"Ju Dou" is another one of Zhang Yimou's (here as co-director) relevant movies.
The plot is somewhat straightforward and is boosted by a very strong narrative. No real surprises on this one but it's compelling, effective and (at times) engaging (I thought the pacing was a bit slow, at times).
Great, very strong acting, mainly from the legendary Gong Li and Li Baotian, who pretty much carried this one between them.
There's also some (as usual) colour themes, neat cinematography and social depiction of China (and its traditions), at the time.
It's very noteworthy that with its few characters and "limited" locations (which are very well used, one must say), the movie achieves such a strong and significant narrative/tale.
I thought the ending was very well accomplished and somewhat fitting to the story.
Overall, another strong "outing" from Zhang Yimou, with a very solid movie in pretty much all aspects.