La tentation d'un Bonze

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 :)

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.

One of the greatest non-Kurasawa movies of it's kind, this film has epic scope. The somewhat over the top action sequences are subtle compared to most Chinese films. It all fits and works well together. I viewed this film by accidentally recording it on DVR the first time. What really surprised me was the macho style warrior stuff. You wouldn't think a female director would pull off those stereotypically male sensibilities so well. The film takes several turns, has comedy, adventure, drama, and near the end becomes very spiritual. It's sad that more of the great movies being made in China, Korea, and Thailand don't get any press here in the states. The stream of regurgitated watered down garbage choking out of Hollywood can't compare to many of the movies from overseas these days. Perhaps one day the moguls will realize that people really respond to art and personal stories more than what star is in the film. The American movie audience isn't nearly as sedate as the marketing specialists think. We just don't have much of a choice.

Like the Kurosawa film, this one promises more than it delivers. There are a lot of spectacular vistas, but ultimately what is lacking is story or dramatic punch.

Perhaps the misleading ad campaign was to blame, and this film improves on second viewing. It would be nice to think so; it has a number of good elements.

Narrative structure has never been Clara Law's strong point; but she usually has some kind of conceptual development to tie her images together... this one tries to float like a dream; & ends up sinking like a stone. Watching it, one can't help wondering whether there was a three hour version either scripted or shot: all the elements for an intriguing take on individual responsibility seem to be in place; but none have been allowed to develop beyond the level of operatic manga. As Gertrude Stein observed (probably unkindly) of Oakland, there's no there there....

Then again: perhaps Ms Law just fell in love with her (admittedly quite stunning) images....