The kids are (maybe) alright

Rating: 9/10 (27 October 2013)

Gorgeously shot, well-acted battle over the soul of a talented, aristocratic young martial artist, Jen Yu (Zhang Ziyi). Her petulance is matched by her martial arts gifts which have been honed at the foot of the evil Jade Fox (Pei-Pei Cheng). Jen's petulance and her abilities create all sorts of complications which Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun Fat) and Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh) solve with magnanimity and grace. The masters have dedicated their lives to mastery of their chosen art and Jen tests their every ounce of skill and patience.
The direction is calm and assured and the look of the film is glorious. The fight scenes are otherworldly and the acting, from all major players is excellent. Beneath the surface of the story are hardly kept-in-check passions and the acting, from the leads to Cheng Chang as Dark Cloud, Pei Pei Cheng as Jade Fox, and Sihung Lung as local respected elder Sir Te captures the controlled passions well.
The story of a girl whose talents warrant a lot of patience is gorgeous, melancholy, and well- done by everyone involved. The subject matter is of universal interest so this is a movie you could watch and re-watch.