Zhang Yimou's masterly epic tells a fascinating human story against the background of four decades of political upheaval, from the civil war of the Forties, through the Communist takeover, Chairman Mao's Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution. It complements two other recent Chinese films that cover a similar panorama, Tian Zhuangzhuang's The Blue Kite and Chen Kaige's highly acclaimed Farewell My Concubine. However, rather than offering a political critique, the film concentrates on ordinary, fallible individuals. Its drama, divided into five segments, is generously spiked with black comedy, as we follow the varied fates of gambler Xu Fugui (brilliantly portrayed by Ge You), his long-suffering wife Jiazhen (played by Yimou favourite Gong Li) and their close friends and family. Thanks to its focus on a small group of characters and the engaging performances of a strong cast, the movie offers a wonderful insight into what it was like to live through those turbulent decades.

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