Purple Butterfly
United by Passion. Divided by Fate.
United by Passion. Divided by Fate.
Drama, History, War
-
2003
Available on
Country
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:
,
Lou Ye
Cast:
,
Zhang Ziyi
,
Liu Ye
,
Toru Nakamura
,
Li Bingbing
,
Feng Yuanzheng
,
Kin Ei
,
Leni Lan
,
Yao Anlian
,
Wang Kai
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Details
Runtime:
127 min
Release date:
4 Jul 2003
Country:
CN, HK, FR
Languages:
Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese
Budget:
$1,200,000
Revenue:
$750,000
Awards:
1 win & 8 nominations total
Top Critics Reviews
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,
25 Feb 2005
rotten:
There are two movies battling for supremacy in Butterfly, and both lose. As does the audience.
– Ty Burr,
Boston Globe,
21 Jan 2005
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,
13 Jan 2005
fresh:
Hectic, lyrical, swooningly romantic and almost unwatchably brutal.
– Ella Taylor,
L.A. Weekly,
12 Jan 2005
fresh:
The characters are less compelling than this particular slice of history, which has rarely been dramatized in movies.
– John Hartl,
Seattle Times,
7 Jan 2005