O, for such a Hero...

Rating: 10/10 (1 January 2005)

This is a beautiful, excellent film. It repays repeated watching, as well.
It is exciting, stunning, touching, and glorious. The stars are well-used: Jet Li is his cute, enigmatic, impressive self as the Nameless hero. Maggie Cheung is dignified, beautiful, and amazing as Flying Snow. Tony Leung does a wonderful turn as the assassin Broken Sword, a man who has achieved an insight all his fellows have missed. Donnie Yen, so charming as the father Wong Ki Ying in Iron Monkey, gives an incredible performance as Sky. Zhang Ziyi is, as so often, heartbreakingly gorgeous as Moon. She's even better here than she was in Crouching Tiger, without stealing the show! The locations are dazzling, the cinematography breath-taking, and the score exquisite.
I can't say enough good about this film-- if you enjoy it, it's also worth checking out "The Emperor and the Assassin" for a more gritty take on the same story. This is not only a "must see". It's a "must own" on DVD.