Shanghai Triad

Shanghai Triad, a captivating crime drama, is a 1995 movie from acclaimed Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou. The film vividly illustrates the life of the Chinese underworld in the 1930s, elegantly combining elements of organized crime, camaraderie, love, and betrayal within an overarching narrative of survival. Starring eminent Chinese actors Gong Li, Baotian Li, and Xiaoxiao Wang, Shanghai Triad immerses audiences into the brutally vivid, yet alluring world of 1930s Shanghai.

As the story unfolds through the eyes of its naïve young protagonist, audience members are led into the ominous yet fascinating world of gangster chief Tang (Baotian Li). The plot of Shanghai Triad is shown through the perspective of Shuisheng (Wang Xiaoxiao), a 14-year-old boy from the countryside who comes to Shanghai to work for Uncle Liu, one of Tang’s principal lieutenants.

However, Shuisheng's essentially unsophisticated world collides with the complex, glamorized, and cruel world of the mobsters, causing him to question his understanding and perspective of life drastically. He is assigned to serve the attractive and manipulative Xiao Jingbao (Gong Li), Tang's spirited and domineering mistress. Jingbao is a nightclub singer who's simultaneously adored and feared and is fully aware of her role and the power she possesses due to her relationship with Tang. Herein, the layers of the movie deepen and the narrative becomes multi-faceted.

Shanghai Triad is the seventh and final collaboration between Zhang Yimou and Gong Li, which adds to its allure as viewers get treated to the duo's powerful artistry on-screen. However, it’s not just about performance in this film – it also offers a significant exploration into the themes of violence, power, and innocence.

As an opulent crime saga that steals glimpses into history, Shanghai Triad strikingly exploits light, shadow, color, and music, crafting an exquisite aesthetic that is both stark and splendid. Whether it's the glitzy nightclub scenes or the bucolic island life, every frame is visually arresting, illustrating Zhang’s command over cinematic aesthetics. Zhang doesn’t shy away from employing symbolism – the color red or the recurrence of water and reflections are prominent as significant aspects of the narrative.

The film also benefits from engaging performances. Baotian Li’s portrayal of the shrewd mob boss is chillingly effective, but it’s Gong Li's performance that stands out. Her role as Xiao Jingbao, a woman stuck amid the violence and opulence, vacillating between victim and perpetrator, is one of her most complex character studies delivered with considerable aplomb. Xiaoxiao Wang offers a brilliant performance too, showing Shuisheng’s loss of innocence with uncanny subtlety.

With Shanghai Triad, Yimou Zhang creates more than just a mob drama; the film is a potent exploration of moral dichotomy. While it richly delves into the opulence and grim elegance of the gangster world, the real focus of the film lies in the human struggle in their pursuit of power, the battle against vulnerabilities, and the innocence that is lost in this process.

In true Yimou style, Shanghai Triad leverages its narrative and aesthetic prowess to construct a hauntingly captivating parable of authority, duplicity, and consequences. It is a dramatic and gripping tale of a bygone era, brought alive through stunning cinematography and remarkable performances. This multi-layered film is an emotional and visual spectacle that's spectacularly grounded in reality.

In essence, Shanghai Triad is a profound cinematic journey into a historical era of China that wedding the glamour and gore of the underworld with an exploration of human nature. The somber mood and slow pace of the narration only add to the enriching experience that this film offers. Its storytelling might appear stylishly slow but its rich cinematography and nuanced storytelling make Shanghai Triad a compelling watch. For those who appreciate the art of visual storytelling, this is not a film to be missed.