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A Touch of Zen, 1971
Unambitious scholar Gu (Chun Shih) has his world turned upside down when a mysterious stranger strolls into town looking for a fugitive named Yang (Feng Hsu) who is hiding out after her family was targeted by a corrupt government official. A dangerous mix of deception and violent showdowns ensues.
Always a good sign when you have to agonize over which stunning image to include at the top of a review.
This film is just great, with an interesting story, engaging characters, and a visual style that somehow starts strong and only gets better as it goes until it reaches a kind of other-worldly apex in the last five or ten minutes.
While this film is about three hours long, it's the kind of movie where you don't really feel that length. The minutes are all used purposefully, and the action or the character development is constantly moving forward. The relationship between Gu and Yang subverts typical action dynamics, as she is the seasoned warrior and he is the innocent. When Gu does participate more directly, it is to come up with a Scooby-Doo-esque plan to scare the bad guys into thinking a temple is haunted. Chuckling about his brilliance when the ruse is a success, Gu is then brought up short when he encounters the very real carnage that resulted.
While there are many great sequences in the film, the final 20 or so minutes are truly epic, from both an action and visual standpoint. At each step the film just pushes things one . . . step . . . further.
A lot to like here. No notes!
A Touch of Zen, 1971
Unambitious scholar Gu (Chun Shih) has his world turned upside down when a mysterious stranger strolls into town looking for a fugitive named Yang (Feng Hsu) who is hiding out after her family was targeted by a corrupt government official. A dangerous mix of deception and violent showdowns ensues.
Always a good sign when you have to agonize over which stunning image to include at the top of a review.
This film is just great, with an interesting story, engaging characters, and a visual style that somehow starts strong and only gets better as it goes until it reaches a kind of other-worldly apex in the last five or ten minutes.
While this film is about three hours long, it's the kind of movie where you don't really feel that length. The minutes are all used purposefully, and the action or the character development is constantly moving forward. The relationship between Gu and Yang subverts typical action dynamics, as she is the seasoned warrior and he is the innocent. When Gu does participate more directly, it is to come up with a Scooby-Doo-esque plan to scare the bad guys into thinking a temple is haunted. Chuckling about his brilliance when the ruse is a success, Gu is then brought up short when he encounters the very real carnage that resulted.
While there are many great sequences in the film, the final 20 or so minutes are truly epic, from both an action and visual standpoint. At each step the film just pushes things one . . . step . . . further.
A lot to like here. No notes!