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Brigitte Lin, Leslie Cheung, Maggie Cheung, Jacky Cheung, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai#25665 ... see more see more... , Tony Leung Ka Fai , Carina Liu , Bai Li , Charlie Yeung , Tony Leung Chiu Wai

Master Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-wai directed this lyrical, dream-like martial arts epic. A famously troubled shoot, the film took two years and 40 million dollars to produce (a shocking sum for a ... read more read more...national cinema populated with low-budget quickies) and features a virtual who's-who of the Hong Kong film world. Conceived as a prequel to the popular martial arts novel The Eagle-Shooting Hero by Jin Yong, the movie is less a straightforward action thriller than a visually striking meditation on memory and love. It nominally centers on Ouyang Feng (Leslie Cheung), who ekes out a lonely existence as an itinerant hired sword. Getting on in years and tormented by memories of a lost love, he also works an agent for other mercenary assassins from his remote desert abode. Ouyang's old friend and fellow swordsman, Huang Yaoshi (Tony Leung Kar-fai, who starred in the The Lover) drowns his lovelorn misery in a magical wine that makes him forget. Later, a mysterious young man named Murong Yang (Brigitte Lin) hires Ouyang to kill his sister's unfaithful suitor, Huang Yaoshi. The following day, that spurned sister, Murong Yin (Lin again), hires Ouyang to protect her dearly beloved. Meanwhile, Hong Qi (pop star Jackie Cheung) finds some redemption for a life of killing by accepting a poor girl's offer to avenge her brother's death -- a task that Ouyang brusquely shunned. In another subplot, a master swordsman (Tony Leung Chiu Wai) is slowly going blind. He agrees to defend a village from horse thieves so that he can afford to go home and see his wife before his eyesight fails completely. This film is one of the most celebrated examples of 1990s Hong Kong cinema: it won multiple awards in its native Hong Kong, along with a Golden Osella for Best Cinematography at the 1994 Venice Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

Flixster Users

74% liked it

14,551 ratings

Critics

79% liked it

78 critics

R, 1 hr. 35 min.

Directed by: Kar Wai Wong

Release Date: October 10, 2008

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DVD Release Date: May 15, 2000

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Flixster Reviews (663)

  • rubystevens
    April 6, 2012
    rubystevens
    certainly one of the most beautiful films i have ever seen. but honestly, what the hell just happened? would kill to see this projected though
  • Deano78
    April 3, 2012
    Deano78
    No doubt a well made film and with great cinematography. However it was a little confusing at times to follow the story and who were friends and who were enemies. The big disappointment for me was I had expected something along the lines of Hero or House of flying daggers. Unfort... read moreunately this is a different type of film altogether and barely has any fight scenes, and when there are they are a blur. Definitely more of a drama than a martial arts film.
  • lesleyanorton
    April 3, 2012
    lesleyanorton
    Muddling but strangely absorbing and beautiful to look at and (kind of) resolves itself at the end.
  • jonnycrumley
    April 3, 2012
    jonnycrumley
    OK movie. Heartbreak, death, decent fight scene, heartbreak, death, decent fight scene. That's about it really.
  • shitfaced8
    April 3, 2012
    shitfaced8
    This is a difficult movie to rate. First off I will state that visually this movie is flawless and exists in a league of it's own in that department. And while I did enjoy this film immensely on that level, I still felt that the story telling aspect left a lot to be desired. I am... read more aware that this redux version has a lot of fat cut, and the fuller, longer version might have been more to my liking, but i am reviewing the redux version alone here. Not to say this cimplaint hindered my enjoyment too much, I still enjoyed what is on display here. The loss of points are more for what isn't there rather than what is. I did feel it was difficult to follow what was going on and none of the characters were really very engaging for me though, As I said though this film is a visual feast and is worth seeing on those merits alone. Could have been better but still recommended.
  • threefolddado
    April 3, 2012
    threefolddado
    A beautiful restoration. The cuts and additions provide a new clarity, while the new soundtrack enhances the emotional impact. I'd list this film among the most stunningly photographed films ever.
  • crappychinese
    April 3, 2012
    crappychinese
    convoluted plot that was incredibly unclear. the cinematography left a lot to be desired. it was just plain disappointing as heck.
  • MARS9T8D4
    April 3, 2012
    MARS9T8D4
    An epic tale of samurai swords and broken hearts of a renegade shogun and the lost lovers he encounters.
  • firstamb
    April 3, 2012
    firstamb
    Kar Wai Wong's lavish and colorful epic is remade, (but I didn't see the original), in this seasonal retelling of the tale of a lovelorn assassin who is forced to live in a desert after his best friend wanders off upon getting amnesia after drinking an elixer to forget his past.
  • iamthethinman
    April 3, 2012
    iamthethinman
    I am a fan of kar-wai. I?ve only seen the Redux. But after seeing this, I would not ever want to see the original longer version. This movie is a mess of narrative and editing ? not style editing but story editing. I appreciated what the visual art showed for the characters, but ... read moreit is a very incomprehensible story for the first bits, then when you start to pick up on what?s happening it jumps into a focused piece of one person. The action is decent, but it was made for visual artistry. Sorry to say, but a lot of what yuen wo-ping does is art. That is part of what Crouching Tiger and iron Monkey so great.

    I think this was probably the right kind of cutting teeth movie for Kar-wai. I really don?t know how this could even have been a good movie because it is so mangled. And because of that you can?t connect with anyone. Fans can see it, but only as the last one in his line-up.

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Critic Reviews

Roger Moore
May 13, 2009
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

Wong Kar Wai seems considerably more out of his depth than other Chinese filmmakers who have slummed in the martial arts genre. This can't compare to Chen Kaige's The Emperor and the Assassin or Yimou... Full Review

Andrew Sarris
April 1, 2009
Andrew Sarris, New York Observer

One feels the passionate intensity of the filmmaker in every strand of his luminously intricate narrative. Full Review

Andrea Gronvall
November 14, 2008
Andrea Gronvall, Chicago Reader

For this director's cut, Wong has trimmed several minutes and reorganized the narrative according to the passage of seasons, though the plot is still impenetrable. Full Review

Rick Groen
October 31, 2008
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail

Martial-arts fans may find themselves disappointed, but Wong Kar-wai addicts will be delighted. Full Review

Rafer Guzman
October 30, 2008
Rafer Guzman, Newsday

Wong's reworking hasn't made Ashes more coherent, but it's still a gorgeous enigma. Full Review

Wesley Morris
October 24, 2008
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe

The film has been remastered and reordered. But the story, such as it is, remains secondary to Wong's sensibility. Even in violence, the movie billows and lilts. Full Review

John Anderson
October 23, 2008
John Anderson, Washington Post

With apologies to all the flat-screen salesmen and mail-order movie companies, it isn't a film to be seen anywhere but on the largest screen available. Full Review

Joe Neumaier
October 10, 2008
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News

Only in its final scenes do the usual WKW themes emerge in full bloom, but purists shouldn't miss it. Full Review

Kevin Thomas
October 10, 2008
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times

Ashes is glorious and ultimately wrenching, but it's a tough journey. Full Review

Lisa Schwarzbaum
October 8, 2008
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly

For the love of all things sensual and mysterious, see this one on a big screen. Full Review

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  • For what famous film was this the final uttered line of dialogue or narration (translated into subtitles or not)? :"The day I left, it was written in the almanac: 'The Fire forces the Gold to move. Extremely favourable for going west.' "   Answer »
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