Beautiful

Rating: 8/10 (23 May 2005)

I've read a couple of the other reviews of this movie, and it looks to me as though most are written by real enthusiasts of the genre. Personally, I have seen Crouching tiger, and that's about the size of it, so I can genuinely say that this film came as a real shock to me in almost every aspect!
The most obvious thing about the film is the way in which it is shot. The scenes themselves are astonishingly beautiful, deeply affecting and (I would guess) just as important as the action that they contain. The scenes engaged me in the same way that great art engages. I wanted to keep looking at them, enjoying the visual perfection.
Against this perfect background the fight scenes are dreamlike, and beautifully choreographed. They highlight the fantastic art of the fighters, and reinforce the link between the understanding of form in combat, and form in calligraphy or art.
The simple, beautiful nature of the combat, the colours, the scenes, and even the names of the assassins serve to underline the simplicity of the story, and reinforce its powerful (if controversial) message. The assassin becomes a hero by understanding that the creation of 'Our Land' is superior to his own revenge, and the chaos that would be created by that revenge.
The conclusion that the greater good of society should supersede the individual's selfish goals probably has more resonance in China than it does in the West, but the point is made powerfully, but above all, beautifully made.
Well worth watching!