Bichunmoo (2000) User Reviews (54)

Wonderful Art Direction but too Long, Confused and Melodramatic

[claudio_carvalho · 6/10 · 6 September 2009]

In the Yuan Dynasty, the Mongolian Empire with the descendants of Genghis Kan rules China. In this environment, the poor Jinha (Shin Hyun-June) is raised by his uncle that teaches him the secret martial art of the Bichun. The daughter of a concubine of the powerful General Taruga (Hak-cheol Kim), Sullie (Hee-seon Kim), is raised with him and they have a crush on each other. When her mother dies, Sullie's father brings her to the Taruga House and she tells Jinha that she would wait for him. But the general promises her to the powerful Chinese lord Namgung Junkwang (Jin-yeong Jeong) to increase his power with the alliance. When Jinha's uncle is lethally wounded by warriors that want to know the secrets of Bichun, he discloses the Korean royal origins of Jinha. While traveling to meet Sullie, Jimha befriends Junkwang without knowing that he is the man that will marry Sullie. Sooner Jinha is betrayed and almost dies; along the years, he fights against the Mongolian Empire. When he meets Sullie again years later, she discloses a family secret to him.

"Bichunmoo" is a movie with a promising beginning and wonderful art direction, costumes and soundtrack; unfortunately it is also too long, with a confused screenplay, and melodramatic like a soap opera. In a certain moment, the story becomes messy with many betrayals and confused situations and it is hard to the viewer to know who is who. In 2000, "Bichunmoo" was the most expensive Korean movie ever made. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Bichunmoo, A Saga de um Guerreiro" ("Bichunmoo, the Saga of a Warrior")

fusion cuisine

[imayne · 17 July 2001]

MILD SPOILERS AHEAD Rating: 6.7

Fate has not been as kind to this film as it has been to "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon", while the latter became the highest-grossing foreign film in the US ever and had the distinction of being recognized both as an art film and a mainstream action flick, this film has yet to get it though it is also both.

But then again, it's not as good. The plot is high melodrama and equal parts "Count of Monte Cristo" and "Romeo and Juliet". Fallen nobleman once had it all, then he loses it all, and takes revenge to get back all he has lost. Lots of people die in the process. None of the intricacy and complexity, or much less, than in CTHD. There's more fights, and they're dazzlingly choreographed, though sometimes the hero uses a move that could have come out of a Mortal Kombat game. I felt like walking out of the cinema halfway through, so be warned, especially when the melodrama heaps on and on in one highly obvious "plot twist" after another. But by the end it gets back on its feet and delivers both a touching love story and a dazzling swordplay film with equal ease.

I didn't think it measured up, but it grows on you with repeated viewings. Unlike the purely Chinese nature of CTHD, BCM is fusion cuisine that has a score with 80s speed-metal and classical piano, an entire CGI "passage of seasons" sequence complete with morphing techniques and bullet-time slo-mos in a Chinese setting.

Daring, to say the least, but not always effective. Overall, still a nice way to pass two hours. In terms of war films, comparing CTHD and BCM is like comparing "The Thin Red Line" and "Enemy at the Gates".

People are just to harsh on this flim.

[veganflimgeek · 7/10 · 21 November 2003]

****Spoilers****

As I look some of the harsh reviews of Bichunmoo I am reminded of Something I heard David Goyer(screenwriter of the Blade films)say at a screenwriters conference. "Most people don't understand the millions of different ways a film can get screwed up. Most just don't understand what a miracle a good film really is".

When looking at a film like Bichunmoo I tend to notice things like the fact that it was a first time director. It was made with a large budget for a Korea but probably didn't match the catering budget of the matrix. Sure It is not slick like Hero,Musa or CTHD but if you are into fun fantasy Wuxia swordplay films why take it so seriously.

What ever faults I have they are off set by Awesome Wire-fu, beautiful visuals and a few moments of excellent cinematic emotional timing. Watch close When Jinha hears that his lover set to be married. It is a slick little moment.

The martial arts Goth attack squad also rules.The crossed swords on the back and the tribal design is a really cool look.

Don't be scared off by the bad reviews...at the same time don't take it too seriously.

Tries hard but is nothing special.

[AquaNinja · 5/10 · 27 October 2005]

This movie does a fairly good job of tying together a bunch of clichéd tragic plots. The action is okay but a bit cheesy. The wire work isn't too ridiculous. It doesn't really have anything to offer martial arts fans. A lot of the fighting is supernatural and the blows don't even connect.

It has some problems with the plot. Every few minutes a character will run off and do something stupid just to make the viewer sad. There is a gap of about 15 years in the middle of the film during which important things happen but the film just continues without explaining them. You never actually find out why all the characters are where and they are and doing what they're doing after this gap.

A Hark Back To Hong Kong's New Wave!!

[Movie-Misfit · 9/10 · 23 June 2020]

It is the end of the Yuan Dynasty, a time when the Mongolians were ruling the whole of the Chinese Continent with much trouble between race and cultures. Some of those suffering included the Hans and the Koryo, an ancient race of Korean people who suffered at the hands of evil barons and Mongolian armies.In the style of Romeo and Juliet, out hero Jinha, the son of a Koryo migrant has fallen for Sullie - a girl he saved from a wolf when they were both children. Having grown up together, they seem set to be with one-another for life until 10 years later, her family arrive to get her, revealing that she is the illegitimate daughter of a Mongolian commander.

After taking her away, Jinha chases down his love through a series of fantastic battles, only to get double-crossed by her father and shot by arrows off a cliff, to his death. Found in the river below, a mysterious man brings him back to life - reborn as a new man called Jahalang, assassin for hire and out for revenge to win back the woman he loves!

I had forgotten just how much I love Bichunmoo! Having not watched it for over 10 years now, this South Korean martial arts fantasy, is packed with so much fantastic action, romance, drama and stunning cinematography, you can't help but fall for it. From the masters fight in a cage to the ninja assassins attack on the royal estate, one can't help but feel like they are watching a bigger budgeted version of Hong Kong classics, Butterfly & Sword, or Swordsman 2 & 3 respectively...

The Romeo & Juliet tale of love keeps a more serious tone running throughout compared to its Hong Kong inspirations, with great performances from all involved and some touching moments between loves. Shin Hyun Joon is wonderful as the leading man, giving a great performance as the love torn man as well as showing off some fantastic moves, a role he would reprise somewhat 5 years later in the epic, Shadowless Sword. Leading lady, who was Jackie Chan's love interest in the fun time hopping action-fantasy, The Myth, also does a great job here as the woman torn from her true love and forced into a life unwanted. She also gets to show off a few moves which is nice to see.

With the highest budget in Korean cinema of its time, director Kim Young Jun highly impresses with his directorial debut, delivering a beautiful film with highly detailed costumes, beautiful sets, and stunning cinematography. For any flaws that do stand out, he most certainly learned from his mistakes, fine-tuning them for his follow-up movie, the aforementioned Shadowless Sword, which I just love!

Bichunmoo features some of the best Hong Kong style-inspired fight scenes I've seen in a South Korean movie. While many compare it to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon I would say not-so, with its stunning mix of fantasy wu xia, one-to-one duels, and large battles, Bichunmoo tricks you into thinking you're watching a Yuen Woo Ping or Ching Siu Tung film from the early 90's, due to its choreography, edits, cinematography and lighting, and certainly doesn't let the action fans down. This is all down to action choreographer Ma Yuk Sing, the Hong Kong action and stunt co-ordinator who worked on classics such as A Chinese Ghost Story 3, Royal Tramp 1 & 2, Dr. Wai & The Scripture With No Words, and the aforementioned Butterfly & Sword and Swordsman sequels!

Once again, I must give kudos to director Kim for such an amazing debut. I watched Bichunmoo repeatedly on release, and although I have had many more to watch over the years, will be making sure to pop this one in my player more often, in the future. With a healthy running time of 118 minutes, the film rarely loses its pace and closes with an epic and emotional finale that is just brilliant...

Overall: A blend of Butterfly & Sword meets The Banquet, Bichunmoo is highly entertaining and a gorgeous throw-back to a classic era of Hong Kong cinema!

So-so big-budget Korean Wuxia-style movie.

[BA_Harrison · 5/10 · 17 October 2006]

Everyone in this movie wants to get their hands on the secrets of Bi Chun Shin Gi Sword Fighting; that's because once you've learnt it, you can make your sword go all glowy and send out bursts of energy that decimate your enemy. Luckily for Jinha, he and his 'uncle' have the only copy of the manual, and they aren't sharing with anyone.

Jinha is the only surviving member of the Yu family (who were wiped out by the evil General Taruga and his men whilst searching for the book). He and his pretty childhood sweetheart, Sullie, want to get hitched, but their plans go awry when Sullie is forced to leave the region by her father (who just happens to be the same nasty warmongering general who slaughtered her boyfriend's mum and dad). She vows to meet Jinha every full moon, but things go from bad to worse when Namgung Junkwang (snigger!), an influential aristocrat, declares an interest in Sullie and gets the full backing of Taruga.

When Jinha pitches up to meet Sullie, he fights Junkwang but is shot down by Taruga's archers. He falls over a cliff into some water and is presumed dead. Of course, he survives and, after being nursed back to health by a friendly stranger, he sets his sights on revenge.

Bichunmoo is a Korean film with a distinctly Chinese feel to it. The fights utilise the wire-fu techniques seen in many a Hong Kong (and, more recently, Hollywood) epic, whilst the story does its best to capture the romantic melodrama seen in countless Wuxia Pian movies. However, thanks to its complicated storyline, overlong running time, and difficult to follow fight scenes, it is only a partially successful attempt. The look is right (beautiful cinematography and a photogenic cast), there are some nice gory moments (arterial spray is always welcome in a film of this nature), the music is great and the plot contains all of the necessary elements (revenge, death, betrayal, love), but somehow it just doesn't quite gel as perfectly as one might hope.

The MTV-style editing during the action scenes is overdone, resulting in a visual mess of flailing limbs, blowing leaves and flapping cloth, and the story meanders aimlessly at times, making it hard to stay focused on events. But my major quibble is with Jinha's resurrection and subsequent reappearance as the leader of a team of mysterious assassins. Almost immediately after Jinha is pulled from the water and given a face-pack(!), the story shoots forwards a decade; Sullie has married Junkwang and has a son, and Jinha is in charge of a small army of bad-ass warriors. No explanation is given (I believe that the film was edited heavily to reduce the running time from three hours to just under two, but when the film suffers this much for it, this is no excuse).

With a tighter script, and better handling of the action, Bichunmoo could have been something special, but as it stands, I can only bring myself to give it 5 out of 10.

A feast for ear and eye

[d_tolk · 10/10 · 28 August 2003]

This is one of the best Asian movies I have seen. It's got a lot to offer. Great wire fights for the action fans. A touching story about true love for drama fans and great visuals. Maybe the story is a little bit confusing if you watch it for the first time but the action and visuals keep you interested. If you watch it for the second time it all becomes clear and satisfying. This movie deserves multiple viewing. It's an enrichment for my collection. Watch it and enjoy. Beautiful!!

This is......PERFECTION

[dctr666 · 10/10 · 11 December 2010]

This was one of the first Korean movies I've ever seen...and, truth be said, it knocked me out of my seat... The movie is touching, it has fantastic fights, great soundtrack...resuming, it's one of my favorite 5... I've watched Zatoichi, Musa the Warrior and Sword in the Moon...they are all fantastic movies, but this one, maybe because it was one of the first I've seen, was always more appealing than many of it's pairs...

The fighting scenes are intense, fast-paced, accompanied by great instrumental hard rock melodies, that intensify even more the thrill of the action...the romantic story goes toe to toe against the most touching and sentimentalist love stories... All the actors are very good...

If anyone out there missed this movie, then give it a watch...you will love it...

If you look for some other films with this kind of quality, try Musa - The Warrior, Sword in the Moon, Warriors of Heaven and Earth, Legend of Evil Lake, Fighter in the Wind, or even Gojoe and Zatoichi...

Thank god there's more to movies than the crappy pictures that Hollywood delivers nowadays (there are exceptions, but globally...)

Give it a try...Asian MOVIES ROCK

Quite good

[Skeloboy · 7/10 · 6 January 2005]

Well, I bought the DVD and afterword's I read the reviews on IMDb before I saw it, and they're not good, so my expectations was really low.

But I liked it. The story line is a bit confusing and a bit to cliché, but its still good.

The fighting scenes are great though. Yes, there might be some blood spurts as in the old movies(and Kill Bill), but so what? Its one of those movies you have to see, if you like martial arts ad sword fighting, but if you're going for a love story with some action, choose another one.

Not bad...

[ayoayo · 19 September 2002]

The movie was pretty good. But I can't understand why this movie was the highest budget in Korea history. It has just about the same aspects as a typical Hong Kong kung Fu movie. The Movie more so, depended on the story, because the Action was done way to sloppy (too many camera shots/cuts, you could barley comprehend who is doing what to who, its that type of action. That was probably the biggest disappointment of the movie. The plot suffers from some major flaws, like introducing a love interest out of no where in the middle of the story...

Romance, Martial arts, can't go wrong?

[electrobunnyx · 23 June 2002]

well maybe if the storyline made a little bit more sense. I enjoyed this movie considerably. The story is very confusing, but if you watch it 5 times it starts to make more sense. The cinematography is beautiful the colors are wonderful, red is a theme running throughout the entire movie. The costuming was great except in one scene where I'd swear the aggressor was using a toy sword from KB Toys. Also, as a previous comentator on the IMDB pointed out, the hero does have an unusual nose, which I found myself staring at more than watching the movie at times. I don't see any reason for people to compare this film to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon except they are both asian martial arts films. Truth be told, I liked Bichunmoo much more. But then, I like a thrilling romance that goes right to my heart.

Disappointing Korean swordplay outing

[Leofwine_draca · 4/10 · 5 April 2015]

BICHUNMOO is a Korean historical action movie, set in China and clearly inspired by the wuxia genre in that country. It's a film about an outsider who falls in love with the wrong woman and ends up battling various evil factions intent on seeing him dead, and it's all rather par for the course for this particular genre. As a whole, though, it has too many negative aspects to make it a truly entertaining movie.

Director Kim Young-jun also helmed the later - and similarly-themed - LEGEND OF THE SHADOWLESS SWORD, which I think has the edge over this film. Because the storyline in BICHUNMOO is just too muddled, jumping all over the place with quick editing and failing to take the time to introduce all the new characters who keep appearing. Although it's a lengthy production it seems rushed throughout, with frenzied action getting in the way of proper characterisation and depth to the narrative.

The action isn't that great either. I didn't mind all the cool wirework and gravity-defying combat, but what I did mind was the super-fast editing, which is almost as bad as shaky cam. The viewer has little time to register the cool death effects and awesome moves before it jumps to the next fight, and the next after that. I think that action choreography and direction is a very fine art and it's easy to get it wrong; sadly BICHUNMOO offers far from the best that the genre has to offer. Add in some indifferent performances and you have a very forgettable sort of movie.

Not bad indeed

[kabuki72 · 8/10 · 4 October 2003]

Not bad. This korean movie is a mix between an epic story and an action movie... Combats are very good. The plot is a bit confused. I had to watch it twice to understand some things. Dark warriors, with a large hat on their heads are very picturesque and the technique used by the main character remembers some techniques used is some video game (do you remember Ken and Ryu in Street Fighters and their "Aduken" shot?).

Saw it if you like wuxia movies. You could spend a glad evening watching it.

Excellent, high quality wuxia film from Korea

[dworldeater · 8/10 · 3 December 2015]

At the time this was made, Bichunmoo was the highest budget film in Korean history. Since then there are lots of high quality Korean movies, so I am sure that record has been long shattered. This Korean wuxia looks great with excellent cinematography, as well as great period sets and costumes. This film is solid on the dramatic side, but is quite action packed with excellent fight choreography and wire work. The story takes place at the end of The Yuan Dynasty, where Mongolians, The Han and The Koryo(ancient Koreans)were factions fighting for survival. Bichunmoo is a very powerful martial arts/swordplay epic with themes of love, loyalty and revenge. The acting and storyline are strong. Korean cinema is very similar to its Chinese counterparts, but it does have a different flair or flavor. Compared to Chinese swordplay films, Bichunmoo certainly holds its own and is highly recommended to fans of the genre as this is a great film and high quality production.

Brilliant Film

[muse7-3 · 9/10 · 17 July 2009]

This is one my favourite Asian films of all time and I never tire of watching it! It is so emotional throughout and even the music is evocative. The acting and characters are so good that they draw you into the story and the ending is heartrending. I am a big fan of "Hero", "House of the Flying Dragons", "Crouching Tiger..." but this seems to have made much more of an impression on me. The storyline is brilliant and absorbing and there are some great special effects. I do not like run of the mill martial arts, there has to be plenty of over the top action and mystical imagery-which this has plenty of. It is a while since I last watched it-but after writing this review I am tempted to watch it again.

Wonderful and heroic tragedy

[OriginalMadman · 10/10 · 8 August 2001]

It was a long long time since I saw a tragedy this good. Shakespeare meets Wuxia martial arts movies ;). And while the result isn't Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon it's extremely unfair to compare the two (CTHD is a already a true classic). Bichunmoo stands very well on its own without comparisons. Being a sucker for epics and tragedies as well as wuxia etc I can only say this is a happy marriage of the two genres. Had I been in another mood when I saw it, some of the love scenes might have been too much for me, but I am not one to complain as they are well played. The whole thing about this movie is you know whats coming, the doom is just hanging there, but still you are in it for the ride and you love it nonetheless... But that is the lure of all great tragedies. The martial arts and swordplay are not the best I have seen, but still top notch, entertaining and kind of entrancing in "dancelike" way. Scenery, costumes and photo is spectacular. But still, the heart a movie is the story told and this one's got it! Wholeheartedly recommended.

I really enjoyed this movie

[Eglaya2003 · 8/10 · 14 March 2005]

I really liked watching this movie. I guess I was lucky to watch it in the original language. What impressed me the most, was the fighting scenes, that is, there were not much blood in them, especially when Jinha fought :) However, the grand finale was quite predictable... My biggest regard goes to the costume makers and the cinematographers of this movie. As usual, the Oriental films are characterized by awesome views of landscape and battle scenes, and the outfit of the characters. I just love when the panniers are fluttering in the wind. And of course, the long-haired guys ^__^ I guess, it was the Bichunmoo, which finally hitched me on the long-haired ones. Grazie mille to the stylists... Respect

Ok **** possible spoilers ****

[mighty_pickman · 6/10 · 21 January 2004]

This film is OK, but had many plot holes.

Really Jinha must have as many lives as 10 cats. My main problem with the plot is... How come one minute our hero falls off a cliff, next minute he is leading an small army. There is no explanation of how this happened, it makes no sense.

Apart from this Bichunmoo, is good but not brilliant

Okay movie, Nothing special

[yojimbo999 · 10/10 · 15 November 2001]

I give the movie 6/10.

It's not bad. It's just not, well, that great. I don't see any comparisons to CTHD as many reviewers seem to do. I think for a lot of WEsterners one martial arts movies looks like another, and a lot of Westerners I know can't help but pretty much compare every period martial arts movie to CTHD now that CTHD has come out. It's like MTV kids comparing everything to THE MATRIX as if there had never been a movie made before THE MATRIX. Personally, I don't see the resemblance.

The movie is all right, but confusing as heck. The villians pop up halfway through the movie without introduction and has nothing to do except scowl and look evil. Of course, it doesn't help that the hero supposedly possesses incredible swords skills that he can literally explode bodies with a swipe. Now how the heck are you going to beat someone who can explode your body from a dozen yards away! :)

The ending was, well, dumb and forced. Forget that the hero is invincible, but the way they forced him to be "weak" (just so the villian will have a chance, I suppose) is pretty stupid. Although I have to say, the acting by the two leads were wonderful and they completely embodied their characters. The movie is very stylish and moody, and the female lead makes me want to visit South Korea.

Mind you, that's not to say the movie isn't worth watching. The action scenes are very well done and, as mentioned before, it's a very stylish movie.

Disappointing

[sarastro7 · 5/10 · 9 January 2005]

In terms of plot and storytelling, Bichunmoo was weak and slow. It was far too long (1 hour and 55 minutes to tell a very simple story), and most of it was incredibly dull.

There were two plots; firstly the Bichunmoo martial arts secrets, and secondly the love story. None of them worked particularly well; the martial arts plot was particularly undeveloped. In the middle of the story, the action jumps some 12 or 15 years, which is quite confusing, as it isn't portrayed very well. You sit with a feeling of having to fill in a lot of blanks yourself.

Action-wise there isn't much to enthuse about, and the overall story and storytelling style can get no more that a "4" rating from me. I will reluctantly raise that to a "5", though, because of the many visually beautiful shots that occur throughout the movie.

But all things considered, this is a movie you can live just fine without having seen.

A great story about friendship and love.

[kaarvok · 10/10 · 15 August 2003]

A young warrior becomes more and more powerful. In the end he learns that the greatest of all powers is love. Only his truest friend could be his worst enemy, and through him he will make the last stand, not for life, but for love. Great action, great music, an awesome journey. Believe it.

This movie looks like crap

[derboiler · 1/10 · 9 June 2004]

I really agree with Luke on this. The cover said "Korea's response to Tiger and Dragon" Hmm I thought, well I didn't expect the movie really to be that good but perhaps it would be a nice movie to watch. I never thought I could be so wrong...

The plot is nothing extraordinary as it has been told a thousand times. Even the way this movie is told is boring. Well but maybe, just maybe the fighting scenes would be interesting? Wrong again! Badly choreographed scenes, people's body's seem to contain a lot of dust... OK I don't want to repeat what Luke already said but the action really suckz bad.

Overall this movie looks like some amateurs tried to play with the camera and picked up a storyline by watching another movie.

A little note to the director: Go and watch Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon or Hero and see how it is done properly.

Rating 1/10

Needs some time to get into, but good.

[veracious_lies · 7/10 · 11 June 2003]

This was the first Korean movie I have ever seen & it really inspired me to watch some other new Korean films. I have to warn you, I'm unsure of what might be spoiling this movie for you, so if you haven't seen it and don't wish to be spoiled, don't read this.

First a few words on the action: good, good & good. Very well done fight sequences, though at some point the ..exploding bodies were a bit too much to take. It was just quite disturbing. The secret art of Bichunmoo was something that glued me into the plot immediately; I've always liked all kinds of mysterious martial arts & Bichunmoo was very interesting.

Like someone said earlier, Bichunmoo moves incredibly fast, not allowing the viewer to really understand what they've just seen. The pace is so fast you really need to watch it over & over again, until you finally manage to put all the pieces of this puzzle together. At some point, me & my friend who were watching it, just completely lost track. The only thing we understood after watching it the first time, were the main points of the plot and the love story.

My advice: Watch it as many times as you need to. I think they had cut out a scene where Jinha becomes Jahalang [goes under a false identity] and that really confused me a lot. After the second time of viewing it, I managed to figure it all out. The plot is rather typical, but it's not completely uninteresting, so the movie is worth watching not only for its action. I like how fate brings the two lovers together, in the end. It is quite sad, though.

The leading lady is amazingly beautiful, but it seems all her character has to do is contemplate on the pain inside of her of losing her beloved & cry on a few occations. So, based on this, I see why she could've been critisized for her acting in this movie in Korea. The main actor has, like many have noticed, a weird nose and a even more weird mustache, but his character seems to have a little more depth than Sullie, the leading lady. I'm no expert in acting, but I think some of the characters definitely lacked of depth and therefore their actors didn't really have a chance to show much talent..

One thing that bothered me was that since I don't speak Korean very well [read: at all!], there were a few lines that had no subtitles.

Overall, this film was good, if you like these type of action/epic films. Overall I'd give it 7/10, because it had some potential it just clearly, unfortunately, lost. I don't know about the comparisons with Croaching.. because I have completely forgotten if I liked that movie or not.

San-ku-kai goes widescreen

[Soysoy · 2/10 · 27 January 2004]

These cheap "flying" Kung-fu flicks were somewhat popular in the 60's and 70's. Goofy, brainless, cheap and cheesy, playing in "selected" theatres (actually X-theatres) along with X-movies. Guilty pleasure for some. I was myself, in my teens, fond of cheap Asian flicks like "The flying guillotine" ("Xuedizi"). Guess what? I grew up.

There have been some attempts at making them acceptable through humor: several Sammo Hung's movies tried successfully this approach (the very funny "Gui da gui" being a good example). John Carpenter's "Big trouble in little China" was an attempt at going "mainstream" with this minor genre, blending it with more western elements. I was not convinced. Nor was the box office...

There were indeed interesting kung-fu movies during the last three decades, personally I was impressed by King Hu's 1969 very visual "Hsia Nu", and delighted with the comical approach of some of Hung's productions (mainly "Prodigal son").

Then we had the "fantasy" line of Kung-fu, heavily wired and acrobatic, promoted mainly by Yuen Wo Ping. Kitsch stuff for kitsch people. Oh well. Wo-Ping gave us the two "Wong Fei-Hung" with Jet Li, that were at least visually outstanding, so I may forgive the rest.

Now since the success of big-budget derivatives like "Crouching tiger.." and "Matrix", a door was open, and we have this invasion of mediocre and totally insipid asian "fantasy/wireworks" kung-fu movies that neither have the comical appeal of some older stuff, neither have the "martial arts" spirit, nor have the visual gloss of stuff like "CTHD" or "Matrix".

With "Bichunmoo", we fall at the "San-ku-kai" level. How stupid can a movie get. Now if this childish, disgusting style goes bigscreen with big budgets, this means that there are people that actually buy this stuff. How appalling. It tells a lot about the state of Culture nowadays. I think I'll kill myself. Oh no, wait, I have to see the upcoming Gilliam's "Brothers Grimm" and Kar Wai Wong's "2046" first. Maybe will I survive after all...

groan, could have been great

[Snowman_Mcknives · 6/10 · 21 January 2005]

this film seems to be divided into two parts, the one is the martial arts, political part, which is cool and the other is the love story which is far too sappy.

the plot is simultaneously thin as paper yet so convoluted as to be incomprehensible, starting with the main character's nose. the story runs something along the lines of "Hero comes from ancient dynasty, knows martial arts secrets, and is in love with a forbidden woman. meanwhile said woman is key to labyrinthine politics involving Mongolian warlords, Chinese Warlords, corrupt officials and everything in between." the double crosses go on endlessly, until it's rather tricky to tell who the hell is betraying who. meanwhile the whole tepid "I loved you once but now you're a murderer, No i'm not you betrayed our love" thing drags on.

the fight scenes are fantastically choreographed but poorly shot. characters fly at each other and slash in a graceful sword dance, but the camera tries to match their acrobatics, resulting in an eye hurting riot of movement. the hero's undefeatable signature move (i almost expected him to cry out "Hado-Ken" whenever he uses it) is used way too often, and leaves every fight with a predictable close. it's other problem is that fight scenes are scattered liberally throughout the film, with no correlation between the quality of a fight and its importance, so many of the best fights (an incredible scene as the hero's war band descends on an enemy fort) are used on the most mundane plot points, with average fights for the more important scenes (including a terribly weak climatic fight). the other problem is that since the hero's fighting style is so effective (even without the street fighter style finishing move) that he uses the same moves in every fight, with little to no variation, all the fights end up shockingly repetitive.

meanwhile the hero alternates between a quivering lipped softie, and stony faced mannequin. one of the villains fairs much better, and, annoyingly, wins our sympathy far more effectively than the hero does.

this may sound an unfair blasting of the film, and i wish i could sound more even handed, but the film could seriously have used some comic relief (one joke in two hours is not too much to ask) some editing (way too much sepia toned slow motion) and just some good old fashioned still cameras (ones that didn't back flip with fight scene) my rating 5/10, potential but mostly squandered