Don't believe the hype

Rating: Null/10 (13 July 2001)

Like some films, I came to this one having heard all the hype and bonanza. To be honest I hadn't planned on watching it until the DVD came out - I tend not stay away from films that have received a lot of hype. Apart from one single negative review (from someone who does not lack cynicism at the worst of times I might add), everyone else had given this film the thumbs-up. So I sat in anticipation. The slow start certainly made me wonder what all the fuss was all about. But gradually, the film began to unwrap and it displayed some impressive cinematography. We're also given a lot of martial arts scenes where reels upon reels of strings must have been used up to achieve the ridiculous flying sequences. I've watched many an Oriental martial arts movie in my lifetime and never before have I seen such spectacular heights. The one piece of credit I will give to the action is the lack of fake sound effects whch are often the bane of martial arts movies (yes, even Bruce Lee fight scenes. ESPECIALLY Bruce Lee fight scenes!). The main bulk of the acting is actually done by Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Zi Yi who both put in extremely intense performances. I've always viewed Yeoh as ranking alongside the likes of Maggie Cheung and Anita Mui (Funnily enough, they all made a film together). The way in which they express emotion is something that most Hong Kong movies sadly lack-but then, most HK movies are action-orientated. Zhang portrays a somewhat different character to Yeoh's. being younger, we see a brash, rebellious and brave individual who yearns to break free of tradition. In a way, Ang Lee is providing a picture of The modern Oriental female's inclination in life. In Zhang's character, we see both innocence and petulence and this is why the audience is immediately taken to her. As for action, I wrote off all the fight scenes except for two - the one where they are trying to take down the baddie, and the one in the courtyard between Yeoh and Zhang. The latter was breathtaking and is amongst the best I've ever seen. I suspect that there were various ideas for the film's ending. I suspect this because I would've chosen a different ending myself. I must confess that I did not understand the point of it until a friend explained what she thought it meant. And if it is what she thought, then I'd have to say that whoever decided upon the ending must have lost the plot. After all, there is a limit to romanticism which one can objectively justify, even in a romantic storyline. To put it another way: If the film was animated, then the ending would've been apt.