Yimou Zhang, the great Fifth Generation Chinese auteur and director of “Raise the Red Lantern” (1991), “Hero” (2002), “House of Flying Daggers” (2004), “A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop” (2009) and the Matt Damon-starring (also with Pedro Pascal) “The Great Wall” (2016), sets his sights on the Song Dynasty and a patriotic poem attributed to the real-life Chinese hero General Yue Fei.
In “Full River Red,” a film that has made a fortune in its homeland, Zhang brings a piece of Chinese history to life in the form of a sometimes comedic drama, featuring enough court intrigue to choke a dragon.
Set almost entirely within the walls of a large brick and mortar collection of large stone buildings and homes separated by cobblestone walkways and courtyards, the film plays out like a medieval game of Chinese chess. Set in the 12th century, the story starts with traditional-sounding strings and drums, captions identifying the characters and a young woman using sign language who turns out to be the bodyguard of the prime minister of Song (Jiayin Lei). The first of many throats is slit. The colors on the screen are muted, except for lipstick and blood. A prisoner named Zhang Da (a likable Teng Shen), who is given a pass by the prime minister, promises to get to the bottom of a mystery involving the murder of emissaries from the enemy army of the Jin.
