Think of this as Taiwanese director Ang Lee's RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, a
loving homage to the pulp movies of his youth. Lee grew up on fanciful tales
of martial arts chivalry (
wuxia pian), filled with balletic,
gravity-defying action sequences, philosophical fighters and warrior women.
But he isn't interested in wringing ironic laughs from genre conventions. His
film (adapted from material by novelist Wang Du Lu) humanizes the formula by
emphasizing two love stories, one filled with youthful fire and the other
defined by mature melancholy. In ancient China, Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun-Fat)
decides to abandon his fighting way...
Released:
2000
Rated:
PG-13
Length:
119 mins