Shanghai Triad is a 1995 Chinese crime-drama film, directed by Zhang Yimou and starring Gong Li. The script is written by Bi Feiyu based on Li Xiao's 1994 novel Rules of a Clan (门规). The film is set in the criminal underworld of 1930s Shanghai, Republic of China and spans seven days. Shanghai Triad's Chinese title reads "Row, row, row to Grandma Bridge", which refers to a well known traditional Chinese lullaby.

The film was the seventh collaboration between director Zhang Yimou and actress Gong Li, ending a successful partnership that had begun with Zhang's debut, Red Sorghum (1987), and had evolved into a romantic relationship as well. With the wrapping of filming for Shanghai Triad the two agreed to end their relationship both professionally and personally.

The film was originally intended to be a straight adaptation of the novel Gang Law by author Li Xiao. This plan eventually changed with Gong Li's character becoming more important and the story's viewpoint shifting to that of the young boy, Tang Shuisheng. As a result, the film's title was changed to reflect its new "younger" perspective. Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 77 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating generally favourable reviews.

With its headline position in the New York Film Festival, The New York Times critic Janet Maslin opened her review that despite the clichéd genre of the "gangster film," Shanghai Triad nevertheless "movingly affirms the magnitude of [Zhang Yimou's] storytelling power." Even Ebert however, conceded that the film's technical aspects were well executed, calling Zhang one of the "best visual stylists of current cinema."

  • Camerimage Awards (1995)
  • Golden Frog — Lü Yue (nominated)
  • Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards (1995)
  • LAFCA Award, Best Cinematography — Lü Yue
  • New York Film Critics Circle Awards (1995)
  • NYFCC Award, Best Cinematography — Lü Yue
  • National Board of Review (1995)
  • NBR Award, Best Foreign Language Film
  • 53rd Golden Globe Awards (1996)
  • Golden Globe, Best Foreign Language Film (nominated)
  • 68th Academy Awards (1996)
  • Best Cinematography — Lü Yue (nominated)

Retail release

Shanghai Triad was released on December 12, 2000 in the United States on region 1 DVD by Sony Pictures' Columbia TriStar label. The DVD edition includes English and Spanish subtitles. The DVD is in the widescreen letterbox format with an aspect ratio of 1.85:1. Blu-ray with 108 minute runtime was released on August 4, 2020.

See also

  • Triads — Chinese underground societies that play a major part of the film

References

  • Shanghai Triad homepage at Sony Pictures Classics