A visceral display of violence and bloodshed that feels not only like a revisionist take on the classic wuxia genre but one that aims in one way or another to repudiate what many have perceived to be its fundamental attributes. The grace, tradition, and visual decadence of the classic wuxia film to Tsui Hark is fundamentally a distraction from its roots, one based in blood, vengeance, and anarchism in which the pursuit of justice must be ascertained at all costs. Tsui Hark's overarching perspective towards humanity and his embracement of anarchism being intrinsic to life have perhaps never been more pronounced in this revisionist treatment of the Wuxia film. The way this film embraces rage, viewing it not as a net-negative but a useful tool for progression is particularly interesting, as Tsui's lens routinely enunciates the primal scream of its characters as they forge their violent path towards vengeance and perceived justice. The line between good and evil is clear from the viewers' perspective but amongst the chaos perspective is everything that defines these diametrically opposed concepts. A highly kinetic visual style that is emboldened by the internal and emotional drive for justice - another remarkable effort by the master filmmaker that is surely one of his best. To put this terribly, it's as if a Wuxia film and the Mad Max Universe had a baby.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
|