Painted Skin

This is a ghost fantasy set in period times, starring Joey Wang as the spirit You Feng, who is controlled by the evil Demon King. She crosses paths with Wang Hsi-Tzu (Adam Cheng), who invites her to travel with him; he is at first ambivalent she is a ghost. You Feng needs help to reincarnate and as Wang attempts to help her, the Demon King wrecks havoc in his village and possesses his body. Therefore, You Feng seeks the powerful High Monk (Sammo Hung) for assistance.

This ghost fantasy may not be the conventional ghost comedies you've come to expect from Hong Kong, but it is a somewhat good piece of cinema that is suspenseful and intriguing during certain moments, especially the plot elements of You Feng trying to get her spirits released from the grips of the demon, and the search for the powerful priest who could defeat him.

Adam Cheng and Joey Wang did pretty good as the lead roles, followed-by an equally serviceable job by co-stars Wu Ma, Lau Shun and Sammo Hung. There is also a very nice cameo appearance by Lam Ching-Ying.

The action choreography was done well and the drama and ghost elements were well-played - not too cheesy and not too sappy. I remembered watching this film with my dad and even he, as a big critique on Hong Kong movies, enjoyed it.

There are some drawn-out and slow moments in the film, but overall, it's rather entertaining.

Grade B-