I was very surprised to find the cinema packed for a subtitled Chinese film. This is not your common-or-garden blockbuster so it is great to see mainstream multiplex cinemas showing it. As I looked round the audience though, I couldn’t help wondering whether they knew what they were letting themselves in for, and some of the reactions later on seemed to confirm my suspicion that many were expecting something else.
The story involves a very impetuous and self-centred young woman, contrasted with two mature martial arts warriors. The other main character is a very-agile-for-her-age arch villain. These main characters have supernatural powers, which basically involve the ability to fly in addition to incredible fighting ability.
The story begins with Li Mu Bai and Shu Lien who are the two mature and respected warriors. They share an unspoken love for each other, which developed after Li’s friend, and martial arts master (who was Shu’s lover) was murdered by Jade Fox. Out of respect for his memory they have suppressed their true
feelings for each other and this serves as an effective sub-plot.
Li Mu Bai has decided to abandon his life long fight for good causes. He is regretful that he has not been able to avenge his old masters death but instructs Shu Lien to deliver his 400-year-old sword to a friend in Beijing as she is about to travel there.
Once in Beijing, the sword is stolen and the evil Jade Fox is immediately suspected as it is revealed she is in hiding there. From here the film progresses slowly as character development is given priority over fight sequences. Li Mu Bai turns up in Beijing and the rest of the story revolves round retrieving the sword and recurring battles with Jade Fox, the arch villain. Jen Yu is a beautiful young woman who yearns for excitement and adventure but is very immature. She becomes embroiled in the plot and becomes part of another sub plot herself
If it sounds like an action movie then it must be pointed out that much of the film is not full of action but dialogue. It is much deeper than a simple martial arts action movie as we get to know most of the characters very well and they have depth. At times it has the feel of movies like The Last Emperor.
The film is 2 hours long and some of the people around me in the cinema were a little under-whelmed by it all. The couple next to us were very unimpressed. “Thank God for that”, said the bloke when the end credits rolled as he turned to his partner and added, “don’t ever expect me to see a foreign film again.” This is a great shame because I enjoyed the film but I can understand that many people would find it too slow, and maybe a bit strange. Some people reacted by laughing at a few scenes and I’m damn sure they weren’t supposed to.
The characters are all superb and the acting is excellent. In particular I found Chow Yun Fat – who played Li Mu Bai - fascinatingly ‘cool’. He has a powerful charisma about him. I was also very impressed with Ziyi Zhang who plays the impetuous young wanna-be-warrior, Jen Yu. The locations are breathtaking at times and the fight sequences fast and furious.
The pace of the film is definitely relaxed and character development benefits from it but if you want an action film look elsewhere unless you are prepared to wait patiently for it. There are several fight sequences that are stunningly choreographed and most of them surprisingly are between women which is refreshing. If you have seen Jackie Chan then imagine the slapstick humour taken out to get an idea of the skills involved here.
The hardest things to get used to in the fights are the flying effects. We are simply not used to them in the west, except in super-hero films. Many Chinese films feature flying fighters as it is rooted in their folklore. Personally I am torn between loving and disliking the flying bits. Some of the audience found it all too ridiculous and as I say were laughing at some of it. Clearly the effects are done with the use of wires and although they are done extremely well, it was often obvious that they were on wires even though you could never see them and it was therefore difficult to forget the fact.
When fighting, people will run up walls and bounce across rooftops as if unshackled from the earth’s gravity. At times it is ballet-like and graceful. At other times it flutters between the sublime and the ridiculous. Ultimately I have to say that despite the first half hour leaving me unimpressed I did really enjoy the film and if you’re up for something different and can cope with subtitles it’s well worth a look
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Production Year: 2003 - Martial Arts - Director: Paul Hunter - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Chow Yun-Fat, Seann William Scott, James King, Karel Roden
Production Year: 1972 - Martial Arts - Director: Bruce Lee - Original Language: English\Cantonese\Chinese - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Bruce Lee, Nora Miao, Chuck Norris, Robert Wall, Jon T. Benn
Production Year: 1991 - Martial Arts - Director: Tsui Hark - Original Language: Cantonese - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Donnie Yen, Jet Lee, Rosamund Kwan, Yuen Biao, Mok Sui Chung
Production Year: 1981 - Martial Arts - Director: Kenji Misumi, Robert Houston - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Kayo Matsuo, Minoru Ohki, Akiji Kobayashi, Shin Kishida, Masahiro Tomikawa, Tomisaburo Wakayama
Martial Arts - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Bruce Lee, Sho Kosugi, James Ryan, Jim Kelly, Jimmy Wang Yu, Bolo Yeung, Christopher Lee
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