A young Chinese warrior steals a sword from a famed swordsman and then escapes into a world of romantic adventure with a mysterious man in the frontier of the nation.
During China's Tang dynasty the emperor has taken the princess of a neighboring province as wife. She has borne him two sons and raised his eldest. Now his control over his dominion is complete, including the royal family itself.
During World War II era, a young woman, Wang Jiazhi, gets swept up in a dangerous game of emotional intrigue with a powerful political figure, Mr. Yee.
To satisfy his nagging parents, a gay landlord and a female tenant agree to a marriage of convenience, but his parents arrive to visit and things get out of hand.
In 19th century Qing Dynasty China, a warrior gives his sword, Green Destiny, to his friend to deliver to safe keeping, but it is stolen, and the chase is on to find it. The search leads to the House of Yu where the story takes on a whole different level.Written by
Jwelch5742
This was the only film nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars that year to be nominated for Best Song as well. See more »
Goofs
(at around 1h 35 mins) During the fight atop the bamboo trees, the sky is sometimes entirely blue and other times entirely covered in clouds. See more »
Quotes
[first lines]
Man:
Master Li is here! Master Li is here!
See more »
Crazy Credits
The opening title appears in Chinese and English. See more »
Alternate Versions
The English subtitles on the DVD are translated differently than the original theatrical version. See more »
The show was fantastic. It is one of the best, if not the best Chinese swashbuckling show. With that simple and to the point assertion let me continue with my review.
The kungfu choreography was marvelous and beautiful. With Yuen Wo Ping as the martial arts director, things can hardly get better. I dare say that the kungfu movement in this show was definitely more varied and graceful than his other works, for example, the Matrix which obtained such raving reviews. Even when compared to his other Mandarin titles, like Last Hero in China, this show stands out. In other movies, you get the feeling they're merely fighting it out, but for this one, there is a genuine fluidity. The aesthetic and artistic direction is definitely top-notch. Although there were times things were a little overdone, that will not compromise the overall quality of the show.
The acting was excellent as well. Chow Yun Fatt and Michelle Yeoh were fine as the constipated middle-aged `we're a little old but we still love each other' couple. The scene at the end was absolutely heart breaking; so subtle and yet absolute racking. As for Zhang Ziyi, she was perfect as the slightly brat-ish aristocratic daughter of a governor, who's yet to find what she really wants in life. From blithe to confusion to angst to despondence and then despair, there is a character journey which she succeeds in portraying. And all this while, yes, she somehow manages to stay likeable. Its pretty amazing if you consider she's still in acting school.
This must be one of the better adaptation of Chinese `Giang Hu' Novels. Usually, they're so badly adapted they result in one hodgepodge mess of a conglomerated movie. This one has an exceptional script which is easy to follow and not merely as inane as having only good versus evil. Here, our protagonists have their own personal battles to overcome and their own personal devils to defeat. And if any of these sound boring, it isn't! It's one of the fastest 2.5 hr movie I've watched. The ending is also one of the classiest and most beautiful I've seen.
This show is cinematic poetry. The music score compliments the Kungfu sequences well; the lyrical dialogues emerge charmingly. Everything fits in so darn perfectly. You have to concede to the fact that Ang Lee is undoubtedly a visionary and amazing director.
Even if you don't give a damn about any of the above, this show is a visual treat. Go watch the show for the scenery, the martial arts, the actors. The bottom line is to go and watch it because you will rarely find a better one. 9/10.
Yes yes, i'm a groupie and if u watch it, i think u'll become one. :DD
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The show was fantastic. It is one of the best, if not the best Chinese swashbuckling show. With that simple and to the point assertion let me continue with my review.
The kungfu choreography was marvelous and beautiful. With Yuen Wo Ping as the martial arts director, things can hardly get better. I dare say that the kungfu movement in this show was definitely more varied and graceful than his other works, for example, the Matrix which obtained such raving reviews. Even when compared to his other Mandarin titles, like Last Hero in China, this show stands out. In other movies, you get the feeling they're merely fighting it out, but for this one, there is a genuine fluidity. The aesthetic and artistic direction is definitely top-notch. Although there were times things were a little overdone, that will not compromise the overall quality of the show.
The acting was excellent as well. Chow Yun Fatt and Michelle Yeoh were fine as the constipated middle-aged `we're a little old but we still love each other' couple. The scene at the end was absolutely heart breaking; so subtle and yet absolute racking. As for Zhang Ziyi, she was perfect as the slightly brat-ish aristocratic daughter of a governor, who's yet to find what she really wants in life. From blithe to confusion to angst to despondence and then despair, there is a character journey which she succeeds in portraying. And all this while, yes, she somehow manages to stay likeable. Its pretty amazing if you consider she's still in acting school.
This must be one of the better adaptation of Chinese `Giang Hu' Novels. Usually, they're so badly adapted they result in one hodgepodge mess of a conglomerated movie. This one has an exceptional script which is easy to follow and not merely as inane as having only good versus evil. Here, our protagonists have their own personal battles to overcome and their own personal devils to defeat. And if any of these sound boring, it isn't! It's one of the fastest 2.5 hr movie I've watched. The ending is also one of the classiest and most beautiful I've seen.
This show is cinematic poetry. The music score compliments the Kungfu sequences well; the lyrical dialogues emerge charmingly. Everything fits in so darn perfectly. You have to concede to the fact that Ang Lee is undoubtedly a visionary and amazing director.
Even if you don't give a damn about any of the above, this show is a visual treat. Go watch the show for the scenery, the martial arts, the actors. The bottom line is to go and watch it because you will rarely find a better one. 9/10.
Yes yes, i'm a groupie and if u watch it, i think u'll become one. :DD