A Dazzling Fairy Tale

Rating: 9/10 (12 April 2003)

Ang Lee's film about a mystical, medieval China with its master swordsmen, mysterious assassins, court intrigues, desert bandits, and true love is one of the most enjoyable movie-going experiences of 2000. The staging, acting, direction, choreography all unite to bring life to what is essentially a Chinese fairy tale. Played straight up and serious without a smirk or wink (that no American filmmaker could probably resist given the subject), viewers are magically transported to this make believe world, completely satisfying one of the prime directives of filmmaking: to entertain. Wonderful.