Beautifully filmed, but certainly a lot of hype

Rating: Null/10 (24 March 2001)

I've seen similar films years before (Chinese Ghost Story films), so when I read & heard all the good reviews that praised this film, it received loads of credits during the IFF Rotterdam in January and was considered one of the better films shown, I went to see it with high expectations. The film is certainly filmed beautifully and although it is difficult to judge a film in a foreign language, especially an unfamiliar one, I found the acting convincing. The settings, costumes and the humor are enjoyable. However the story could not catch me and the way it was told was too hastily. Action scenes come falling out of the air and the connection between scenes is not always obvious. If the pace was a little slower, more scenes had been added to glue everything together the film would have made more impact. Of course it is an action film, but these need their slow parts as well to make the fast part convincing. Leaving the theater I did not have the feeling I saw something amazing. I've seen better films in this genre. It was a nice film, and with that everything is said.