You Seng

Throughout, I felt that this movie had the sensibility of a comic book, but a comic book of genius. The visuals were ceaselessly stunning, every single scene change led to another beautiful surprise; both dramatically and with what we were allowed to gorge our eyes (and sometimes ears) on. Rather than call it "directing", or "photography," or "set design," I want to say that the artwork was breathtaking.

What are movies but comic books with the added dimensions of movement and sound? Both largely tell their stories with visuals, and dialog or narration. Too often I am a stickler for believability in movies but I could not help cutting this movie a lot of slack. "Yes, that is just how a comic book might treat the story but with nowhere near the impact," I found myself thinking throughout...

The first and foremost aspects to be appreciated in this movie by Clara Law are its cinematography and directing. Both aspects are marvelous. The scenes are beautiful and you'll see magnificent colors skillfully contrasted. The performances are great as well. Just watch it. At least you wouldn't see a monk and a nun 'caught in action' anywhere else. By the way, in general Clara Law is a great filmmaker. I recommend you to watch her 'Farewell to China'. Have a good viewing :)

Although I have quite a lot knowledge of Chinese history, it does not help me understanding any part of this film. All the actors behaved strangely, seems to me that they were born on another planet. For example, no one answers other people's questions directly. The mood of this film overall is stressful, non-interesting.

Temptation of a Monk is a treat for those viewers who value character development and self discovery. The movie is the story of a army general who strives to transcend the trappings of his position, social expectation and his current state of existence. He enters a monastery which shakes his social foundations (an elder brother monk, 10 years old ordering an ex-general around), but the teachings are ineffective because of his hidden motivations in joining the monastery. After a traumatic event, he moves on to another monastery, where his life begins to change. His newfound learnings and knowledge are again tested to determine whether he perseveres.

The subtlety of the plot and the gradual development of the character is wonderful, much like the metamorphosis of a caterpillar. This is the strength of the film, enticing viewers to watch on to find out whether the protagonist perseveres. The contemporary style of the costumes is another feature of this film adding to the beauty of the landscape. Overall, Temptation of a Monk is an oriental treat -- displaying both the beauty of the land and of the human soul.

Though a little slow at times, Clara Law's Temptation of a Monk is a beautiful and well-acted epic, at times achieving a Kurosawa-esque level of stunning imagery and battle scenes. Joan Chen has two roles, one as a vibrant princess the other as a mysterious assassin. She is very good in both roles. This film is not perfect. The story ultimately doesn't go anywhere, for one. I must recommend it on the basis of its sheer beauty, however. And one battle scene in particular is terrifyingly beautiful. For fans of Kurosawa this is worth seeing. Others might grow restless, though.