider ourselves in any way spiritual or religious, it asks serious questions. What's more important? Spirituality or love? Putting the question in a more western setting, is it better to go to Heaven or to love someone? Assuming the two are alternatives. It sounds very awkward when I see the words in front of myself, so I hope you'll understand me. Those who've seen the film will know what I'm talking about.

The Beatles sang that "All you need is love". That seems obvious in theory, but how many people live by that slogan in practice? As you get older other things become more important, such as money, power and fame. Mostly money. It's intuitively obvious that money shouldn't be more important than love, but what about religion? Should my religion be more important than love?

There are so many distractions today. Technology, Internet, entertainment in general. Jen and Lo (whose names vary depending on how they're anglicised) are surrounded by mountains and just have one another. That's a beautiful life. Maybe I could have lived like that when I was younger. Now that I'm older I've been corrupted by the Internet. If I were alone with a woman in the mountains I'd soon yearn for the Internet and my film collection, however much I love her.

I hope my readers don't find my thoughts too crazy. Try to understand me. Tell me what you think.

Success Rate:  + 10.6

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Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (5 Stars)

My local cinema has a regular "Best Of Cinema" feature. On the first Tuesday of every month a classic film is shown. In most cases they're films that I know well and would like to see on the big screen. Today the film was "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon". It was shown in the original Chinese version with German subtitles. Perfect!

Usually I praise the Germans for their good taste in films. I have to take it back. Today there were only four people in the cinema to see this magnificent film. I complained to the man sitting a few seats from me, and he agreed that the cinema should have been full. Interestingly, all four of us were sitting alone. I always respect people who go to the cinema by themselves, because by going to a cinema by yourself proves you're a serious film fan.

It's the second time I've seen "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" in the cinema. I saw it in 2000 when it was new. It overwhelmed me then, and it still overwhelms me now. The only thing that's different is that after watching it a few times I have more of a feeling for the film's deep spirituality. Alongside "The Life of Pi", it's one of the two most spiritual films I know. The two films have something in common: they were both directed by Ang Lee. Not all his films are spiritual. Or maybe they are. Maybe I just haven't been paying attention to the minor details.

The film isn't just a spiritual film, it's a love story. To be more accurate, it tells two love stories. Li Mu Bai and Yu Shu Lien love one another deeply, but they feel bound by honour not to reveal their feelings. Shu Lien was engaged to Li's best friend before his death, and they feel that starting a relationship would be betraying him. The performance of both actors, Chow Yun Fat and Michelle Yeoh, is outstanding. It's (relatively) easy to show the emotion of love on screen, but it takes skill to show that a person feels love that he doesn't want to show, but he's showing it anyway. I hope you understand what I mean, because it's difficult to put it into words.

The other love story involves the 18-year-old noblewoman Yu Ziao Long. Her father, Governor Yu, wants her to marry a rich diplomat, but she's a free spirit who wants a life of adventure. She finds the lives of Li Mu Bai and Yu Shu Lien fascinating, and she also wants to become a roaming swordfighter. By chance she meets a bandit called Dark Cloud and falls in love with him. Her parents would never accept him. The step she takes for them to be together is at the same time romantic and tragic. Is the film's ending a happy ending or a tragedy? It's not easy to decide.

It's natural to compare "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" with the films of Zhang Yimou. They have a similar style, but they're visually different. Zhang Yimou's films are bright and colourful, whereas "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" has subdued colours. The lighting isn't as bright. It's as if Zhang Yimou wants to fool the viewer into expecting a happy ending, whereas Ang Lee leaves the viewer in no doubt that true love is destined to end in tragedy.

It was a mistake for me to omit "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" from my top 100 films list. I've corrected that mistake today, but I'm sad that I had to knock another wonderful film out of the list to make room.

Success Rate:  + 10.6

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House of Flying Daggers (5 Stars)

After watching "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" yesterday I'm in the mood to watch more Chinese films. There will be several in the next few weeks, but I thought I would start with "House of Flaying Daggers", one of the most beautiful films ever made. Some people might call it overkill. Whatever is happening, however brutal the fights might be, everything is colour-coordinated. The surrounding beauty distracts from the blood flowing. The battles are like a beautifully staged ballet, a dance of death in the forests and meadows.

The year is 859 AD. Leo and Jin are two army captains. They work together and they're close friends. They've been given the job of stopping a band of rebels called the Flying Daggers. The leader has been killed, but the group is carrying on without him. There's a rumour that Mei, the daughter of the former leader, is now working in a local brothel. Leo arrests her, but Jin frees her from prison, pretending to be sympathetic to the Flying Daggers. Together they travel north towards the hiding place of the Flying Daggers. Leo follows them with a small band of soldiers, waiting to attack the rebels when they've been uncovered.

Jin pretends to be in love with Mei so that she'll trust him, but as they travel through the beautiful scenery their emotions can't be tamed. The two fall in love with one another, and Jin feels tempted to give up his loyalty to the Emperor for her sake. But Mei already has a lover, a jealous lover that she hasn't seen for three years. Leo is an undercover agent planted in the government by the Flying Daggers. The lines between duty and romance are blurred. When the former friends draw swords against one another, is it because they're political enemies or rival lovers?

Zhang Yimou draws his inspiration from Shakespeare. His love stories are tragedies. We can't expect a happy ending. Those who love are doomed to die. This is a film that will make you cry, while you're still overwhelmed by the scenic beauty and the majestic music.

Success Rate:  + 5.7

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Rush Hour 2 (5 Stars)

I just looked at my previous reviews of "Rush Hour 2", and I realised that I introduced all of them with a photo of Zhang Ziyi. Maybe I should do something different this time. Or maybe not. She's far more attractive than Jackie Chan or Chris Tucker. If you disagree with me I'll hit you over the head with a printing plate.

"Rush Hour 2" wasn't included in my original top 100 film list. I suspected at the time that I'd made a mistake in omitting it. Now I've made up for it. It's in 92nd place in my new list that I'll publish later today. When I compare the first two films, "Rush Hour 2" has better fight scenes, but "Rush Hour" has more comedy. I can't really say which of the two is a better film, but I've put "Rush Hour" higher in my list. For now, at least. The one thing you can never expect from me as a film blogger is consistency.

The first film was a crime thriller, but "Rush Hour 2" has more of the feeling of an international spy thriller. It begins in Hong Kong, then moves to Los Angeles and finally Las Vegas. The story is about fake money created with genuine printing plates that were stolen from the Shah of Persia. That's the only thing I'd fault in the story: why would the American government allow the Shah to print US dollars? I'll let it go, just this once. Don't bring the printing plates back in "Rush Hour 4". Better still, don't make "Rush Hour 4" at all!

What's made Chris Tucker so happy?

28 Chinese girls in a massage parlour! One for every day in February. But I think Chris is greedy. I'd be happy with Zhang Ziyi for the whole month.

While watching the film I was drinking a bottle of Rolf Willy Samtrot Spätlese, which is currently my favourite wine. I've been so fascinated by the taste that I didn't pay attention to the aroma until today. The bouquet is overpoweringly sweet, much sweeter than the taste itself. I sat smelling it for long minutes before I took my first sip. Strangely, after beginning to drink the wine the smell was no longer as strong. There must be a technical reason for that. I'll drink some more tomorrow and delay the first sip for as long as possible.

Success Rate:  + 1.9

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Horsemen of the Apocalypse (4 Stars)

This is a detective story, but it involves so much gore that you might consider it to be a horror film. Maybe it really is a horror film. It depends on your definition.

The film takes place in Chicago, although most of the film was shot in Canada. A hunter finds a bowl on a frozen lake containing a person's teeth. The words "Come and see" are written on nearby trees. The detective Aidan Breslin is called to investigate the case because of his expertise in dental forensics. A short time later a woman is found hanging from a metal rack by hooks, with the words "Come and see" painted on the four walls surrounding her. After this another man is found also hanging from a rack by hooks. He's the man whose teeth were found on the lake.

This seems like a standard murder mystery, despite the extreme gore, but at this point the investigation takes an unusual turn. Kristen Spitz, the adopted daughter of the female victim, confesses to having participated in her mother's murder. This isn't because of remorse. She's taunting the detective. She tells him there are four horsemen, based on the prophecy in Revelation 6. Kristen represents the second horseman, War. She gives him clues to help him find the other three, but every time the police have a suspect he's found dead. Kristen is the only one who knows what's happening, but the information she gives isn't enough for Detective Breslin to solve the case.

This is a fascinating film, and I enjoyed watching the mystery unfold, but I found the plot twist in the final scene unsatisfying. It seemed like an anti-climax. Watch the film yourself to see what I mean.

Success Rate:  - 8.3

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House of Flying Daggers (5 Stars)

Dancer's Top Films #22

Visually, this is the most beautiful film I've ever seen. I'm not just referring to Zhang Ziyi, although I admit that her beauty is stunning. The film's background is perfectly crafted, indoors and outdoors, whatever is taking place in the foreground.

The Tang Dynasty is corrupted and disliked by the general populace. There's a rebel group called the Flying Daggers, which steals from the rich and gives to the poor. Two police captains, Leo and Jin, have been given ten day to identify and arrest the leader of the Flying Daggers. Their only lead is a blind girl who dances in a local tea house. She's known to be a member of the Flying Daggers. To gain her trust Leo arrests her, and then Jin frees her. Jin and Mei head northwards to rendezvous with the rest of the group.

It's a complicated plot. There are multiple levels of deception. Nobody is who he initially seems to be. Even the Flying Daggers themselves turn out to be less idealistic than they're presented in the opening scenes. They're cunning and ruthless, willing to kill anyone who gets in their way.

At its core, this is a love story. Jin and Mei fall in love as they travel together, even though they're both deceiving one another. Mei is torn between Jin and a lover in the Flying Daggers that she hasn't seen for three years. It's difficult to write anything else without giving away spoilers. All I'll say is that the final battles are beautifully filmed. You've never seen a film like this before.

In the north there is a beauty, peerless and independent.
One look from her will overthrow a city, another look will overthrow a nation.
It's not important to know whether a city or a nation will be overthrown,
Because such a beauty will never be seen again.

Success Rate:  + 5.7

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Rush Hour 2 (5 Stars)

The second film in the Rush Hour trilogy was released in 2001, three years after the first film, although the action takes place only a few days after the end of the first film. Detective Yan Lee (Jackie Chan) has returned home to Hong Kong, while Detective James Carter (Chris Tucker) is also in Hong Kong on holiday. Carter's main interest is in meeting sexy Chinese girls. There's nothing wrong with that, but the sexiest girl that he meets is Hu Li (Zhang Ziyi), who would rather kill him than kiss him.

The film is about an ex-cop who's become a gangster. He's acquired original printing plates for US dollars that can make money that's indistinguishable from the real thing. It's being laundered via a Las Vegas casino, the Red Dragon. It's the perfect plan. The casino receives millions of dollars every week, and it pays out millions as well, so the fake notes just have to be swapped for the good notes.

As in the first film, there are a lot of inappropriate jokes that border on racism. I'm surprised that people still have enough of a sense of humour to accept the jokes today, 20 years later. Everyone is becoming more politically correct, although I prefer to call them uptight.

This film isn't in my top 100 films list, but maybe it should be. Watching it today, it seems every bit as good as "Rush Hour". It's a matter of taste. Both films are a mix of action and comedy, but in the second film the comedy is more in the foreground. I need to figure out a way to add extra films to my Top 100 without removing any films that are already in the list.

Success Rate:  + 1.9

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Godzilla: King of the Monsters (3 Stars)

This is a sequel to the 2014 Godzilla reboot, and the third film in the Legendary Monsterverse franchise after "Kong: Skull Island". Despite being disappointed by the 2014, I was determined to enjoy this film. In the end it disappointed me as well. I was tempted to give it a two star rating, but after thinking it over I had to accept that it's faithful to the atmosphere of the Japanese Godzilla films, which deserves to be rewarded.

Godzilla has remained inactive since the last film. People still fear him after the destruction that he caused in San Francisco. (Is it just me, or does the city destruction look worse in the photos than it did in the last film?) The military organisation called Monarch has grown in size. It now has bases all over the world, where it's observing dormant monsters they call Titans. These are giant creatures that once ruled the Earth. Godzilla and Kong were Titans, and there are supposedly 15 others.

Dr. Emma Russell is a Monarch scientist who has helped invent a device which can send messages to the Titans. It's unclear whether it speaks to them or controls them. It effectively acts like a dog whistle, getting the Titans' attention and calling them to go somewhere or do something. She is directly involved with the observation of the Mothra, a giant moth-like creature. She has her own agenda, which disagrees with the aims of Monarch. She sees the Titans as essential to the Earth's survival. The human race has grown too large. The Titans should cull the Earth's human population and create an ecological balance. Her ex-husband Mark opposes her. Their daughter Madison is caught in the middle.

Starting with Mothra, Dr. Russell intends to wake the Titans one at a time, but all 17 (including Godzilla) are woken at the same time, causing destruction throughout the world. We see most of the Titans only briefly. The featured monsters are Godzilla, Ghidorah, Mothra and Rodan.

Everyone who's a fan of the Japanese Godzilla fans knows that Ghidorah, better known as King Ghidorah, is Godzilla's biggest enemy. If the film had only been a showdown between these two monsters it would have been better. The problem is that the company Legendary hasn't learnt the lessons from the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). It's all about patience. In the MCU the heroes were introduced one at a time, before they were teamed up in "The Avengers". After this, new characters continued to be slowly introduced, until they were finally all thrown together in "Avengers: Endgame". Legendary started the same way: first Godzilla, then Kong. Then they got impatient and threw all their Titans together in the third film. Couldn't they have waited until the 22nd film? 17 Titans is way too many for the third film. Even the four main monsters are too many.

I was also disappointed that the Mothra Twins were made too human in the film. Zyang Ziyi plays the scientists Dr. Ilene Chen and Dr. Ling Chen, but in the original films they were tiny singing fairies, only six inches tall. Why did this important feature in the Godzilla canon have to be changed? Also, why are the Mothra Twins Chinese in this film? It might not matter much to western viewers, but Japanese fans must consider this an insult.

To be fair, not all of the 30 Godzilla films made since 1954 have been good. "King of the Monsters" is an average effort. There have been far worse films. I just hope they will improve over the next few years. The franchise has so much potential. The next film will show Godzilla meeting Kong, who was missing from this film. Let's hope it will be an epic battle.

House of Flying Daggers (5 Stars)

This is a Chinese historical film set in the year 859 AD. The Tang Dynasty is declining as a result of the corruption among its leaders. Rebels are fighting to overthrow the government. The largest rebel group is called the Flying Daggers. Despite its historical setting and the frequent battle scenes, "House of Flying Daggers" is a love story. It's the tale of a woman who's loved by two men and has trouble deciding between them.

The film focuses on two local police captains who have been ordered to kill the leader of the Flying Daggers within ten days. This is an impossible task in itself, made more difficult by the fact that they don't know who the leader is. They suspect that a blind dancer called Mei is the daughter of the previous leader, so they follow her when she travels north to meet the other members of the group.

However, the film is so stunningly beautiful that the story soon fades into the background. Film critic Roger Ebert wrote:

"Forget about the plot, the characters, the intrigue, which are all splendid in 'House of Flying Daggers', and focus just on the visuals. There are interiors of ornate elaborate richness, costumes of bizarre beauty, landscapes of mountain ranges and meadows, fields of snow, banks of autumn leaves and a bamboo grove that functions like a kinetic art installation. The film is so good to look at and listen to that, as with some operas, the story is almost beside the point, serving primarily to get us from one spectacular scene to another".

I couldn't have put it better myself. The film has such a lush, exotic beauty that it leaves the viewer speechless. In every scene the costumes and the background are colour coordinated.

I would go one step further and call the director, Zhang Yimou, the Shakespeare of cinema. He creates works of outstanding beauty which will stand the test of time and still be treasured a hundred years from now, long after other popular and critically acclaimed films of our time have been forgotten.

The blind dancer is played by Zhang Ziyi. I can understand men falling in love with her. Her innocent beauty is overwhelming.

The film is a tragedy. I don't know if this is a typical genre for Chinese drama. I suspect that the director is drawing inspiration from classical literature, as did William Shakespeare. The viewer has tears in his eyes when the film reaches its conclusion. This is a film that I strongly recommend to all serious film fans.

Success Rate:  + 5.7

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Rush Hour 2 (5 Stars)

After watching "Rush Hour" with my son this morning he insisted on watching "Rush Hour 2" as well. He loves the films, just like me. He'll probably watch "Rush Hour 3" by himself after I leave. Jackie Chan is brilliant. So is Chris Tucker. It's a pity he gave up acting to become a preacher. Why does religion have to get in the way of everything? He finally came out of retirement to star in "Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk", so I'm hoping we'll see a lot of him in future.

Zhang Ziyi's performance is excellent, of course. In her films she's usually a good girl, but she's even better as a bad girl.

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Rush Hour 2 (5 Stars)

There's a big problem with sequels, especially with sequels to comedy films. The sequel has to be different to the original in order to be interesting, but it also has to be similar enough to the original to satisfy the people who are returning to the cinema because they liked what they saw. It's difficult to keep a balance between the two. The first few minutes of "Rush Hour 2" made me groan when jokes were repeated, such as the Beach Boys playing on the radio and "Never touch a black man's radio". I needn't have worried. These repeat jokes where just thrown in to acclimatise the audience and show them they hadn't walked into the wrong film. After the first 10 minutes the film is firrmly in new territory.

The film begins with James Carter taking a vacation in Hong Kong and Inspector Lee showing him around. The first film ended with Carter boarding a plane for his first trip to Hong Kong, so we can assume that the second film begins at most a few days after the first film ended. Carter wants to relax and have a good time, but fate isn't on his side. A bomb explodes in the US Consulate that kills two US customs officials. Lee is told that Ricky Tan, his father's former partner in the police force, is the suspect. He begins to work on solving the case, accompanied unwillingly by Carter.

"Rush Hour 2" was an even bigger box office success than "Rush Hour". Jackie Chan is still the main attraction, but this film also starred the beautiful Zhang Ziyi (or is her name Ziyi Zhang?) shortly after she gained the public's attention in the award winning "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon".

The majority of film critics rated "Rush Hour 2" lower than the original film, which once again proves that they don't know what they're talking about. It's a brilliant film, and if you liked the first film you'll enjoy the sequel just as much, maybe more.

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The Warrior (5 Stars)

This is a South Korean film made in 2001. At the time of its release it was the biggest budget Korean film ever. It's been released with various names, including "Musa" (a transliteration of the Korean title), "The Warrior" and "Princess of the Desert". I'll stick with "The Warrior", the title of the UK release.

The film is based on a historical event in 1375. China was divided between the Ming Dynasty and the Yuan Dynasty. The Yuan Dysnasty was fading in strength while the Ming Dynasty was growing. A team of diplomats were sent from Korea to the Ming Dynasty, but they were accused of being spies and exiled from the kingdom. They were never seen again. So much is true. "The Warrior" is a fictional tale of what happened to the team after their exile into the desert.

Ming soldiers led the diplomats and their entourage into the desert to escort them to the borders of the kingdom. On the way they were ambushed by Yuan soldiers who killed the Ming soldiers but spared the Koreans. General Choi decided to lead the diplomatic party back to Korea, but on the way they encounter a Ming princess who has been kidnapped by Yuan soldiers. They free the princess and turn back towards China, hoping to find favour with the Ming Dynasty for returning the princess. This isn't an easy task. Yuan soldiers now pursue them in an attempt to re-capture the princess.

Even though only small groups of soldiers are involved, the film has the feeling of being an epic. Great care is taken to introduce us to the Korean party, letting us know their backgrounds, their strengths and their weaknesses. The most interesting character is the princess, played by the Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi. When we first meet her she is proud and haughty. She doesn't thank the Koreans for freeing her because she sees it as their duty, even though they aren't her people. Later on she softens when she sees innocent civilians fleeing from Yuan soldiers. Eventually she sees herself as one of the team with the Koreans.

Forever Enthralled (4 Stars)

This is a biographical film about Mei Lanfang, who lived from 1894 to 1961, and is generally regarded as China's greatest opera singer. He began his career at the age of 10, but the film concentrates on his life in the years 1919 to 1937.

I had great problems getting used to the film. I felt uncomfortable watching it for the first 90 minutes, after which I finally got a feel for it and enjoyed the last hour. The problem is that I know nothing about opera, and even less about Chinese opera. As my Chinese readers will verify, Mei Lanfang is a woman's name. He was born as Wan Hua, but later changed his name when he became famous for appearing on stage as a woman. That was obviously common in China at the time. On stage he dressed like a woman, moved like a woman and sang with a woman's voice. I strongly dislike female impersonators, even though the Chinese opera singers of the early 20th Century were completely different to the drag queens who perform on Birmingham's Hurst Street.

Mei married when he was young, but had problems with his wife from the beginning. She was domineering and tried to control his life. When he was going through emotional problems and felt unable to sing, his wife didn't try to comfort him, she just called him "useless". It's no surprise that he began an affair with a fellow singer, Meng Xiaodong, a woman who performed on stage as a man. That seems so ridiculous to me. Why should the men be women and the women men?

Mei Lanfang on the left, Meng Xiaodong (with false beard) on the right.

Mei Lanfang on the left, Meng Xiaodang (without beard) on the right.

Apart from revolutionising the style of Chinese opera, Mei Lanfang was the first Chinese opera singer to appear in other countries. In the 1930's the Peking Opera performed in America and all over Europe. As a reaction to the Japanese invasion of Peking in 1937 Mei announced his retirement. The Japanese wanted him to sing for propaganda purposes, to show that a leading Chinese celebrity supported the Japanese, but he refused, and he went as far as having a doctor inject him with drugs to make him incapable of performing. After the Japanese were defeated in 1945 he came out of retirement and performed until his death in 1961.

My reason for watching this film on a subject that doesn't usually interest me is that it stars Zhang Ziyi as Meng Xiaodong. She's one of the most beautiful actresses I know, but the beard doesn't suit her.

Horsemen of the Apocalypse (4 Stars)

This was an unusual film for the beautiful Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi. It was her first American film, and it was the first film in which she played a totally evil character. I thought it would be her breakthrough into the American market, but she hasn't made another American film since. She certainly has the talent. Maybe she just isn't interested. She makes enough money in China.

The film is part horror story, part murder mystery. An unknown gang of killers styling themselves on the Biblical four horsemen of the apocalypse is carrying out a series of gruesome murders, torturing their victims for hours before letting them die. Zhang Ziyi plays a teenager called Kristin Spitz, who represents the second horseman, War. She confesses to her crimes and lets herself be arrested just to tease the police, so she can watch their frustration while the murders continue without her.

The film has an intense atmosphere as the crimes continue and the police run in circles, unable to understand the clues that the horsemen are deliberately leaving. The plot twist at the end when the real motive of the horsemen is revealed seemed somehow disappointing to me. Maybe my readers think differently. If you've seen the film, please leave a comment with your thoughts.