Easily the most over-rated film of 2000

Rating: 5/10 (22 February 2001)

With writer's salaries so minuscule in comparison to film budgets, you'd think Ang Lee could have coughed up a little bit extra to find a writer who would have come up with a decent story. But what he put on the screen tries the viewer's patience with a story line that is all over the place, characterizations that are wildly inconsistent, and a sublimely silly climax that veers dangerously close to camp.
Yes, the photography and settings were luscious and the fight choreography amazing. But without a credible story, it's just 2 hours of pretty photography and choreography.