Shanghai Triad (Standard Edition)

In many ways, Shanghai Triad feels like China's answer to Goodfellas, but it's much more than that. Beyond superficial structural similarities, and introductions to a life of crime in a period piece that whisks us through the ins and outs and of the family's hierarchy, Shanghair Triad is fundamentally its own picture, with its own study and focus on the allure of crime--and ultimately, after its seduction, how it doesn't pay.

Tang Shuisheng (Wang Xiaoxiao), a young boy who arrives in Shanghai by boat in the film's opening scenes, is brought in to serve the coincidentally-named Tang family by his uncle. Specifically, the young Tang is to be a servant to Xiao Jinbao (played by Gong Li), a nightclub singer and mistress to the Triad Boss.

The woman treats the boy with disdain. She yells at him. She throws things at him. To no one's surprise, the two wind up forging a friendship throughout the film's run time. She treats the young Tang so poorly because he reminds her of herself, and what she's spent her whole life in trying to escape. He's what she calls a "country bumpkin" and after a violent event leaves numerous gangsters dead, and the Triad Boss needs to hide, they're brought to the countryside that Jinbao thought she'd left behind forever. Instead of missing the fast-paced city life she'd grown accustomed to, she reunites herself with her humanity and she and Tang begin to understand each other.

Shanghai Triad, was directed by Zhang Yimou, who until that point was known for such other films as Raise the Red Lantern and had gone on to make Hero and House of Flying Daggers in the years since. Yimou has a very distinct visual style, with soft, muted visuals, and intricate camera movements that divorce us from the full reality of the story. It almost feels like a dream, in all its slow-mo visual wonderment. 

Shanghai Triad is indeed a crime film, replete with revenge, murder, double-crosses and betrayal, but all of those ingredients are satellite to the main theme of loneliness and isolation. Some of the film's most striking moments are the quiet ones in the country, with wind blowing through the grass, as thunder rumbles in the distance. The serenity hints at a violence looming just on the horizon. And even when there are moments of happiness between the young boy and the singer, we know anything can happen, at any time.

Gong Li anchors the film with her masterful performance. She plays Jinbao with a wounded sensitivity. She begins the film as an insufferable brat, prone to tantrums and outbursts, and ends the film with a quiet dignity in the face of impossible odds. Her performance pulls off a delicate balancing act, portraying someone who finds themselves thrust into a situation they wanted no part of, and can't escape from. 

Moreso than Goodfellas, Shanghai Triad reminds me of another Martin Scorsese: The Age of Innocence, where the real horror of violence isn't in the literal blood that's been shed, but in the regimented social song and dance that we all find ourselves participating in, and one false move, we find ourselves falling through any perceived safety net. There's a cruelty to it, and the film studies, with fascination, the greedy and powerful people who control those mechanisms.

Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray
Shanghai Triad comes to Blu-ray courtesy of Film Movement and OCN Distribution in a standard case with artwork on the inside sleeve, opposite the cover. There is also a booklet inside containing an essay from John Berra, a writer for Screen Daily, who looks at the film against Yimou's career. The movie itself is presented in 1080p with a 2.0 PCM stereo soundtrack, with bonus features to help deepen your understanding of it.

Shanghai Triad was nominated for Best Cinematography at the Academy Awards in 1996, and perhaps I'm going to sound like a philistine, but I think the cinematography is hindered by some creative decisions that, while I understand them in aesthetical theory, in practicality don't work as well. The first half of the movie is thick, and I mean thick with this artificial misty haze, like moments before the director yelled, "Action!" they brought out a fog machine and blasted it indiscriminately. I believe the thought behind this is that everything is given a soft, almost dreamy focus. It's reminiscent of Classic Hollywood gangster pictures, and there's this literal haze of nostalgia. It's also butt ugly, and as actors walk through the set, you can physically see the mist being blown around. 

It's a shame because costumes present these bright, beautiful colors, and the set design is incredible. The film's production values are absolutely top-notch, but they're all filtered through this ugly, Silent Hill-esque fog. By the time the movie moves its action to the countryside, the visuals improve drastically (possibly because it wasn't feasible to blast a fog machine moments before rolling in these locations), and the striking greens of the natural surroundings gets to shine. Actors are bathed in a rich, golden glow as the sun sets on them. I'm splitting the difference on video presentation and ranking it higher because the second half elevates the overall score.

I'm usually not one to complain when a 2.0 PCM stereo mix is the only audio mix available, particularly when it's in keeping with the original mix the film has historically been released with, but if ever there was a movie aching for a 5.1 mix, this one would be it. I won't ding the overall score for it, because what was provided is truly remarkable work, but the sound mix is SO GOOD, I wish there had been some rear-speaker activity through the blowing wind in the countryside, the hustle-and-bustle of a Shanghai nightclub, or from Zhang Guangtian's soft, meditative score. The 2.0 mix deftly balances chaotic interior scenes with dozens of extras and quieter scenes with equal adeptness. Dialogue is always crisp and clear, never getting lost to an overpowering score.

Special features are few and far between on this issue of Shanghai Triad, but the features that are there are quite good and will help you understand the film on a deeper level, especially if you (like I) are not as proficient in Zhang Yimou's filmography. 

• Trouble in Shanghai - Video essay by author Grady Hendrix (HD, 20:16)
• Inside Booklet - Containing a new essay by film critic and lecturer John Berra
• Trailers 

Shanghai Triad is a unique, original work made by a unique, original filmmaker. It's a "gangster" film in the most classical sense, in that it looks at crime as a metaphor for life and society as a larger whole. Though special features are a bit lacking, the work that went into the production of this disc is quite good, with impressive audio/video presentation. The sound mix is very, very good, and while I wasn't as impressed with the video, that's through no fault of Film Movement. The transfer itself does the best possible work with what it's been given. For fans of Yimou, Shanghai Triad would be right at home in your physical media library. For everyone else, it's a thoughtful, provocative and hypnotic film with much to say about the human condition. With its impressive stats, this film comes Highly Recommended.