Zhang cuts his way into 'wuxia'

Dashing Kaneshiro and hauntingly beautiful Zhang Ziyi convincingly convey the vulnerability of a couple battling inner emotions so that they will not fall in love. For Mei, the conflict is deepened by the fact that, unknown to Jin, she already has a lover who shadows and protects her. That lover is Lau's wily Leo, a man who will stop at nothing to keep her alive for him and for him alone.

Cinematographer Zhao Xiaoding's (趙小丁) rendering of the rural locations is a thing of pure magic. Shigeru Umebayashi's music, Chinese with Western modulations, well serves the movie's epic quality. Emi Wada's costumes blend in magnificently with the countryside, while editor Cheng Long (程龍) gives a thrilling rhythm to action director Tony Ching Siu-Tung's (程小東) intricate fight choreography.