Enjoyable, a good stepping stone to more Chinese Cinema

Rating: 6/10 (7 February 2008)

This was the first film I ever saw out of Mainland China, and it hooked me immediately.
The story is very balanced, a good mix of action with an interesting plot, there are scenes that make you laugh, cry & simply be amazed at the wire-work.
Chow Yun Fat delivers a brilliant performance, something you can always expect from him, playing alongside an amazing actress, Michelle Yeoh, these two alone make it a film worth watching.
The supporting cast are a dream to watch, with little sub-plots that are often missing from western films.
Unfortunately Ziyi Zhang does not perform very well, and she is a bit wooden in her acting. Fortunately her opposite in the film Chen Chang holds their scenes together.
Its not just an action film, but a good drama.
I have only rated it 6/10 because there are so many better films out of China, but I would say this is much better than most of the films out of Hollywood today.
I would recommend you watch this, and then soon after go and start watching more Chinese Cinema films.