Divided Opinion

Rating: Null/10 (22 January 2001)

The opinions about this movie seem to be divided between "Five Star" and "Five Rotten Eggs". I know why: most of IMDB voters come from North America and Europe, not China or Southeast Asia. They are not used to the martial arts movies where
1. people "float" because they can make their bodies light as a feather and 2. if you hit somebody on the right positions in his body with your finger he cannot move until someone releases him and 3. there is a poison that can reverse the direction of your blood circulation.
As a result, some people are very amazed and say, "This is better than the Matrix!" while others unimpressedly say "This has gone too far! What is this thing, walking on water and floating in the air!"
I come from Southeast Asia, and therefore am quite used to the martial arts movies from China. This is why I could concentrate more to the other aspects as acting, story, and directing.
The acting and directing part is superb. I never doubted the ability of Ang Lee or Michelle Yeoh, but before I watched Anna and the King I never really took Chow Yun Fat seriously. To me he was just another greedy actor from Hong Kong who stars in nine or ten movies in a year and still want to record an album just for the sake of money. I guess he has changed dramatically and do quite well in this movie, although it was not an Oscar performance.
I find the story a little disturbing, especially with the character of Jen Yu (original Shiao Lung) who seems to be too "Flower Generation"-ish for the setting era. It was like, what, China in the third, fourth century before Christ, and the sex revolution has already begun in China. That is not how a chinese girl at the time would have done, and without proper explanation too! I mean how is it possible for a woman to hate and fear a man a minute, and fall in love and have sex with him the next.
Not that the character is shallow. Jen Yu is a rebel child who wants to get away from her parents' overprotective hands. And she has a frightening talent with the sword. That is a powerful combination that makes her so dangerous, but thirsty of love at the same time. But still I need an explanation about that sex scene.
But in the end, I should say that this movie is far different than any other martial arts movies I have ever seen (the ones that are usually directed by Tsui Hark and starred Jet Lee or Andy Lau). The story is not as simple as "he-killed-my-father- now-I'm-gonna-have-revenge". It is far more developed and complex, and quite touching.
So for all of you who haven't watched it, do so. It would give you a picture of what's happened (and happening) in the chinese movie industry for the past couple of decades. For all of you who have watched this movie, expect more from the new generation of chinese directors like Ang Lee, John Woo, and Tsui Hark. They're invading Hollywood like storm!