Purple Butterfly (Zi hudie) (2004)
Bingbing Li, Feng Yuangzheng, Kin Ei, Li Bingbing, Tôru Nakamura ... (see more) , Ye Liu , Yuanzheng Feng , Ziyi Zhang
In Manchuria, Itami (Toru Nakamura), who's Japanese, falls in love with Cynthia (Ziyi Zhang), a beautiful Chinese girl, but dangerous politics threaten to keep the lovers apart. Their happiness ends when Itami returns home for military service. Three years later, Shanghai is occupied by Japan. Unawa... (read more) In Manchuria, Itami (Toru Nakamura), who's Japanese, falls in love with Cynthia (Ziyi Zhang), a beautiful Chinese girl, but dangerous politics threaten to keep the lovers apart. Their happiness ends when Itami returns home for military service. Three years later, Shanghai is occupied by Japan. Unaware that Itami is in Shanghai working for Yamamato, the head of Japan's secret service, Cynthia joins a covert group with plans to kill Yamamoto.
Flixster Users
Critics
R
Directed by:
Ye Lou
Release Date: Nov 26, 2004
DVD Release Date: Feb 15, 2005
Your Rating
Your Friends' Ratings
No recent reviews.
Flixster User Reviews
Deliriously boring WWII-era thriller of political intrigue is neither intriguing nor thrilling. Too many pregnant pauses does not profound silence make.
There's a lot of silence in this movie and the plot is non-linear, which makes it increadibly hard to follow. It took me most of the movie just to sort out what was happening now and what was a flashback.
the film is beautifully shot. i don't mind it being slow... but it was a bit too confusing for me.
Scattered story-telling that could've been done better. Story itself is quite engrossing.
Such a fucking slow movie. Even the first somewhat "exciting" scene in the movie (which was found fifteen minutes into it) was ridden with cliche, awkward camera shots, and just bleh. Such a frustrating film to watch.
Slow camera shots, a melancholy mood and the reductionist approach are wonderful tools in the hands of a master, - eg., Wong Kar-wai, Edward Yang, Jia Zhangke etc. But in the hands of this director, it was an absolute disaster. This is got to be on... (read more) Slow camera shots, a melancholy mood and the reductionist approach are wonderful tools in the hands of a master, - eg., Wong Kar-wai, Edward Yang, Jia Zhangke etc. But in the hands of this director, it was an absolute disaster. This is got to be one of the worst films I've ever seen. Just because there's sex, hot girls, death and big name actors doesn't cut it. 1 star cos I like Li BingBing.
I have watch this movie a few times now and seem to get drwn into it more and more as I understand the little secrets and life in the shadows of the characters. Life can be sad if we stay in a sad place but we can move towards happiness if we make th... (read more) I have watch this movie a few times now and seem to get drwn into it more and more as I understand the little secrets and life in the shadows of the characters. Life can be sad if we stay in a sad place but we can move towards happiness if we make the choice and act... jwl
I was watching this movie and fluff racing at the same time. It was kind of boring and confusing, but it was one of the few Chinese movies I found in the Blockbuster.
Critic Reviews
There are two movies battling for supremacy in Butterfly, and both lose. As does the audience.full review
Mr. Lou synthesizes a wide range of styles and influences -- from Casablanca to Wong Kar-wai -- resulting in a movie that, for all its haunting strangeness, seems curiously familiar.full review
Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
All Rotten Tomatoes content is used under license from Rotten Tomatoes. Rotten Tomatoes, Certified Fresh, and the Tomatometer are the trademarks of Incfusion Corporation, d/b/a Rotten Tomatoes, a subsidiary of IGN Entertainment, Inc.
More Like This
No recent suggestions.
Bookmark This App
Make it easy to check out new movies! Click +Bookmark Movies at the bottom of your screen.
- Get Flixster
- iPhone (free!)
- Myspace
- Flixster.com
- iGoogle
- Settings
- Profile Settings
- My Account
- Help
- Privacy Policy