--- title: "Full River Red" year: 2023 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/full-river-red" fi1m_id: "full-river-red" imdb_id: "tt21148018" tmdb_id: 1066298 wikidata_id: "Q115921533" fi1m_score: 68 critics_score: 66 critics_reviews: 5 published: "2026-10-05T16:39:21.940130+00:00" updated: "2026-10-05T16:39:22.459714+00:00" region: "HU" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Full River Red (2023) Directed by Zhang Yimou · 2h 37m · Mystery, Comedy, Thriller, History ## Identity Full River Red - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/full-river-red - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** full-river-red - **IMDb ID:** tt21148018 - **TMDB ID:** 1066298 - **Wikidata ID:** Q115921533 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21148018/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/1066298, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q115921533 **Fi1m score: 68** · Critics 66 (early) from 5 reviews *In a sentence:* Shen Teng and Jackson Yee deserve a shorter murder investigation > Zhang Yimou’s murder mystery earns its laughs through Shen Teng and Jackson Yee, but stretches its complications too far. The pair make it worth considering; at 157 minutes, the film asks rather more patience than the case deserves. ## Synopsis Zhang Da (Shen Teng) and Sun Jun (Jackson Yee) are tasked with solving a murder. The investigation puts them among figures including He Li (Zhang Yi), Qin Hui (Lei Jiayin) and Wu Yichun (Yue Yunpeng), with the pair trying to establish who is responsible. Their enquiry follows a complicated route through maze-like surroundings, punctuated by bursts of action. As the case changes direction, the two men have to keep pursuing an answer together. Comedy runs alongside the detective work in this historical mystery. ## Review *Full River Red* is an amusing murder mystery that would be easier to recommend if it knew when to stop. Zhang Yimou combines a comic partnership with an investigation that keeps changing direction, and for a while the two work well together. We can enjoy the company while trying to untangle the case, without needing either part to carry every scene. At 157 minutes, though, the film gives us too much time to notice when a fresh complication is merely postponing an answer. Shen Teng’s Zhang Da and Jackson Yee’s Sun Jun are the reason to persist. The pleasure comes from watching them together: their comic timing gives a scene something to enjoy even when the investigation has become difficult to track. We laughed at their double act, and were grateful for the relief it brought to so much plot. That reaction matters in a mystery this busy, because the pair keep us interested in people when the writing risks reducing everyone to their function in the next complication. Zhang Yimou makes good use of the spaces through which the investigation moves. His maze-like staging turns the business of getting from one place to another into part of the entertainment, with bursts of action breaking up the detective work. Lu Wei’s production design serves that staging well, making the surroundings feel restrictive rather than merely decorative. The trouble is that Zhao Xiaoding’s dim photography offers too little visual variation, so following the movement becomes less pleasurable as the film goes on. Li Yongyi’s editing is most effective during the action, where the film briefly feels as brisk as it wants to be. The longer stretches of investigation are another matter, and the final act continues beyond the point at which extra complication is welcome. Han Hong’s music helps maintain the film’s energy, but cannot make this much plotting feel necessary. A shorter cut would have helped the jokes as well as the suspense, giving us less time to recognise how often the story has delayed us. A comic mystery has an awkward duty: it must let us relax enough to laugh while still making us care about the answer. The screenplay, by Zhang Yimou and Chen Yu, manages that balance in stretches, and its cleverness should not be dismissed simply because there is too much of it. Some changes of direction reward the attention they demand; others interrupt tension that has only just begun to build. The cumulative effect is tiring, especially when the film asks us to reconsider the case yet again. This is better suited to an evening when untangling a complicated enquiry still sounds like recreation. Anyone primarily hoping for the comic partnership may find the detective work a rather substantial additional commitment. Give it a go for Shen Teng and Jackson Yee, provided an overlong murder investigation is a price worth paying for their company. *Fi1m score 68, published 5 October 2026.* ## Straight answers **Is Full River Red worth watching?** *Full River Red* is worth considering for patient mystery lovers who enjoy a comic double act; we score it 68 out of 100. Shen Teng and Jackson Yee earn the laughs, but the 157-minute investigation piles on more complications than it needs, making this a qualified recommendation rather than an easy evening’s entertainment. **How long is Full River Red, and what is it rated?** *Full River Red* runs 2h 37m. It is a mystery and comedy film. **Where can I watch Full River Red in Hungary?** *Full River Red* is not on any streaming or rental service in Hungary at the moment. It is available in 9 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily. **How violent or frightening is Full River Red, and is it suitable for children?** *Full River Red* has a UK 15 certificate, making it unsuitable for children under 15; its murder investigation includes bursts of action. The comic partnership provides relief, but we would not take the laughs as a sign of child-friendly viewing, and the certificate alone does not establish how graphic or frightening particular moments are. **How does Full River Red compare to The Name of the Rose?** *Full River Red* offers more comic double-act appeal, but we give [*The Name of the Rose*](https://film.one/film/the-name-of-the-rose) the stronger recommendation for patient mystery lovers. Both make their enclosed surroundings part of the enquiry, and both can drag; Shen Teng and Jackson Yee supply the former’s laughs, while Sean Connery brings warmth and intelligence to the latter’s medieval investigation. **What should I watch after Full River Red?** After *Full River Red*, try [*The Name of the Rose*](https://film.one/film/the-name-of-the-rose) (1986, Fi1m 77): Another murder enquiry where the setting makes every question feel dangerous. Then [*The Lady Vanishes*](https://film.one/film/the-lady-vanishes) (1938, Fi1m 88): Comic friction keeps a baffling disappearance lively without losing the suspense; and [*The Death of Stalin*](https://film.one/film/the-death-of-stalin) (2017, Fi1m 83): For the uneasy proximity of comic performance, official power and violence. ### Reviews we read (5) - **Variety**, Richard Kuipers (70/100, inferred): Kuipers finds the film an entertaining, cleverly plotted mystery-comedy that achieves its goal despite an overlong final act. He particularly praises the dynamic double act between Shen Teng and Jackson Yee. [Read](https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/full-river-red-review-zhang-yimou-man-jiang-hong-1235553194/) - **Los Angeles Times**, Justin Chang (65/100, inferred): Chang finds the film an amusingly twisty period mystery, though its long runtime and convoluted plotting sometimes weaken the tension. He praises Zhang Yimou’s maze-like staging and energetic bursts of action, while noting the film’s dim, monotonous visual look. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2023-03-16/full-river-red-review-zhang-yimou) - **Screen Daily**, John Berra (65/100, inferred): The visible standfirst describes the film as a rousing period actioner, but the critic’s full verdict is unavailable. It highlights Shen Teng and Jackson Yee being tasked with solving a murder, without revealing what the critic singles out for praise or complaint. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/full-river-red-review/5178391.article) - **RogerEbert.com** (64/100, inferred): The review's verdict cannot be determined because the page did not load. The available page contains no review text identifying anything the critic praised or criticized. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/full-river-red-movie-review-2023) - **The New York Times** (64/100, inferred): The article appears to be a review, but its verdict cannot be verified from the accessible page. No praised or criticized element is available in the supplied text. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/16/movies/full-river-red-review.html) ## Details - **Director:** Zhang Yimou - **Director:** Zhang Yimou - **Screenplay:** Zhang Yimou, Chen Yu - **Cinematography:** Zhao Xiaoding - **Editor:** Li Yongyi - **Music:** Han Hong - **Production design:** Lu Wei - **Producer:** Pang Liwei - **Cast:** Shen Teng as Zhang Da; Jackson Yee as Sun Jun; Zhang Yi as He Li; Lei Jiayin as Qin Hui; Yue Yunpeng as Wu Yichun; Pan Binlong as Ding Sanwang; Yu Ailei as Liu Xi; Guo Jingfei as Wang Biao - **Runtime:** 2h 37m - **First release (CN):** 22 January 2023 - **Genres:** Mystery, Comedy, Thriller, History - **Box office:** $674 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ju3iH89GeUI ## Where to watch in Hungary Not streaming, renting or buying in Hungary at the last check. Also available in: AT, BE, CA, CH, ES, FR, MY, SG, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *The Name of the Rose* (1986), Fi1m 77: Another murder enquiry where the setting makes every question feel dangerous. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-name-of-the-rose.md) - *Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame* (2010): Period detection with more extravagant action and a similarly busy plot. - *The Lady Vanishes* (1938), Fi1m 88: Comic friction keeps a baffling disappearance lively without losing the suspense. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-lady-vanishes.md) - *The Death of Stalin* (2017), Fi1m 83: For the uneasy proximity of comic performance, official power and violence. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-death-of-stalin.md) - *Knives Out* (2019), Fi1m 81: A tangled investigation whose jokes make the clues easier to follow. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/knives-out.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/full-river-red