Shanghai Triad

I watched ‘Shanghai Triad’ while my children played bowling yesterday. I liked the refreshing way the story was told – from the viewpoint of a 14-year old pumpkin. The story revolved around Jinbao (Gong Li) and how she was caught in the feud of two gangsters.
The director did not show Jinbao’s childhood but through clever interplay between her and a little girl called Ah Jiao, we could see Jinbao’s childhood almost as vividly in Ah Jiao’s image.
What made Zhang Yimou’s movie outstanding was the way he reviewed the twist in the story. The climax came when you least expected it. He did it again here but I am not going to spoil your fun by spilling the beans.
Gangsters never stop wanting to hurt each other. In a scene, a gangster was going to die; he said this to his enemy to sow discord, “If you could plant your man in mine, what make you think I did not do the same to you.”
In a typical HK film, this is probably another twist in the story. Thankfully, it was not, otherwise the story would be less credible.
My children came back very indignant. They learned that the drain in the bowling alley was called gutter not what I told them: loong gout.