A splendidly unique fantasy

Rating: Null/10 (20 January 2002)

Ang Lee's Kung Fu fantasy is a wonderful film, lots of fun, and quite moving too, but it has nothing to do with 19th-Century China. As Lee said, it's about a China he imagined as a boy in Taiwan. The story is weak, but the performances are first rate. The beautiful fight sequences are completely silly, but breathtaking. This film made my two teenage daughters want to know more about China, which shows how engaging it is. Lee gets marvelous help from a very talented cast, leaves out all the unpleasant aspects of pre-Sun Yat Sen China (poverty, footbinding, opium, brutal Manchu overlords, etc.) and creates a visual feast. For younger viewers, the dubbed version is suitable, otherwise get the subtitled version to fully appreciate the film.