A strange production with a strange history. Based on a famous story, "Eagle Shooting Heros" and apparently part of the film crew shot the equally strange comedy film called, "Eagle Shooting Heros" during one of the lengthy lulls in shooting this film. And the director created his much more famous "Chungking Express" during another production lull.
A jigsaw puzzle story recounts the thoughts and turning-points in the lives of three swordsman and the man who hires them for his assassin service. At least that's how I could fathom it. Plus there are five women who are involved with the four men in some way. The story unfolds like you are taking apart a particularly complex origami sculpture, it takes awhile before you get a square piece of paper again. And then the paper seems distinctly unsquare anyway. Slow, oblique, confusing, this one is work to watch. Possibly rewarding work but it's work. I am still trying to place two scenes into the context of the story.
Beautiful photography and sense of space. The music is very good but occasionally annoying. The martial arts are reduced to "blur fu" so don't expect much in the action department. In the context of the film the blur works.
The person I saw it with walked out but I enjoyed it enough. An experiment which you should see only if ready.
A jigsaw puzzle story recounts the thoughts and turning-points in the lives of three swordsman and the man who hires them for his assassin service. At least that's how I could fathom it. Plus there are five women who are involved with the four men in some way. The story unfolds like you are taking apart a particularly complex origami sculpture, it takes awhile before you get a square piece of paper again. And then the paper seems distinctly unsquare anyway. Slow, oblique, confusing, this one is work to watch. Possibly rewarding work but it's work. I am still trying to place two scenes into the context of the story.
Beautiful photography and sense of space. The music is very good but occasionally annoying. The martial arts are reduced to "blur fu" so don't expect much in the action department. In the context of the film the blur works.
The person I saw it with walked out but I enjoyed it enough. An experiment which you should see only if ready.