This is a movie that is a visual feast. The wire work is mesmerizing, the swordplay is intricate, and the photography is grand. However, other than that I was quite disappointed with this film.
The plot of the film is quite complex. It tells the story of some assassins who are trying to kill the leaders of Soul Heights(?) because they wish to destroy Happy Woods and be the leaders of the martial world. Also included is a web of love, a fake death, betrayal, and a whole lot of fighting.
The relationship between the characters is quite complex. Tony Leung and Joey Wang are lovers. However, Tony is loved by Michelle Yeoh who is in turn loved by Donnie Yen. The problem that exists with the characters is that I really didn't have any sympathy for them, except Donnie Yen. The characters are fairly well-defined but they seemed emotionally distant.
The battle scenes are done quite well. The movie has some good wire action choreographed by Ching Siu-Tung. Unfortunately, these scenes don't really show what Michelle Yeoh and Donnie Yen are capable of doing. That's a shame, because they are very talented. Nonetheless, the action scenes with Donnie Yen are quite good...especially him and Michelle in the forest.
One of the main drawbacks of this movie is the excess of gore. This film is very bloody and has many scenes of decapitation, torso splitting, and blood spurting in geysers.
In the end, this is a fair movie. Donnie Yen is probably the best thing about this film. He shines more than the two leads. Also, this movie has an arresting visual style. Other those two things, there isn't much going for this film.
The plot of the film is quite complex. It tells the story of some assassins who are trying to kill the leaders of Soul Heights(?) because they wish to destroy Happy Woods and be the leaders of the martial world. Also included is a web of love, a fake death, betrayal, and a whole lot of fighting.
The relationship between the characters is quite complex. Tony Leung and Joey Wang are lovers. However, Tony is loved by Michelle Yeoh who is in turn loved by Donnie Yen. The problem that exists with the characters is that I really didn't have any sympathy for them, except Donnie Yen. The characters are fairly well-defined but they seemed emotionally distant.
The battle scenes are done quite well. The movie has some good wire action choreographed by Ching Siu-Tung. Unfortunately, these scenes don't really show what Michelle Yeoh and Donnie Yen are capable of doing. That's a shame, because they are very talented. Nonetheless, the action scenes with Donnie Yen are quite good...especially him and Michelle in the forest.
One of the main drawbacks of this movie is the excess of gore. This film is very bloody and has many scenes of decapitation, torso splitting, and blood spurting in geysers.
In the end, this is a fair movie. Donnie Yen is probably the best thing about this film. He shines more than the two leads. Also, this movie has an arresting visual style. Other those two things, there isn't much going for this film.