porcelain clichÃ© time

Rating: 4/10 (26 January 2006)

this movie is a porcelain vase... beautiful to look at, but empty...
interlinking the fight scenes are very ordinary, stilted bouts of dialogue, the worst being a silly flashback in the desert...
i was doubtful about this movie, but i loved ang lee's "sense and sensibility" and "the ice storm"... so i thought i'd give it a try... it's like a bad kung fu movie trading the humour for great visuals and a pseudo-deep story... i know the flying was in line with an ancient storytelling tradition, but it looks awful in a "serious" movie...
i've heard that this movie has deep philosophical meaning... i don't see it... it's a weak, minimal story with wooden acting... it's boring (especially the love story in the desert... AWFUL)... i turned to my friend who had come with me, and i apologised for picking the film... she just looked at me and said "what am i watching?... no-one acts or talks like this!"... we had a good laugh about it afterwards...
i read one of the comments here that said no western writer could match the "amazing beauty" and "exploration of heroism" of this story... all i can say is, it ain't Shakespeare... if you feel the urge to watch a compelling Chinese movie, try "raise the red lantern" instead...