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Leslie
Cheung stars as a reluctant swordsman sent to destroy an evil cult
headed by sadistic male and female siamese twins. Conflict ensues
when Cheung falls for the cult's prime assassin, the Wolf Woman,
played by Brigette Lin. As the two lovers escape the turmult they
are both betrayed, leading to a tragic conclusion.
Ronnie Yu directs this film like the Chinese fairytale it is based
on, and cements a filmmaking style that has stayed with him ever
since. Some of the scenes here are amazingly well shot and help
to emotionally engage the audience into the story. This is a good
thing as the story itself is a bit weak in places and certain plot
points are not well signposted enough to pick up on. Leslie Cheung
makes a good hero but seems slightly feminine and doesn't quite
convince as a fighter. Maybe it's the long hair that Hong Kong directors
insist on so that when it blows in the wind it looks more cinematic!
The fight scenes are very hard hitting and this film is not one
for the faint hearted - for a love story it's very violent. One
thing Yu has concentrated heavily on is the sound and the voices
of the Siamese twins are a very nice touch. Brigette Lin has the
necessary screen presence to carry off her role and the final scene
would be completely unexpected if the film's title didn't give it
away. Also, you may be a bit disappointed with the ending as it
ends on a cliffhanger clearly setting itself up for a sequel.
This film contains some classic scenes (check out the young Leslie
training with his sword or spotting the wolf girl for the first
time). Yu has managed to show that there is still room in Hong Kong
cinema to find an original aesthetic and this film looks like a
very impressive cross between both Eastern and Western filmmaking
styles.
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