Estimated to be the most expensive movie ever made in China, the

Estimated to be the most expensive movie ever made in China, the $100-million (U.S.) film stars Christian Bale under the direction of Zhang Yimou, whose early career includes vivid art films ( Ju Dou, Raise the Red Lantern) and, more recently, a mixture of low-budget, neo-realistic stories (The Story of Qiu Ju, Not One Less) and CGI-heavy legend movies such as Hero and House of Flying Daggers, designed to provide Chinese audiences with an alternative to Hollywood blockbusters.

Even Christian Bale couldn’t get an Oscar nom for this film. It was selected as the Chinese entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the 84th Academy Awards but did not make the final shortlist.