Breathtaking cinematography, good fights, interesting story. Arguable final.

Rating: 9/10 (25 November 2004)

My eyes (or whatever else part of anatomy that's responsible for perceiving aesthetics) that's been starving for quite some time for something aesthetically nourishing, swallowed this movie in nearly orgasmic spasms. Chinese do know about aesthetics. Dixi.
The story is interesting and managed to surprise me a few times (usually it's 1 or 2, so "a few" is more than good), although the parallels with Rashomon was striking and made it taste of recycled polythene. On the other hand, what isn't recycled after 10000 years of our attempts to civilization, so I just shut up.
Once, only once the movie made me wanna say "oh, boy, why in the world would you need THAT?!", it was at the end of the movie.
You remember those awkward moments when while visiting a foreign country you're invited to see a local school children choir singing for you in your language a typical folk song from your country, which they make sound like a message from an alien civilization to the Supreme Council of Guinean tree frogs, and everyone's smiling their teeth out and looking for traces of approval in your face, and you're ready to harakiri yourself with a ladle just to escape this realm of overpowering cutesy that looks feels and sounds like a baby shower at Sailor Moon's?
OK, so that's how I felt while watching this final scene. Gosh, why make it THAT obvious?... First I just frowned in disgust and thought that I didn't need it at all, I'm enough interested in Oriental culture to not need it at all. Then I thought that maybe there's lots of Western people who in fact need this as a message of intercultural communication (aliens and tree frogs?) or whatever it was... So, well, OK, let it be.
Anyway, even the last scene couldn't spoil the aesthetic fiesta I had while watching this movie. I'd give it 9 out of 10 and buy a DVD when it's released at last.