Ouyang Feng is a man of many talents; none more important than his ability to exploit people. Making a living by hiring skilled swordsmen to carry out contract killings, Feng uses his men to their death, never feeling remorse or emotion as he continues to live his life alone. But underneath the hardcore exterior, Feng is a man of sentiment as his encounters with friends, clients and future enemies slowly reveal a wounded heart, making the ruthless man conscious of his unneeded isolation.
Featuring the camerawork of famed director Wong Kar-Wai and moments of decency; Ashes of Time Redux misses on every opportunity, slugging to a stop miles behind the finish line. The acting, the cinematography, the story; all are inconsistent with one another, creating a mass of garbage where a great film was never meant to stand.
For starters, we have to address the film's premise. While at first glance it seems to have potential, it took only five minutes to reveal that unfortunately; it had nowhere to venture after its initial opening. There was no character development or story progression. Instead, audiences were stuck watching a dead end develop onscreen. From the unsightly and unmoving performance of Leslie Cheung as the film's protagonist Feng to the horrific and unprofessional editing, the film lacked direction, cohesiveness and a point; three characteristics that are detrimental to forming a successful adventure.
However, surrounded by lackluster aspects, the film's cinematography showed positive signs early on. But ultimately, it was never able to overshadow everything else, becoming a semi-decent aspect to an otherwise horrific film.
Sure there were moments where scenes and landscapes were presented well; but they were always combated with struggling pictures of bland colors, confusing images and lackluster motions. There is simply no consistency with the cinematography or the film as a whole. And with major stress put on the film's visual appeal, it leaves a lot to be desired in terms of the story and acting, both of which take a backseat spot in importance and emphasis.
Thrown together, the film features a handful of unflattering qualities, all of which compound to make a full length feature that challenges Surfer, Dude for the worst film in 2008.
*This film is presented in Cantonese with English subtitles.
