75
Metascore
7 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 88RogerEbert.comSimon AbramsRogerEbert.comSimon AbramsThe corridors of power are narrow and spider-vein-thin in Full River Red but still well-traveled and precisely navigated by Zhang and his well-synchronized collaborators.
- 80Screen DailyJohn BerraScreen DailyJohn BerraIts blend of styles and sensibilities may be occasionally confounding, but Full River Red is certainly never less than entertaining in its richly inventive mining of history.
- 75The Film StageJared MobarakThe Film StageJared MobarakFor every person who finds the tone a welcome inclusion that helps make this two-and-a-half-hour mystery feel a whole lot breezier than you expect, there’s bound to be another who cannot separate what appears to be surface distraction from a highly convoluted tapestry of convenient twists and turns. Most will surely fall in the middle––like me.
- 75Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreLongtime fans of one of China’s greatest living filmmakers won’t want to miss this one. It isn’t every day that Zhang Yimou jokes around. You’ll want to be there for every bloody punchline.
- 70VarietyRichard KuipersVarietyRichard KuipersWith a twist-packed plot to match its labyrinthine location, Zhang’s fast-paced film motors along nicely as an engaging “Knives Out”-style whodunnit before stumbling a little in the protracted final act.
- 70Los Angeles TimesJustin ChangLos Angeles TimesJustin ChangZhang’s own authorial touch is unmistakable in the mazelike palace intrigues, the phalanxes of armed soldiers and the ferocious bursts of action, plus the climactic nationalist overtones of a story that pits the will of several individuals against the fate of an empire.
- 70The New York TimesBrandon YuThe New York TimesBrandon YuAt times, particularly in its overwrought closing act, the film feels as if it’s going to collapse under the weight of its relentless, convoluted twists. But the lighthearted tone poking through keeps it afloat, and suspends the viewer in mostly carefree entertainment for its two-and-a-half-hour running time.