A loyalist attempts to keep the King's empire from being overthrown by a revolutionary group.
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Reviews
Watch something else. There are very few redeeming qualities to this film.
This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.
While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.
I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.
My DVD box says this movie is "a film full of kung fu and love". I'll go with that because describing what this film is about is not so easy. While I am at odds trying to explain what this is about, I can honestly say I enjoy this a lot. Like many other wuxia(or swordsman films) the storyline is sporadic and constantly changing. This is quite normal for the genre and while much of the subtext can be lost in translation to western viewers like myself, I still found this to be entertaining regardless. Butterfly And Sword is a real beautiful and completely insane action packed martial arts/fantasy saga with an excellent cast that has Tony Leung, Michelle Yeoh, Joey Wang, Donnie Yen and Elvis Tsui. There are love triangles, eunuchs and vicious fighting among warring clans. The action is at an accelerated pace, choreographed with brutal efficiency with maintaining a sense of grace and beauty while our heroes rip through the bodies of evildoers with their superior kung fu skills. Butterfly And Sword may be a bit excessive for viewers that are not familiar with swordsman movies. However, for those more familiar with the genre will dig and appreciate this flick.
this film is truly incredible, please people, comment on it. I think it is one of the best martial arts films I have ever seen. However, it is very cult and i could not imagine most mainstream audiences enjoying this film. If you are not a philistine, then you will probably appreciate the very high quality of this film. i would give this film 10/10 because it is not only an excellent kung fu movie, but the cinematography is also jaw droppingly good. I must warn people that the Michelle Yeoh death scene is cut off in most DVD copies of this film, so it goes from her standing there, to butterfly and sword sitting in the back of a cart weeping... how bizarre.Kick ass film though!
I am sorry, I just can't get over the title of this movie. Apparently "Butterfly" is the name of a character, Joey Wang, but who is "Sword"? Why call someone "Sword"? I just don't get it. In all fairness to the movie, I've only watched it once and quite possibly wasn't paying enough attention.On to the reviewing. I didn't really care for this film, for a few reasons. First, NOT ENOUGH MICHELLE YEOH. What scenes she had were incredible, but there just weren't enough of them. Second, ditto Donnie Yen. He's unbelievable, but only when the filmmakers let him do something. There is a bit of a love story, where he loves Michelle and she loves the guy I thought was her brother but wasn't. Tony Leung Chiu Wai (isn't there another guy with the same name?) and Joey Wang were the only people that loved each other. They didn't go around pining after everyone else. Confused? That's a minor problem with this, but who cares about the story when people are flying through the air, decapitating evil kung fu masters using only a volleyball? (Shaolin Volleyball, anyone?)This film is essentially a bunch of fight scenes strung together. Most films in this genre are, and the fights in this one are way better than average. I don't suppose it's a film you'd want to make your children watch, as blood does gush liberally throughout most of the movie. Oh, and let's not forget the bad guy who continues to fight AFTER HIS HEAD HAS BEEN RIPPED OFF--now that's determination. You begin to get exasperated, wondering what it will take to just kill the man. Or at least hurt him. (I get the same exasperated feeling when video games hit you with constantly respawning bad guys. How are you supposed to win when your opponents refuse to expire?!?) I don't mind headless villains and blood gushing, especially when it's this attractive. Gore isn't usually eye candy, but Hong Kong just has a knack for this kind of thing. Donnie Yen does some great sword fighting with only one arm, but then he does great fighting all the time. (See "Dragon Inn" if you don't believe me.) I also happen to think that he's handsome, so maybe I'm prejudiced.Highlight of the movie--Michelle Yeoh's entrance. I am a huge fan of hers, and it's nice to see her get such lavish treatment. She is carried in in one of those carts they use in Asia; I forget what they're called. Palonquins? At any rate, purple ribbons (seriously) fly through the air and attach to trees, leaving the cart suspended. Michelle Yeoh then flies out in a shower of gold glitter. (I guess they borrowed the gold glitter from Mothra, courtesy of Toho. They're big on gold glitter, for some reason.) Anyway, it's visually dazzling, and it also helps to soften the blow when you realize that her character is a huge jerk. I hated her so much it wasn't funny. I was beginning to feel sorry for Joey Wang, and that's saying something. She bothers me, usually, but she was okay in this movie. Her character was a little bit odd, with a habit of talking to a doll when no one else was around, but nevertheless. She wasn't as rotten as Michelle Yeoh's character. Here's an example of Michelle's character's rudeness. (Forgive me for using real names--it's very difficult for me to remember characters' names, for some reason.) Joey is "engaged" to Michelle's brother-figure Tony. When Joey learns she's pregnant, she makes some sort of dessert and rushes off to inform Michelle, and even give her something to eat. Not only does Michelle slam the food, she also asks if the baby is Tony's. That's just insulting. It seems that Michelle can destroy all sorts of tangible foes, but the green-eyed monster is beyond her capabilities. She surrenders completely to it. Not an admirable quality.Isn't that Michelle singing the end credits song? I'm almost positive it is. She should have done a duet with Donnie Yen, if he is musically inclined. They'd make a formidable couple. The Iron Monkey and Supercop.
You all don't really understand the synopsis of the movie, but the movie would tell right there what it's about. Michelle Yeoh looked very creative in this movie, she was really amazing. Including the bow and arrow part. Maybe, this is what I think, this is the best movie i've ever seen.