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A Touch of Zen

A Touch of Zen

1971
Fantasy, Action
3h 20m
An artist, Ku, lives with his mother near an abandoned fort, reputed to be haunted. One night, investigating strange noises, he meets the beautiful Yang who is living there. She is being pursued by agents of an Imperial noble who have murdered her family. Ku finds himself caught up in her struggle to survive, and many fierce battles take place before all is resolved. Action adventure with a lyrical feel, this is a kung fu film with a strong spiritual element. (imdb)
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A Touch of Zen

1971
Fantasy, Action
3h 20m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 69.1% from 362 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(361)
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Rated 14 Aug 2007
84
53rd
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.
Rated 09 May 2008
77
60th
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.
Rated 25 Apr 2012
90
96th
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 good to freakin' awesome.
Rated 17 Aug 2015
75
40th
Suffers a lot from poor pacing in my opinion. The backstory of the characters is quite interesting but there are many scenes that just don't seem necessary and the movie suffers from it. Otherwise, the heroes are very likeable, the spiritual themes are strong, the environments are beautiful and the fight scenes are surprisingly great considering how old this one is.
Rated 10 Jul 2018
50
30th
It's not much different from your usual martial arts flick except for spectacular cinematography and unnecassarily long running time.
Rated 13 Aug 2008
89
96th
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.
Rated 30 Aug 2009
80
61st
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.
Rated 30 Jul 2011
75
38th
There's no avoiding the fact that King Hu's three-hour wuxia epic doesn't justify its length; the first hour in particular drags, and the story as a whole just does not support so great a running time. But the action scenes when they come are expertly staged, and the cinematography throughout is first-rate, especially on the Criterion DVD (the older disc is inexcusably bad). Points also for Shih Chun's endearing performance and Roy Chiao's stoic cool. The famed finale is pretty nifty a
Rated 06 Oct 2012
55
34th
A little too long, a little too silly, but still managed to be interesting at parts. Beginning and end were too long.
Rated 15 Apr 2013
70
51st
Whether you want fun characters, artful cinematography, interesting Buddhist themes, or just to watch a few good guys kill a ton of bad guys, this is worth a look. The bamboo forest fight is especially captivating.
Rated 20 Aug 2017
84
80th
Bolstered by dynamic editing, immaculate set design, and singular action sequences, the film is one of the all-around richest in the martial arts genre. Unfortunately, the plot slows to a crawl in the second half when Gu's role is significantly cut down, but it only makes more room for exhilarating fight scenes and stirring Buddhist imagery. Ultimately, it's about not surrendering your spirit to the corrupting forces of the world--quite the theme for a wuxia epic.
Rated 09 May 2018
58
48th
An ambitious wuxia epic. The script is more intricate than most, but otherwise par for the course. The fights are short, varied, and serve the story rather than vice versa. Some of them are aided by invisible wires and choppy editing. Strong points include the visually arresting sets and costumes and the well-composed photography.
Rated 01 Mar 2008
76
61st
# 477
Rated 19 Dec 2008
77
54th
468
Rated 23 Apr 2009
4
71st
"All the lunacy and high-flown imagination you could hope for."
Rated 20 Jul 2009
4
93rd
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.
Rated 15 Jan 2010
72
44th
565
Rated 30 Nov 2011
74
48th
#514
Rated 08 Feb 2013
40
15th
Pretty bad film. Half of it consists of long shots of nothing. The other half is ridiculously cheesy. Feels like an arty attempt at a kung-fu soap opera.
Rated 07 Jul 2013
90
79th
Despite having a few sword fights this isn't really an adventure movie; instead, it's more like Sansho the Bailiff. The characters aren't after revenge or any typical goals of wuxia heroes, they just want to be left alone by the state. Princess Yang takes this to further extremes by discarding her sexuality. While Sansho the Bailiff had a false happy ending, this movie I think has a false sad ending. No matter what depths the eunuchs sink to, the monks and Princess Yang cannot be defeated.
Rated 28 May 2014
95
93rd
Legit
Rated 03 Dec 2014
80
79th
This absolutely looks fabulous. The famous bamboo fight scene really belongs up there among the best. The main problem of this movie is in the first part in which this long movies actually feels long. It does pick up tremendously after the introduction of the monk characters. It's then that the movie turns more and more into a Buddhist parable and the meaning of the title becomes apparent.
Rated 12 Jul 2016
81
78th
Despite the long running-time, this is not tiring or dull. Despite the curious action sequences, weirdly fluent cinematography and interesting story, I wasn't too impressed.
Rated 24 Aug 2016
4
81st
Needs a rewatch, but the more I mull about it, the more I like it.
Rated 10 Apr 2017
84
89th
King Hu has such a calm & precise style it can lull you into comfort then suddenly dazzle you with its elegance. While not as exciting or tense as Dragon Inn this is more original & developed as a story. Although 3h long it keeps shifting as fluidly as the action plays out. It starts as a haunted house drama before slowly unraveling political intrigue that then explodes into fierce action spectacle. The ending is an all-out trampoline glory that turns into a psychedelic buddhist morality play.
Rated 19 Dec 2017
99
98th
DVD Obras primas do Cinema.
Rated 21 Apr 2018
100
94th
Once Upon a Time in the East. This really feels like a Leone Western set in 14th century China.
Rated 22 Aug 2018
80
86th
this is a foundational film that made me fall in love with: 1) Hsu Feng and 2) wide lens photography
Rated 01 Oct 2018
60
26th
I have been struggling with this one for some time now, and little hope is left I ever finish it. The beginning was promising, but when the story got more complicated I just stopped caring for it. It's just too many subtitles for a story that's not even interesting. Technically, the movie is excellent though. Somehow I had less trouble with Dragon Inn, which was quite engrossing. I though A Touch of Zen was supposed to be superior... ???
Rated 24 Jul 2020
95
97th
A lot of reviews lazily throw out "good visuals" to praise a movie, as though that weren't a barrier of entry for any halfway decent entertainment. This shorthand does a massive disservice to films like A Touch of Zen, which features the kind of holy shit photography you didn't think possible. More to my taste, it does not sanction impatience, dwelling in contemplation for something like an hour before any conflict gets going. All this AND the action scenes are top-tier, madre mio.
Rated 06 Jan 2021
83
90th
Masterful scene composition and memorable fight scenes steer you over the Buddhist undertones that not everybody will likely understand. It's still a classic in the martial arts genre and the trampoline game is on point.
Rated 06 Nov 2021
84
75th
Beautifully shot, the entire film exudes an air of mysterious power that dwells in and around these characters. The set up does take quite a long time to diminishing effects, but once moving, the action is well-choreographed in settings that regularly add a distinctive atmosphere to the action.
Rated 15 Jan 2022
75
53rd
This would have benefited from being shorter. The second half or so is exciting, with great fight choreography and the solidification of the monk as a total badass. It's all a payoff to the slow pacing of the first half, which has some decent parts here and there but quite a few that just didn't need to be included. Not enough compelling material. It is a pretty movie, even if I'm not as in awe of the visuals as some people clearly are. If you trim this bad boy you have a masterpiece.
Rated 24 Jul 2022
92
96th
I loved this. Many have said it's too long--I could have seen it being shorter, but at the end I wanted more. Is thrilling, mysterious, sometimes goofy and campy, and badass simultaneously. My favorite sequence is the psychological warfare/Scooby Doo set piece. It influenced Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and also feels similar in some ways to Big Trouble in Little China. Not a perfect movie--there are pacing issues and none of the characters are that great, but it easily overcomes these issues.
Rated 01 Nov 2022
70
23rd
Stunning photography and gorgeously-choreographed fights but otherwise didn’t do much for me. Didn’t vibe with the story or have any interest in any of the characters except the monk who owned. Still obviously incredibly influential and important

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