A step forward in Chinese Cinema, but its dense

Rating: Null/10 (2 October 2003)

If I were rating the movie on its visuals, I would have given it a ten. But I'm not, am I? So it gets a six. This film, like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, is an attempt to take another look at Chinese martial arts hero epics. But gone is the comedy and wit of the Tsui Hark pics, and in its place is a dense and thick melo drama, that plays on the screen as a greek legend would. Stiffly.
While it's all very exhilirating, and the colors and photography of the film are so vivid and alive, the structure kept me from getting inside the characters and frankly I think its frustrating. I admire what Zhang Yimou was trying to do here, but I think Western Audiences will agree that the dramatic tension doesn't translate well, and the end bit leaves you sort of empty.
Definitely recommended though.