Visual Kung Fu feast

Rating: Null/10 (24 March 2001)

The Taiwanese born Ang Yee is nothing if not versatile, having in the last few years directed a very polished version of the English classic comedy of manners `Sense and Sensibility' and the very evocative American family tragedy `Ice Storm'. This film brings us to the director's cultural roots, being set in 19th century China and telling the tale of two sets of lovers with strong martial arts backgrounds.
The cinematography is stunning and the stunts breathtaking; at times you think you are watching ballet rather than swordfighting. There were some magnificent desert shots and some amazing scenes in the tops of a bamboo forest (I trust no Giant Panda habitat was destroyed in the making). The characters are well defined but rather two-dimensional and don't develop much, perhaps they are more archetypes than characters. The younger lady, `supergirl' is rather improbable thought the older pair of lovers ring true - a lady with a past is inherently more interesting than a virginal whirlwind from nowhere.
This movie apparently comes out of a long tradition of Kung Fu films, a genre that bores me rigid, but somehow the director kept me interested until the end. I think it was the sheer ingenuity of the thing that kept me watching. What it says about the culture it come from I'm not sure Â– aggressive, romantic, fatalistic, superstitious, highly developed sense of beauty, all come to mind. Certainly, a strong sense of tradition. Anyway, a visual treat.