Ashes of Time Redux by Wong Kar-Wai

I don't really like giving criticism, but this movie went from boring me to tears, to making me groan from how melodramatic it was, to blowing my face off of my face with how awesome the fight scenes were handled, and back again, and back again. It's a terribly inconsistent plot with no driving force or central question, but it's also beautifully shot and masterfully edited. It's a lot more like a poem or a painting than a novel. As long as you're expecting that (I wasn't, but in hindsight, I get it), there's no way you're not going to be moved by the film.

If you're a fan of martial arts movies, you may not like the lack of choreography. But the editing in the fight scenes was surprisingly experimental, and I think it was a gamble that paid off almost every time. The suspense during those moments was simply epic.

Roger Ebert's review is a little ignorant of the martial arts genre, but I think he gets the essence of the movie right. I just disagree with his 2/4 rating.