Fresh
At the center of it all is, of course, Zhang. Charismatic and intense, she excels in her most grown-up role to date.
G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle
Purple Butterfly
United by Passion. Divided by Fate.
2003 · 2h 7m · R
Drama, History, War
Directed by
Lou Ye
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Purple Butterfly
Overview
Ding Hui is a member of Purple Butterfly, a powerful resistance group in Japanese occupied Shanghai. An unexpected encounter reunites her with Itami, an ex-lover and officer with a secret police unit tasked with dismantling Purple Butterfly.
Director and cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
45%
Tomatometer
Rotten
There are two movies battling for supremacy in Butterfly, and both lose. As does the audience.
Ty Burr, Boston Globe
Fresh
As atmospheric and moody as a film noir, the stylish, sometimes perplexing Purple Butterfly is a remarkable period piece, evoking the bustling, dense and increasingly dangerous Shanghai of the '30s.
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
Fresh
Hectic, lyrical, swooningly romantic and almost unwatchably brutal.
Ella Taylor, L.A. Weekly
Fresh
The characters are less compelling than this particular slice of history, which has rarely been dramatized in movies.
John Hartl, Seattle Times
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