You know that expression, "Run, don't walk"? Run, don't walk, to see this movie.

Rating: Null/10 (4 September 2004)

This is much, much more than just a martial arts film. It's movies like this that made me want to be a filmmaker. Just when I start thinking that cinema has gone completely down the drain, a movie like this comes along and shows me just how incredible a film can be.
Visually, it's absolutely breathtaking: The cinematography, the set design, the color schemes... all of it comes together to make this film truly a thing of beauty.
And then there are the action sequences. The Western world tends to think of Martial Arts as two (or more) people with a grudge against one another, beating each other to a bloody pulp. But there's so much more to it than that. It's a ritual; a matter of honor and of ceremony. And as such, even if there is a grudge involved, it's not so much like a fight as like a dance. After all, as the name implies, Martial Arts is about... art.
But there's more to this film than the visual component. The content is excellent as well. The characters have incredible depth, and amazing insight. The dialogue is beautiful, and the plot is structured perfectly. And there are issues raised that are almost unfathomable to American audiences, and that Hollywood would never dream of addressing. Issues that could very well change your perspective on peace and morality forever.
And the actors: It's not easy to make a performance accessible to an audience that doesn't even understand the language you're speaking. But they do it; every one of them. Particularly Jet Li: Previously, I had seen Jet Li mainly in English-speaking roles. I never knew how great an actor he could be, until I saw him in this movie, in his own language.
To conclude: If, like me, you're a fan of martial arts, Jet Li, and the beautiful Ziyi Zhang, this movie will not disappoint. But if, like me, you are more a fan of beauty, art, philosophy, and the culture and history of a land several thousand years old... this movie could be the best of the decade.