Sweeping, fantastic, historical adventure film, one of the biggest to come out of Hong Kong in the '90s, and blessed with scenes of breathtaking action and a strong story incorporating romance, the eternal battle between good and evil, chivalry, and more into one epic whole. This is a period adventure romp which never becomes boring (as so many do), thanks to always impressive visuals - sets are usually enshrouded in dry ice and with colouring to give them a strong atmosphere - and action that quite often blew me away. The film doesn't skimp on the gore either, with bodies being decapitated and torn in two, and the various martial arts swordplay scenes are fast-paced and a delight to watch, especially the massacre of an ending.
Fantasy elements to the story include scenes of the cavorting "evil horde", which are shot to be impressively hellish; a pair of evil Siamese twins who are cut in two in the bad taste conclusion; and the witch of the title herself, who flies through the forests and cuts down her enemies with her whip and occasionally her own hair! At the film's heart is a tragic romance between human and witch which is just as moving as in Romeo and Juliet and is enhanced by strong turns from leads Brigitte Lin and Leslie Cheung, who bring both personality and pathos to their roles. The supporting cast are generally a strong bunch too, especially the literal double act of Francis Ng and Elaine Lui who are quite dastardly as the gruesome twosome.
The Bride with White Hair is definitely a feather in the cap of director Ronny Yu, packed with strong action and beautifully shot and staged throughout, with some of the fastest and excellent special effects (including wirework) in the martial arts bouts that you will ever see. The best thing is, that unlike a lot of kung-fu epics with fine action, the storyline is actually impressive and interesting here too, with a wide story arc. The running time flies past like never before. A good one.
Fantasy elements to the story include scenes of the cavorting "evil horde", which are shot to be impressively hellish; a pair of evil Siamese twins who are cut in two in the bad taste conclusion; and the witch of the title herself, who flies through the forests and cuts down her enemies with her whip and occasionally her own hair! At the film's heart is a tragic romance between human and witch which is just as moving as in Romeo and Juliet and is enhanced by strong turns from leads Brigitte Lin and Leslie Cheung, who bring both personality and pathos to their roles. The supporting cast are generally a strong bunch too, especially the literal double act of Francis Ng and Elaine Lui who are quite dastardly as the gruesome twosome.
The Bride with White Hair is definitely a feather in the cap of director Ronny Yu, packed with strong action and beautifully shot and staged throughout, with some of the fastest and excellent special effects (including wirework) in the martial arts bouts that you will ever see. The best thing is, that unlike a lot of kung-fu epics with fine action, the storyline is actually impressive and interesting here too, with a wide story arc. The running time flies past like never before. A good one.