On a whim, today I rented "Ying xiong" by Yimou Zhang (he of Red Sorghum fame). My local video store billed it as his "response to Ang Lee".
(I think it's funny that we live in an age where artists are permitted to spend millions of dollars to fashion these "statements" to one another, but that's another matter.)
It does not disappoint. It's not as accessible as Crouching Tiger, but the talent, oh my, the talent: Jet Li, Tony Leung, Maggie Cheun, Zhang Ziyi, Daoming Chen, Donnie Yen.
If you want to see what fighting in Glorantha looks like, I recommend you see what you can do about getting a look at this film. It's been released in North America under the title "Hero".
Take especial note of (a) the crowd scenes, and the solid line between extremely well trained soldiers and guards, and those who are many steps above that, and (b) the subtle magic effects these heroes can wield (prime examples: the "red" battle between Maggie Cheung's Flying Snow and Zhang Ziyi's Moon, the hundred candles in the King's palace, the obligatory water-dancing scene, and always, the fly-by-wire).
As soon as I can get my hands on it for purchase, this film will be taking a place in my DVD cabinet next to "Emperor and the Assassin", "Bride With White Hair", "Crouching Tiger", and "Ashes of Time".
-- Viktor
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