Shanghai, 1930. Mr. Tang, the godfather of the underground Green dynasty which controls the city's lucrative opium and prostitution trade, is fleeing Shanghai after an attempt has been made on his life. Seeking revenge, he takes refuge in the country-side with his mistress, the nightclub singer Xiao Jinbao, and her fourteen-year-old servant and confident, Tang Shuisheng.
Chinese director Zhang Yimou (HERO, HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS) offers us here an impressive-looking, technically excellent portrait of mob power struggle and lifestyle in the Shanghai of the 1930's. As for Gong Li (MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA, 2046, MIAMI VICE) her performance is particularly shining as the nightclub diva; the arrogant but disillusioned mistress of the mob boss.