The Sorcerer and the White Snake - China

          Director:  Siu-Tung Ching

          Year:  2011

          Plot:  "Action director Ching Siu-Tung helms this fantasy film based on an old Chinese legend about an herbalist who falls in love with a thousand-year-old White Snake disguised as a woman. Jet Li stars as a sorcerer who discovers her true identity and battles to save the man's soul."

          I actually watching this movie about a week or so ago, but homework has gotten in the way of writing a review.  As such, this review might not be as specific as those that I write right after viewing the movie.  I bought this from a little stand in the Mall of America, because my store was closed down (F.Y.E).  Because of the place I got it, the subtitles were a little interesting.  They weren't hard to understand, but they were so light sometimes, the white would disappear into scenery and clothes.

          Anyway, that has nothing to do with the movie itself.  n.n  Though I have seen quite a bit of complaints about this movie, I really enjoyed it.  It wasn't the best because I do admit some of the flaws it faces.  This movie has a lot of CGI, and it wasn't exactly on par with some of the movies that come out in the US.  This fact really doesn't bother me though as Asian movies don't usually us CGI as much, so it makes sense that they haven't exactly perfected everything.  Many parts of the movie were still very well done despite the usual CGI problems.  The only reason I had even a little problem with it is that it did take away from some of the fight scenes.

          I really like the story of the movie though.  It does come from a legend so it really has a fairytale feel to it, just with more fighting than most of us are used to.  n.n  I found that some people also had a problem with Jet Li's character in the movie because he is kind of mean towards the demons.  I actually enjoyed his character.  Sure, he is kind of mean to the snake lady, but he is a monk who fights demons.  In general cases, it is usually not a good thing to trust any demon, even if they play nice.  I also have to say that the end really made the movie and especially Jet Li's character.

          I would definitely suggest this movie to those who enjoy a variety of Asian movies.  I do not think this is one for those knew to Asian movies or culture.  I had to explain a few things to my mother, but she did understand the basic story because it falls pretty inline with some of our own tales.  Also, I really only wanted to see this movie because I love Jet Li.  I think Neng Ren is my favorite character though.  n.n

Arahan - Korea

          Director:  Seung-wan Ryoo
          Year:  2004
          Plot:  "When Sang-hwan, the naive and honest police man, is injured chasing a theif driving a motorcycle, the skilled martial artist Eu-jin brings him to her home.  There the six Masters of Tao heal him and believe that he has a powerful chi, the spiritual energy of the universe, and could be a powerful warrior. Sang-hwan begins his training, while the evil and ambitious Heuk-woon is accidentally released from his imprisonment and begins searching for a key that would permit him to become an Arahan and dominate the world."

          I do have to say that this movie is an action comedy.  Not everything is to be taken seriously, and it is in fact funny.  I am one that usually dislikes comedies, that is those made in the United States.  In other countries, I find that much comedy can be thrown in with a real story line and work quite well.  This movie did in fact do that for me.  The main character Sang-hwan is dumb and goofy which leads to many awkward moments or accidents for him.
          In the beginning, I did find Sang-hwan to be a little too dorky to believe that he could ever amount to the cool hero he needed to become.  I am glad that I was wrong.  The movie did well in changing Sang-hwan into the hero, while still leaving some of his personality behind to show that he didn't just suddenly become something he wasn't.  He only grew, not changed.
          I enjoyed the fight scenes in this movie.  There were points that were ridiculous and fantastical, but that was the point.  This was a comedy and those small points within the fights, especially at the end, kept it from being a completely brutal action movie.  I think the best fight scene had to be when Sang-hwan finally confronts the thugs.  It was very interesting to see him finally notice what he could do.  I also enjoyed how the scene ended because it had to be done, as he was in a mind set he shouldn't have been in.
          The best part of this movie for me had to be the swords.  I have a major love for swords and katanas.  The thing that I have an issue with in most movies is all the blade on blade strikes they do without the blades ever getting damaged.  This movie did amazing with that.  They showed the nicks in the blade where other swords struck.  I haven't seen any other movie do this.  Most of them play off the idea that the swords can strike against one another without anything happening but a clash of maybe a spark.

          I definitely suggest watching this movie.  I wouldn't say it is the best movie I have ever seen, but it is still very good.  The story line of this movie is quite good and the actors did well at playing the varying genres that were throughout this movie.  The characters held up well even as the movie flipped between comedy, drama and action.  I wouldn't mind watching this movie again soon.  n.n

The Samurai of Ayothaya - Thailand

          Director:  Nopporn Watin
          Year:  2010
          Plot:  "Based on a true historic figure during Ayothaya Era, the film depicts the life of Yamada Nagamasa, a Japanese adventurer who gained considerable influence in Thailand and became the governor of Nakhon Si Thammarat province in southern Thailand."

          I know many people don't agree with my rating, by this I mean many of the people who voted on IMDb as it only got a 5.9 out of 10 rating.  Now though I agree that this movie wasn't a 10 out of 10, I loved this movie.  Oh and one person brought up that for a based on a true story it didn't seem very realistic.  My response is that it is 'based on' and not a documentary.  It was made to be entertaining and not exactly completely historically true.
          I really loved the way that they portrayed the story.  I really love the idea that these people would take in an injured enemy rather than leave him to die.  This fact just really spurs on the events of the rest of the movie.  It is kindness and acceptance that leads the main character to want to be apart of the life rather than seeing them as enemies.
          Someone brought up that the samurai and ninjas aren't as weak as you see in the film.  I have to agree that they were impressive figures in history, but I can accept there lacking in this movie for one reason.  In this movie, it seems that the Japanese characters (samurai and ninja) haven't encounter these warriors before.  I find it hard to believe that a ninja or samurai could be prepared for their sort of fighting style.  It would probably be very intimidating to face someone with such a drastically different style for the first time.  I also have to point out that the samurai beat many ninjas drunk, so they already didn't seem very tough.
          There wasn't really too much I disliked.  I didn't like that they sometimes speed up the fighters and it almost looked like they were teleporting.  I mean if you are going for real fighting styles for most of the movie, the teleporting looks wrong.  I mean these are real people.  Sure the fighting is about speed and power, but real peoples speed and power.

          I do suggest you watch this movie.  Despite the vote on IMDb, this movie is very good.  The story line is just great.  I of course have to bring up the quality of the warriors fighting.  It is really quite great to watch.

The Princess Blade - Japan

          Director:  Shinsuke Sato
          Year:  2001
          Plot:  "In the near future, Japan is ruled once more by a monarchy.  But, rebels opposed to this rule seek to overthrow the government.  The House of Takemikazuchi, a band of assassins is hired by the government to suppress the rebels.  As a conspiracy from within signals the shadowy organization's impending demise, Yuki, the last of the Takemikazuchi bloodline befriends one of the rebels and seeks revenge against the group's leader."


          This movie really was quite disappointing.  It is just that I really wasn't very happy with this movie at all.  I started watching it because I wanted to see a movie with a strong female character.  Though this movie has that, it lacks much else.  The fight scenes weren't very thrilling, but that could also have to do with the fact that I watched it on YouTube, but some things just seemed wrong.  Parts of the fights were just edited too fast to be very entertaining.  It really seems sad from what I seen to know that Donnie Yen choreographed the fights.  It just didn't seem to do much justice, there were a few scenes though that were actually pretty good.
          The characters of this movie were quite dull.  I don't think it was the actor's faults, but the story line itself.  The story line didn't leave enough room for much development of any of the characters, even that of the main characters.  Sure there was a little, but the bare minimum.
          I don't really know much else to say about this movie.  Oh I know.  I want to point out that that one sword gimmick looked completely horrible.  If a sword goes through someone and sticks out their back, how is it perfectly clean and shiny.  Usually I don't notice stupid stuff like that, but that kind of irritated me.  >.<


          This is not a movie I would necessarily suggest to anyone.  It was really quite disappointing.  If you are going to give this movie a shot, please don't expect a masterpiece.  That is the only way you might be at most satisfied with this movie.

Clash - Vietnam

          Director:  Le Thanh Son
          Year:  2009
          Plot:  "Trinh, a mercenary, must complete a series of organized crime jobs for her boss in order to win the release of her kidnapped daughter.  She hires several mercenaries to help, including Quan, who she becomes attracted to.  Trinh and Quan's relationship becomes complicated as it becomes evident that their motivations are not the same."


          This was a really good movie.  The ideas in this movie are rather common within this type of movie.  I can't really talk specifics or it would ruin the movie.  Even though the ideas in this movie are quite common, I felt that this movie handled them in a very nice way.
          Even though the topic is sometimes over done, the characters really kept this movie going.  I really loved Trinh's character.  She is a really tough cookie.  The thing is though, she is a great character because she isn't all that strong.  She has her weaknesses, and that is a good thing for her character.  She cares for people.  I do love the fact though that she can take care of herself, sure she is saved quite a few times, but most of it seems like the one doing the saving just wants to save her, instead of her needing it.
          I was really happy with the fight scenes in this.  I was a little disappointed when they took a little time out for a gun fight, but they soon returned to some rather brutal fighting.  I loved seeing Trinh beat on the guys.  That was definitely a big highlight of this movie.
          I really don't know what else I can say about this movie.  It isn't that I don't have much more to say, it is that fact that I might give away a little too much of this movie.


          This was a really well done movie.  The characters were great.  The story line though having been done before, to a degree, was still quite good.  I also have to say that the fight scenes were rather great to watch.

K.G. (Karate Girl) - Japan

          Director:  Yoshikatsu Kimura
          Year:  2011
          Plot:  "When she was a child, a mysterious group killed Ayaka’s father, kidnapped her sister Natsuki and stole a black belt passed down in her family for 200 years.  Years later when the group makes a reappearance, she decides to do whatever it takes to get Natsuki back."


          I am not sure why I decided to watch this one, but I guess it had to do with the almost 4 star rating on one of my sites.  After watching this movie, I wasn't quite sure on how to rate this one myself.  I did feel that the story line was decent though it wasn't anything really special.  Some of the major points didn't even seem to work themselves out.  I do not know if this fact was due to the horrible subtitles or an actual error in the plot.  I also was irritated with the replaying of scenes.  A fight scene looks great as a base scene but when you play a clip again right after you just seen it, it takes away from the movie.
          I am serious about the horrible subtitles.  They really ruined the movie a bit for me.  I watched it online, and tried a few different versions with the same result, so I do not know if is on the dvd or not.  The subtitles weren't so bad that I couldn't understand any of the movie, but it was quite bad.  There were parts where the kept saying he and him when they were talking about a girl, and in other parts the subtitles sentence structure was all out of order.  It is hard to get into a story when you are constantly trying to decipher subtitles.
          I did like part of this movie.  I liked that our main character is just a seemingly normal girl, she even seem to really downplay her abilities in the beginning.  I did wonder though why she went and got changed into a school uniform before heading over to the bad guy's lair, but I over looked that.  I really did enjoy when the sisters were working together.  It turned out quite well.
          I did find the resolution of this movie to be a little disappointing.  I did not understand exactly why they fought the one guy.  He was a bad guy, but it didn't really look like he was going to fight them, and they attacked him.  The only real good thing about the ending actually came in the credits.  I loved that they showed the girls practicing the stunts and all.  It really made the feeling of the movie slightly better.


         I did feel that this was an okay movie.  It isn't one that I would get excited over watching again but it used up my time decently.  I would suggest watching this only if you found one with decent subtitles as I think that would make this movie considerably better.

Invisible Target - China

          Director:  Benny Chan
          Year:  2007
          Plot:  "Three cops team up to bring down a criminal gang of seven, who have their own hidden agenda."


          The plot sure seems rather boring as it stands, but it gets better when I tell you that those cops are none other than Nicholas Tse, Shawn Yue, and Jaycee Chan (Jackie Chan's son) and that the main bad guy is Jacky Wu.  If that didn't make this movie sound better, let's just say all the movies I have watched with any of them in it turn out to be pretty good.
          As about the movie itself, it is a a rather big winner in my book.  The story line to it is very well done.  Each cop has there own reasons for wanting to catch the bad guys.  Not only does each cop have their own story, but the bad guys do as well.  This one doesn't have the irritating ultimate evil, you know the guys that are pure bad and nothing good about them, but that doesn't mean they aren't viable bad guys either.  It is the fact that they have some sliver of human in them that makes them very good characters.
          The stunts in this movie were great as well.  It was the director that requested that no stunt doubles be used in this movie.  That fact makes all the stunts even better.  I mean sure they tried to keep them as safe as possible, but it's really Jaycee landing in fire, and really Nicholas and Shawn getting fiery bits blown at them.  You can't get much better than knowing that the cast were in all the scenes they were supposed to be in and not some stunt guy pretending to be them.  For me it makes an action movie all the better.
          I really liked how this movie ended.  The final fights played out to the characters.  They really did work themselves out really well.  I also have to say I loved the final scene during the credits before the stunt parts came up.  I just felt that part was so nice and rather touching to see make it in there even if it was during the credits.  I am going on a bit much here, so I will end it.  n.n


          The action to this movie is really great, but the story line is just as superb.  This is just another one that needs to be added to my collection.

Sasori - Japan

          Director:  Joe Ma
          Year:  2008
          Plot:  "A ruthless pack of thugs force mild-mannered, caught-in-the-middle-of-something-bigger Nami to murder her fiance's sister, decidedly ruining her pending marriage and landing the poor girl in the most brutal women's prison. Here she decides to stop being a victim. She eventually escapes the prison and returns to the streets in order to make the thugs who ruined her life pay. By this time, Nami prefers to go by the name of Sasori (Scorpion)."

          Apparently, this is a remake of Female Prisoner #701 Scorpion, but I haven't seen them.  Generally I stay away from movies made in the 70's, but I might eventually watch those versions.  I say might, because I did enjoy this remake, to a point.  It is also based off the manga of the same name by Toru Shibohara.
          I felt that the plot of this movie was really good.  There was two little plot holes that I seen and was a little confused with the Hei Tai ending, but there weren't any major problems.  I do have to say that the fight scenes got a little weird even for me.  I mean usually I can ignore when the fights are fantastical, but parts of this one were just too much for me.  That didn't necessarily take away from the movie too much though.
          I did enjoy the character progression.  Nami really did start off as this timid little thing.  By the end of the movie, she is so drastically changed.  Though, like I said, I am confused with the ending of Hei Tai.  I am not quite sure what happened with him.  Usually this is not hard for me, but I am really confused.  >.<
          Someone said that they thought everything happened because he was involved with the death of his sister and that he was a bad cop.  That makes absolutely no sense though.  From what is shown, he is a good guy, and had nothing to do with the deaths.  The only part that he had with the thugs was going to a sort of therapy that the head person did for him.  That doesn't make him involved with his sisters death though.
          I must bring up something another person said in a review of this movie.  They said that the movie was too much work to enjoy.  This makes me think that they do not usually watch Asian movies, as they seem to feel this because they said it was hard to follow with the flashbacks.  I am of course a big fan of Asian movies and found this one to be generally easy to follow and a fun watch, despite the few points that I mentioned.

          This was a good movie despite a few flaws.  This is one of those movies that if you go into it not expecting perfection, you might be rather surprised at the quality of it.  I gave it leeway and found this movie to be quite good.  n.n

Ip Man - China

          Director:  Wilson Yip
          Year:  2008
          Plot:  “A semi-biographical account of Yip Man, the first martial arts master to teach the Chinese martial art of Wing Chun.”


          I bought this movie a while back (like three weeks or something), and just finally got to watch it.  I wish I would have watched this sooner.  It also has to do with the fact that it stars Donnie Yen, who I am starting to become a big fan of.  n.n
          I have to say that this is a very good movie.  I loved the fight scenes in this movie.  Again people complained about wire work, but really I think those people watch the movie to see the wire work.  If you are actually focusing on the movie and not caring how they made it, wirework just doesn’t seem obvious.  I really didn’t see any problem with or without wirework.
          I loved when Ip Man beat the guy up with what looked like a feather duster.  I mean, how great is that, though some of the sound during it didn’t make much sense.  I don’t think I can really list specifically what I liked about the various fight scenes, as there is quite a bit, but I did think it was great that he taught the mill workers to fight, even though they weren’t the greatest.  Oh and the scene near the beginning with the police officer’s gun.  It wasn’t much, but I thought it was rather interesting.
          I don’t know if there was really anything that I disliked.  There might have been points that could have been a bit better, but nothing really specific.  I think this movie was very entertaining and rather well done.


          I am happy that I decided to buy this and have it in my collection.  It is a good movie for martial arts fans, and of course those of Donnie Yen.  Definitely one I would suggest, and not just as a martial arts movie, the storyline is also quite entertaining of itself.

Silver Hawk - China

          Director:  Jingle Ma

          Year:  2004
          Plot:  “A Chinese socialite, in her spare time, fights the forces of evil.  She teams up with her childhood buddy, Mr. Rich Man, who is a police officer, to foil a kidnapping ring with more sinister undertones.”


          I forgot to write this up after I watched the movie.  I might be missing some things that I wanted to say about this movie, but I will do my best to get all the important stuff in here.
          I have to say one of the reasons I watched this movie is because I am a bit of a Michelle Yeoh fan.  This movie did really disappoint me either.  I found this movie to have been rather enjoyable for the time I spent watching it.  It isn’t one that I would own besides the fact that it would be a good addition to a Michelle Yeoh collection, but it wasn’t bad.
          As far as the comedy goes in this movie, I felt that it was rather good.  A few points were rather ridiculous, but the majority of the movie had very well done humor.  I absolutely loved Rich Man and Kit though.  Those to following Silver Hawk as she went after the bad guys was quite funny, especially with Kit pretty much laying on top of Rich Man to see, and constantly hitting him.  You also gotta love, “Ten more minutes.  Five minutes?  Two.”
          This is rather reminiscent of Batman, but I did find this movie to be the better one.  The comedy in this movie kept it from suffering from the same problems that the Batman movies did for me.  This was more entertaining than a rich guy in a bat costume, and the action sequences were better as well.  I enjoyed the scenes between Silver Hawk and Jane, and Moris the most.


          This isn’t one that I would own necessarily, but it is definitely worth a watch when you need something to do.  The comedy in it, though sometimes a little too much, is very entertaining and enjoyable.  Also it is one that a Michelle Yeoh fan needs to watch simply because she is in it.  n.n

Dragon Tiger Gate - China

          Director:  Wilson Yip
          Year:  2006
          Plot:  “Three young martial arts masters emerge from the back streets of Hong Kong to help the powerless fight injustice.”


          So many of the comments on this were really split on the site I choose to watch my movies on.  Most of the ones that were bad complained about the sfx.  I don’t usually have a problem with this, so I gave this one a shot.  I am very glad that I gave this one a shot, and I bought it halfway through watching the movie.  This one was great from the get go.  I absolutely loved Tiger and Dragon, and I can’t forget about Turbo either.
          The fight scenes were sometimes a little over done with sfx such as the flying and all, but it does make sense as to why.  This was based off a comic book and done so in a rather dedicated way.  The over-the-top action makes perfect sense when you take into account that comic book action is very over-the-top as well.
          The only problem I had with this movie was the ending.  Not necessarily how it ends, but the end of the final fight.  That one got a little too sfx-y for even me.  Though it was way too much with the ending, I still absolutely loved this movie.  The action is great in all other parts of the movie.  Especially when Tiger takes on the gang goons.  It is near the beginning and was a really great hook for it.


          This is a rather good movie despite the final battle having a little too much sfx.  The action is really good as well as a well put together storyline.  This is one that I will be watching again as soon as the DVD comes in the mail.  It is definitely one that belongs in my martial arts movie collection.

Death Trance - Japan

         Director:  Yuji Shimomura
          Year:  2005
          Plot:  “An unknown time. An unknown place. Without reasons. With no future. His only desire is… Destruction!”


          Okay, first I must say, the plot completely sucks…  Not necessarily the one in the movie but the one in the stated plot area above.  I like to take the plot from other sites, but this one turned out to be an issue.  That is seriously the plot statement I kept getting.  It is even worse when that plot really has nothing to do with the actual movie besides the fact that we really don’t know where or when this is taking place.
          I do actually mean that the plot has nothing to do with the movie.  The movie centers around a man named Grave (simply referred to as Coffin Man) who stole a coffin from a temple.  Within the coffin is something that will bring about destruction.  The stories that have gone around about the coffin say that it will grant wishes.  Desiring this, Grave and another man set off on separate missions in hope of having theirs granted.  On a mission to stop anyone from opening the coffin is a lone monk.
          That is basically what the movie is about.  It is filled with different fight scenes which I have heard a few people say had cheesy sfx and corny stunts.  I didn’t see this entirely.  Sure the sfx weren’t up to par with decent budget Hollywood movies, but that doesn’t really bother me.  I would rather see crappy sfx in an Asian movie than an American one.
           This movie was actually pretty good.  I loved Grave, as he is really an anime character come to life.  I haven’t heard any complaints about Grave’s character, but I have heard complaints about as specific goddess.  She is supposed to be of destruction, but some people complained about her pretty outfit with flowers and such.  I actually loved that point as not everything pretty is innocent, and not everything rough looking is destructive.


          Anyway, I actually enjoyed this movie.  It was pretty entertaining because of Grave’s character as well as the whole issue about the coffin.  I did have a problem with the stupid katana the monk is carrying around.  I think it needed a little redesigning on the hilt.  It really bothered me.  I did actually kind of like the ending, even though it leaves it very open, you can kind of guess that it is going to continue for quite some time.

Chocolate - Thailand

          Director:  Prachya Pinkaew
          Year:  2008
          Plot:  “An autistic woman with powerful martial art skills looks to settle her ailing mother's debts by seeking out the ruthless gangs that owe her family money.”


          I finally got to see this movie after much awaiting.  I was so happy to have been able to find it at F.Y.E.  I love that store to death.  Anyway I did really enjoy this movie.  It was just as good as Raging Phoenix (which was actually done after this one -.-’). 
          All of the people watching this one with me loved this movie.  The fight scenes were just great for me.  I love to see things done realistically.  Though I do understand that stunt people need too be used for very very dangerous stuff, I can’t really accept it for little stuff.  In this one Jeeja Yanin did her own stunts, and this is proven by the clips of injuries at the end of the film.  Seeing that they went through some painful stuff just makes this one easier to appreciate.
          I really didn’t see too much wrong with this movie.  I am really in love with this one.  I am sure there are points that could have been better, but I am not sure what they are.  I have read that some people find the acting bad in this movie, but I didn't really see where there was any really.  Maybe I was just interested in the movie enough to not notice, or the people thinking this way are wrong.  I am not sure which one it is.  n.n


          I absolutely loved this movie.  There might be some reasons why you might not like this one as much as me, but really it is at least worth a watch.  Also if you like this one but haven’t seen Raging Phoenix, you should, and vise versa.

Raging Phoenix - Thailand

          Director:  Rashane Limtrakul
          Year:  2009
          Plot:  "A violent gang is abducting women around Thailand.  Sanim and his friends, having had loved ones abducted, have joined together to break the gang of kidnappers.  In a botched kidnap attempt, Deu is saved by Sanim's crew.  After learning their unique martial arts style, Deu helps lure the gang into an epic battle to save the women across Thailand."


          So I would like to start with the movie that has caught my attention lately.  That movie is of course Raging Phoenix staring JeeJa Yanin.  I am aware that some find this movie boring and such, but I have a hard time figuring out why.
           This is a martial arts movie, with apparently bad wire work, though I haven't noticed it.  Many have claimed that this is a bad movie because of a poor story-line.  Again, I do not see this.  Sure the whole perfume idea is quite out there, but the story as a whole is really good.  Mostly I have found that it is guys who really hate this movie.  The movie really comes down to the fact of if you can connect to Deu or not.  If you can connect to her character, this is a wonderful movie simply because you care for her and want her to succeed.  If you don't really connect, I can see how this movie might be a little lack luster to you.
          I definitely connected with Deu, and loved this movie.  For me it was really hard not to care for her.  She lost her father (previous to the movie), her mother wasn't around, she got kicked out of a band, and her boyfriend was cheating on her.  Given all of that it is hard not to want things to get better for her, at least for me.
          So I should probably talk about the fight scenes since this is a martial arts movie.  Like I mentioned, people have talked about horrible wire work in this movie.  I really haven't seen it.  I suppose it is because I was more focused on the characters because I got attached, rather than how their bodies looked exactly during certain moves.  I was not on the look out for this even after hearing about it before seeing the movie.  I really couldn't see a point during the fights that looked like bad wire work, but maybe I just wasn't paying attention.
          I really did enjoy the fighting scenes.  They are really unique.  It is not too often that a person can break dance in the middle of a fight and not look completely crazy.  The dancing seems to fit rather well into the story and fights.  Being that the characters are pretty much drunk through the entire movie, it isn't too hard to believe that they wouldn't be fighting in a traditional way.  Because of the way that they fight, it comes off as rather humorous for most of the movie.  It is only at the latter half of the movie that they completely abandon this light-hearted style and turn to more brutal fighting.
          I have to say that my favorite fight scene is actually the one Deu fights on the beach after suffering another abandonment.  It is rather pretty to watch with the spray of the water around them.  Though that scene is rather brutal, I still found it rather beautiful to watch.
          I have one more thing to mention about this movie, and that is the special effects.  Many people have critiqued this movie mostly because of the few scenes when special effects are used.  I do not understand this critiquing.  I have watched plenty of Asian movies and know that their special effects aren't very good.  The fact is that most would rather do the things the practical way rather than using special effects.  This is why when they do use special effects, it looks rather crappy.  To be able to not take those scenes as simply crappy effects, you must understand why they aren't done well.  I find that I can easily excuse the poor effect because I know that all the other stuff is done in practical ways.


          I rather enjoyed this movie.  It is one of my favorite martial arts movies (I have an affinity to this genre).  Though I wouldn't say that it is better than one of my many favorite Jet Li movies (simply due to the weird perfume idea), I still place it in the same category (good martial arts movies).  I also have to say that I like the idea of a woman being the best martial artist out of a group of men that comes into play in this movie.  A girl has got to love that, after all, women are usually the damsels in distress not the hero.