Particularly interesting for martial arts enthusiasts

Rating: 8/10 (22 June 2003)

This film with a somewhat threatening title turns out to be a work of art something like a Chinese scroll but with bolder richer colours and the accompanying music keeps respectfully in the background.
The martial arts in this film are presented in a ballet style, the combatants defying all gravitational laws as the blades of steel thrash the air and strike with showers of sparks. Interesting to watch for a while but for me the fights go on for too long.
I could not believe my eyes when I watched the chase across the rooftops. What graceful leaps from house to house, floating airborne figures, the pursuer never overtaking, just as it happens in a dream. Indeed, much of this film has a dreamlike quality.
The most memorable moment was the sword fight in the forest of giant bamboos. Flexing right and left, up and down, the branches move with body weight. I have never seen anything so excitingly beautiful as the combatants appear and disappear amongst the dense growth of the green bamboos.
While the story is mainly about a stolen sword and its repossession, it really is a fairy tale in which a lover can jump off a mountain top to make a wish come true. There are wicked poisons and potions too. What is most surprising though is that despite the furious wielding and thrusting of blades, most characters escape serious injury. Being able to run up vertical walls helps a lot, I suppose.