PROMO: The Grandmaster's Ziyi Zhang: China's Sexy, Kick-Ass Crossover

The international star keeps up her aura of sexy toughness in her excellent new film.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Ziyi Zhang has been wowing audiences for over a decade. Her breakout performance in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon garnered her the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female, a BAFTA nomination in the same category, and the Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promising Actress, among many other accolades. Amazingly, at the time, she had only appeared in one other film.

What audiences seemed to respond so strongly to in the actress (who was initially known as the name-reversed Zhang Ziyi) was her ability to convey a fragile vulnerability in one moment, and in the next be suddenly beating the living hell out of an entire tavern full of dudes. Zhang's range of emotion combined with a ferocious physicality gave her an audacious sex appeal in whatever market the film was playing, be it China, the U.S., or anywhere else.

In the decade since, Zhang has appeared in a number of other Chinese films that have managed to find audiences in America, including House of Flying Daggers, 2046, and Hero, opposite Jet Li. She's also starred in several American-made films that were critical and commercial successes, from the acclaimed adaptation of Memoirs of a Geisha to the comedy franchise installment Rush Hour 2. Now, Zhang returns to her roots with the new film The Grandmaster, directed by revered Chinese filmmaker Wong Kar-wai. Telling the true life story of Ip Man, the martial arts master who trained Bruce Lee, the movie has a mixture of action, emotion, and incredible sex appeal that's very reminiscent of Zhang's breakout film.

The Grandmaster is in theaters now, so don't miss your chance to see Ziyi Zhang continue to steam things up while kicking some butt. You can get your tickets now by clicking here.

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