What you can say about this movie is that it was not directed by Zhang Yimou who did (if I'm not mistaken) Raise the Red Lantern and Ju Dou which were excellent movies. This is similar -- but inferior -- to Zhang's work. Gong Li, the lead actress, is less sensual than usual, the story is convoluted and complicated, the ending is exactly like that of every other movie I've seen in which Gong Li is the lead, and the story strains credibility. <br /><br /> The lead male character, Zhong, is sort of a Chinese Tom Cruise. The women all love him, despite the fact that he's a louse. He suffers horribly because they suffer because of their love for him. Nobody suffers as much as Gong Li. Tragic ending predictable. The photography was good. That's about all. <br /><br />