The Best Yimou Zhang Movies Ranked And Where to Watch them

If you're looking for the best Yimou Zhang movies of all time then here is a definitive list. We rank every movie directed by Yimou Zhang based on their popularity score from IMDB from best to worst. Click on the ‘see more’ button to find out where to watch them in Australia covering all streaming services. In April 2024 there are 12 films in this list.

List of the Best Movies Directed by Yimou Zhang In Order of Popularity

  1. Not One Less
  2. The Flowers of War
  3. Happy Times
  4. Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles
  5. One Second
  6. Shadow
  7. Cliff Walkers
  8. The Great Wall
  9. A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop
  10. Hero
  11. Shi mian mai fu
  12. To Live

Stream the top 12 Movies directed by Yimou Zhang

1. Not One Less

Rated: G

7.7/10

Teacher Gao loves the students in his poor village and is devoted to educating them in the hope of their greater futures. When he is called away to tend to his dying mother for a month, the Mayor calls in an inexperienced 13 year-old replacement, Wei Minzhi; much to Teacher Gao's dismay. Teacher Gao cannot stand the thought of losing anymore students: he has already lost twelve to ever-increasing attrition, and he promises Wei an extra 10 yuan if she succeeds in ensuring that upon his return, there will be not one less. Wei's difficult mission to fulfill Teacher Gao's wish and her own concern for the welfare of the children begins.

2. The Flowers of War

Rated: R

7.5/10

A Westerner finds refuge with a group of women in a church during Japan's rape of Nanking in 1937. Posing as a priest, he attempts to lead the women to safety.

3. Happy Times

Rated: PG

7.3/10

Zhao is an old laid-off worker who's dreaming of getting married. After trying unsuccessful proposals, he finally pair off with a gargantuan divorcée with two children. She, however, demands a lavish wedding and that Zhao finds a job and another place to stay for her blind step-daughter. Pretending he's the General Manager of a non-existent posh hotel "Happy Times", Zhao had to find ways and means of keeping both mother and stepdaughter happy.

4. Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles

Rated: PG

7.3/10

Takada, a Japanese fisherman has been estranged from his son for many years, but when the son is diagnosed with terminal cancer his daughter-in-law, Rie, summons him to the hospital. Through a series of obstacles and relationships, he is brought unexpectedly closer to both an understanding of himself and of his son.

5. One Second

Rated: N/A

7.1/10

A movie fan escapes from a labour camp during the Chinese Cultural Revolution and strikes up a relationship with a homeless female vagabond.

6. Shadow

Rated: Not Rated

7.0/10

In a kingdom ruled by a young and unpredictable king, the military commander has a secret weapon: a shadow, a look-alike who can fool both his enemies and the King himself. Now he must use this weapon in an intricate plan that will lead his people to victory in a war that the King does not want.

7. Cliff Walkers

Rated: N/A

6.5/10

In the puppet state of Manchukuo in the 1930s, four Communist party special agents, after returning to China, embark on a secret mission. Sold out by a traitor, the team find themselves surrounded by threats on all sides.

8. The Great Wall

Rated: PG-13

5.9/10

European mercenaries searching for black powder become embroiled in the defense of the Great Wall of China against a horde of monstrous creatures.

9. A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop

Rated: R

5.7/10

Wang is a gloomy, cunning and avaricious noodle shop owner in a desert town in China. His neglected, sharp-tongued wife is involved in a secret affair with Li, one of Wang’s employees. A timid man, Li reluctantly keeps the gun his lover has bought to kill her husband. But Wang is watching their every move. He bribes patrol officer Zhang to murder the illicit couple. It seems like a perfect plan: the affair will come to a cruel, bloody but satisfying end or so he thinks. The equally wicked Zhang has an agenda of his own. As the plot twists, more blood will flow, and ever greater violence will erupt.

10. Hero

Rated: PG-13

3.9/10

‘Hero’ brings to life the story of Tarzan Antony, a young man from a lower middle class family who becomes a stuntman for films. Antony’s father Thankachan worked as a driver among the film crowd in Chennai for some time and whenever the father came home, Antony used to listen to his father’s tales about the film world with rapt attention.

11. Shi mian mai fu

Rated: PG-13

/10

During the reign of the Tang dynasty in China, a secret organization called "The House of the Flying Daggers" rises and opposes the government. A police officer called Leo sends officer Jin to investigate a young dancer named Mei, claiming that she has ties to the "Flying Daggers". Leo arrests Mei, only to have Jin breaking her free in a plot to gain her trust and lead the police to the new leader of the secret organization. But things are far more complicated than they seem...

12. To Live

Rated: Not Rated

/10

Fugui and Jiazhen endure tumultuous events in China as their personal fortunes move from wealthy landownership to peasantry.