Utterly awesome

Rating: Null/10 (8 September 2004)

One could ever think such a grandeur story with excellent multi-plots, exquisite cinematography and of course, the extraordinary action sequence can be intricated together in one whole movie. The history and culture of Chinese civilization during starting of the Golden Empire were somehow almost perfectly captured. The protocol of how a servant meets the emperor, the delicate caligraphy or the martial arts display (watch for the sequence involving Donnie Liu), are some of the way of life during the period portrayed in such melancholy. The lovers story in sort of flashback arrangement were captivating, almost as equal as The Godfather II or The Usual Suspect. The usage of multi-layered colours are aptly a festival for viewers vision. Honestly, this movie is better than Crouching Tiger. And kudos to Mr. Zhang for that usual perfectionist feel in his movie. A treat for everyone - historian buffs,kung-fu master wannabes or plain movie fans.See it, rent t, buy it.