Review of Full River Red

I've always admired Yimou Zhang's creative indefatigability as a director despite how I feel like his method of production is questionable. Flawless exposition just like Cliff Walkers, swiftly establishing the major incident, characters, and interrelation. Limited setting creates compact narration, thus engendering intricate storylines, resulting in a great buildup of suspense. I have no complaint about anything up until He Li's death, as I'm thoroughly infatuated with the murder mysteries, revolving evidences, and occasionally emotive maneuvers. And yet, the lengthy resolution afterwards is just a dreadful throwaway, and I could not get more cringed by a thousand man reciting the poem while flag-waving music plays. It's like when you do the pledge of allegiance in school and the audio plays twice because it's the principal's second son's birthday --- not like it's bad, it's just weird. Anyways, the entire last 30 minutes feel amputated from the rest, making Man Jiang Hong a barely-reached 7 stars for me.