565

#514

Once Roy Chiao makes his entrance as a badass buddhist monk (about an hour in), this influential, lyrical as well spiritual wuxia epic goes from decent to freakin' awesome.

There are many fascinating scenes in this martial-arts epic, but they aren't enough to sustain the three-hour running time; the first hour or so in particular drags badly. The story is fairly cluttered (and thin), and the direction heavy-footed; the acting, however, is decent. There are some excellent action sequences and lovely cinematography (the DVD's wretchedness aside), and the last half hour is a fascinating blend of Buddhist philosophy and action. But it takes too long to get there.

468

A great wuxia film, one can see how much in has influenced today's films in the genre. It can be a little long at times, and the action isn't that fast paced, but still a good story nonetheless.

# 477

Incredible film with a complex, multi-layered story, some fantastic acting and breathtaking cinematography. Shih Chun is incredible as always and Roy Chiao plays one of the most fascinating and mysterious monks in cinema.

The obvious trampolines here kind of ruin the effect. But this is a clearly influential film. The lightning-quick editing helps cover the cheapness of the effects, and keeps the battles exciting, although occasionally confusing. The best thing here is not the fight scenes but some of gorgeous images throughout. Lots of beautiful scenery and dramatic low angles. The story is reasonably engaging for most of the three hours... a little slow to get going, perhaps, but not intolerably so.

One of the sexiest films I've seen.

Despite being long and slow it's rarely uninteresting as it combines beautiful shots with a neat, if simple, story and increasingly elaborate sword fights.

"All the lunacy and high-flown imagination you could hope for."

It's good versus evil filmed in gorgeous sunlight seeping through the canopy of bamboo forests, but in addition to breath-taking scenery and impressive fight scenes, there is also an underlying spiritual tone throughout the movie, not outspoken but suggested through its imagery and made clear at the powerful end of the tale. An overlooked gem. Also check out user "The Way"s review of this.