Qian Li Zou Dan Qi (Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles)

After Hero and The House of Flying Daggers and before Curse of the Golden Flower Yimou Zhang directed and co wrote this film and it could not be more different that his previous and later work.

This is a film that if you are a human being will tear apart your emotions and makes you cry like a baby… it did it to me. And I am not an emotional person. I am still overwhelmed, but not a little bit sorry for watching this glorious movie.

Yimou Zhang is a great storyteller and his body of work is proof of that, but as a director probably this is his masterpiece as he directs an all non-professional cast with two exceptions, famous Japanese actor Ken Takakura and Japanese Shinobu Terajima, and manages to make an intense emotional movie based mainly in actors/performers expressions.

As in all his movies cinematography is fabulous and this time he filmed in the southwest of China, the breathtaking stunningly Yunnan Province providing a feast of the most spectacular views of landscapes, villages and countryside’s. It is claimed that the Yunnan Provice is the inspiration for the famous James Hilton novel Shangri-La, so imagine what you will be able to see.

Outstanding amazingly performance by Ken Takakura as Gou-ichi Takata, as well as from all the other performers in lead and not lead roles make this film as credible as you probably hardly have ever seen. You are totally sucked into the movie and forget everything else that surrounds you.

The story is quite simple as is about a Japanese father that travels to China’s Yunnan province in the place of his ailing son to film a famous folk-opera star. But actually is about a life changing voyage of discovery, those voyages that probably many of us would like have at least once in a lifetime.

The movie is a winner of three awards for Best Asian Film at the Hong Kong Film Awards, Best Foreign-Language Film and Best Actor for Takakura at the San Diego Film Critics Society Awards.

Do not miss this movie and if you do not like Yimou Zhang action packed movies, give this one a try as is totally different.