John Dailey Posted April 4, 2007 Share Posted April 4, 2007 (edited) ~...unless you're up on Mandarin and/or Cantonese.~ Cinematography: WOW! The colorful opulescence presented of the 1000-AD Tang Dynasty stands out for this watcher who rarely pays attention to such; add in the contrast between within the palace grounds vs outside it...WOWee! Just the visual imagery is enough to watch this.~ Story/Plot (oh, yes, there definitely is one!) Think Machiavelli in Asia a millenia ago within 'royalty', but, you don't know which of several whoms had forseen his book better than the others. Mach gave general principles though; in this story, EVERY thing is 'personal.' Better yet, think of Clavell's SHOGUN...but with Shakespearean 'tragedy' stress. ("Ye shall reap what ye sow.") --- The chronically never-ending and slowly-building ominous and portentous music really keeps you watching through the otherwise 'slow' buildup.LLAPJ:D Edited April 4, 2007 by John Dailey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dailey Posted April 4, 2007 Author Share Posted April 4, 2007 (edited) Addendum:~ The ending 'battle-scene' is itself something to appreciate, 300 nwst; think TROY/SPARTACUS +. And, if you thought you saw 'ninja'-fights before, you've seen nothing. These guys, with their carefully cultivated 'sneak' style and near-tailored weaponry, were clearly bad news (not to mention, shades of the argued Executive-'BlackWater' merc-army idea implied, though I suspect not intentionally.)~ For those who appreciate Akira Kurosawa (though this is directed by Yimou Zhang), this is a no-miss!~ Also, you'll be hard put to actually recognize Chow Yun-Fat.LLAPJ:DPS: I meant to say this in the beginning of the 1st post. To sum it up in 1-word: MESMERIZING! Edited April 4, 2007 by John Dailey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PalePower Posted April 4, 2007 Share Posted April 4, 2007 This was a beautiful movie. I was enthralled by it. A must-see!! But it was better in theaters, what with the breathtaking cinematography.Only thing I HATED....the credits music.JEEEEEZ what crackhead put that through?~Elizabeth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Barlow Posted April 5, 2007 Share Posted April 5, 2007 Good movie, indeed. Asian movie-making is evolving fast. This was a wild hit here. -Ross Barlow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matus1976 Posted April 5, 2007 Share Posted April 5, 2007 Addendum:~ Also, you'll be hard put to actually recognize Chow Yun-Fat.Haha, funny that you say that. I am a big Chow Yun-Fat fan and went to see this with my friend, after a couple minutes I turned to him and angrily said "I thought you said Chow Yun Fat was in this??" He's points at the King on the Screen and says "Thats him right there!" Holy crap I didnt recognize him at all.A visually beautiful film, I highly recommend it for that. The choreagraphy and fights were excellent as well. The film reminded me of a Greek tragedy set in ancient China Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dailey Posted April 6, 2007 Author Share Posted April 6, 2007 (edited) Matus:~ "...Greek tragedy set in ancient China", you say.~ Perfect description. I should have said that.LLAPJ:D Edited April 6, 2007 by John Dailey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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