Good, not great

Rating: 8/10 (23 February 2001)

If you're looking for a good kung-fu action pic with some elements of story and character development which you don't normally find in a kung-fu action pic, see Crouching Tiger. But if you're expecting a great story, you may be disappointed. The fight scenes are definitely spectactular, and the much-heralded bending of the laws of gravity is neat (if overused), but DO NOT EXPECT THIS TO BE AN EMOTIONALLY INVOLVING MOVIE. It's just not. The acting is good, but the story does not let you into the minds of any of these characters. The one exception is the 20-30 minute Flashback In The Desert, where young Jen resists and eventually falls in love with the roguish loner guy. That was compelling storytelling. But essentially there's not much else to the story. I didn't buy the romance between Michelle Yeoh and Chow Yun Fat, and without spoiling the ending, I think that this storyline, and the whole movie, ended quite unsatisfyingly. Maybe certain things don't translate from East to West very well, but I couldn't help but think that this is yet another lesson in Don't Believe The Hype. 8 out of 10.