Gripping story with well-crafted characters

It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

This movie could have been good but it didn't seem to be able to make up it't mind what it wanted to be.It started off OK and the MArtial arts were pretty good in places. Then it deteriorated to a silly story often used better in other movies of an injured fighter (injured and thought left for dead by his step brother)in exile who trains to become better than before, oh but he is now a bit mad and a drunk. ( were they trying to copy Drunken Master? If so they failed miserably)He eventually meets and wins a fight against his step brother who although seems madly ion love with his sister decides to bury her where she cannot be found if he loses.Then one of the silliest endings ever. He gets caught up in a fight against westerners led by David Carradine (why?) The end part where he lays on the floor while his son screams get up daddy goes on almost as long as the rest of the movie.In my opinion one of the worst films of this genre I have ever seen.

One of the best movies i've seen what concern martial arts. Just superb. The choreography is classic. Fighters fly on wires, strike with fast hands, kick high, hold impossible poses and pull on a variety of weapons. Also fights I've never seen before, what makes it all original. They are truly breathtaking: brilliantly composed and shot.Action from the beginning to the end in this modern fighting movie with some Asian tragedy. The locations are beautiful. The story is very simple, but who cares? (If you look for a movie with a good story, i could recommend you "house of flying daggers"). This is a movie where you find some beautiful and stunning fighting scenes. Kungfu fans would love to see this movie.

"Don't you ever touch my sister like that."This is the story of a Chinese general who abandons his military and political carrier, choosing to pursue the simple life of a family man and teacher of martial arts. His decision works out well for him, until the day his half brother returns, determined to avenge the death of his father.The first part of the movie delivers what it promises: a family drama with dark and surreal overtones, balanced by a romantic atmosphere of devotion and unconditional love, set in an age of heroes and legend. And it works well - very well, in fact - until the writers decide to make it go "Puff!" in the middle of the movie, smashing the whole thing to pieces.The fighting is decent (even though Bruce Lee they're not) and you'll spend the entire time shouting "The vase!... The vase!... Watch the... vase".The special effects are not that terrible, the music is OK (in a non-irritating way) and the mood of the movie swings from soft and beautiful to angry and dreadful or desperate. The camera work is unusual, the framing and the angles are a bit strange and it takes a while for the viewer to get used to them. The scenery is beautiful and the sets are very convincing.The characters are simplistic, stereotypical and rudimentary. The hero is the protector of the family, the woman is the beautiful, devoted and loving wife and mother, and the villain is the monster who doesn't care much for anything, except his obsessions. The kid is... the most irritating kid I've seen, in a while.True Legend. As a martial arts movie it is OK, I guess, but the story requires massive improvement. 5/10.

I am basing my 9 stars for two reasons. First, the choreography is top notch. Second the cinematography is top notch. Simply put, this a very beautiful movie to watch. As for the story and plot...it's an action movie with a fairly simple story. It was designed to entertain with action and composition so the story is not the main vehicle which it uses to engage the viewer. If you are looking for extremely beautiful images, super insane kinetic choreography and fight scenes, you have come to the right place. The fights are on par with and perhaps even surpass Crouching Tiger, or Hero. Woo Ping just keeps improving on his choreography. I don't know how he does it, but he does it in every new movie. This is a definite purchase on bluray for my collection.