Butterfly and Sword

Rating:
Summary: Very high on style, less so in substance
Review: This high art fantasy over-the-top costume piece is a "wire fu" lover's delight. All characters are dressed in coloful drapey, billowy robes and garments. The musical score is unusually well-orchestrated from beginning to end. But does everyone have to twirl 10 times while going 16 feet from point A to point B. There is very little walking in this film. Everyone twirls, flies, swings, flips, rotates, revolves (is that different from rotate?), levitates, somersaults, jacknifes, or pirohuettes (sp?) in nearly every frame. The fighting is fantastical and violent, to say the least. While the film is certainly different from the classic old-school kung fu film, I do, in fact, give the movie high marks within its own fantasy genre. Technically, the wire artistry and effects are mind-boggling, yet at times numbing. If wire fu is your cup of tea, I suppose this is your eye candy. For others, it's probably worth a peek, as I would suspect it is probably one of the best in its genre.

Rating:
Summary: A lot of good action but confusing as heck
Review: This is a pretty fun movie, with lots and lots of crazy action, and some pretty well acted scenes, but it is unbelievably confusing, so you never totally get behind the characters. Michelle Yeoh looks great and does a decent job but she just seems too wholesome to pull off the role of the somewhat evil kung fu master. She is not as intense as Brigitte Lin who is really the master of that sort of character. Tony Leung, Donnie Yen, and Joey Wang are all really great in this movie. This is highly recommended for HK fans but not so much for casual kung fu fans who are better off with something like Swordman II. Be warned that there are mandarin only editions of this movie on the market, so make sure you are getting a cantonese version if that is what you want.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Story
Review: This movie is one of the greatest Martial Arts movies I've ever seen. The action is fast paced, and the romantic story of 2 hired swords, one who wants nothing more than to spend the rest of his life with his lover, and the other who just wants to let a woman (another assassin) how he truly feels about her. Both are bound by honor to put their duties first. This movie is fantastic. Another movie I think you should see after this is Last Hurrah For Chivalry. Both are a must buy for those who dig non-stop Action, feats of the impossible, with a little bit of a romantic flair.