Ping guo 2007

Jeff Shannon, Seattle Times: Too serious for comedy and too improbable to achieve much impact as social melodrama, it works best as a showcase for its actors, all of whom bring more depth to the material than it achieves on its own. Read more

Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times: The film benefits from solid performances by its four stars, but it is overly didactic and drawn-out as its comic tone grows darker and darker. Read more

John Anderson, Newsday: It's a funny film, a parable of sorts, and a character-driven take on what's ticking in China. Read more

Jack Mathews, New York Daily News: When a rapist (Tony Leung) is the second-most sympathetic character in a story about greed, duplicity and adultery among four people, it needs a more forgiving audience than me. Read more

V.A. Musetto, New York Post: The sex is sufficient (if you care), the acting is good, and the shots of Beijing's streets and highways are interesting. But the story is contrived. Read more

G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle: Begins with a wild coincidence and goes rapidly downhill from there, becoming one of the most unintentionally hilarious tragedies in quite some time. Read more

Ben Kenigsberg, Time Out: Read more

Stephen Garrett, Time Out: Read more

Derek Elley, Variety: An involving, highly accessible portrait of an emotional menage a quatre in the modern-day Chinese capital. Read more

Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice: The prevalent shooting style is monotonous naturalism, as the camera buzzes between contentious actors and trolls after anything on the move. Read more