Dug out the original, pre-Redux version. Having seen this in its two forms a total of six times, I can safely say it really isn't that hard to follow. Tony Leung is going blind and is married to Carina Lau who is in love with The Other Tony Leung. The Other Tony Leung is in love with Maggie Cheung who is in love with Leslie Cheung. Leslie Cheung is in love with Maggie Cheung but she married his brother because he was too busy being a wandering swordsman. Jacky Cheung is a wandering swordsman who doesn't like shoes, loses a finger getting revenge for a woman in exchange for some eggs, and brings his wife along with him while he…

A young, skillful and solitary swordsman crosses paths with other doomed characters as he searches for answers about a past he cannot come to terms with. Although in Ashes of Time Wong Kar-wai explores a different genre, he does not put aside the themes that characterize his body of work, such as love and oblivion, emotional scars that never heal, the longing to find in the present what was allowed to escape in the past, and the constant search for solace in the face of failure. The characteristic style of the filmmaker is present with vibrant colours, a fragmented structure, and a voiceover that gives a poetic insight to the story; in addition, the spectacularly choreographed combats must be mentioned.…

"Was it worth it to lose a finger for a basket of eggs?" ~ Ouyang Feng

Before watching this, I think it is good to know that it is a "remix," if you will, of the original "Ashes of Time" that director Wong Kar-wai made in 1994 before the handover of Hong Kong to China. The filming was done mainly on location in remote areas of the People's Republic, with Christopher Doyle as the primary cinematographer and the legendary Sammo Kam-Bo Hung as the action sequence choreographer.

Because the original prints were lost after the colony's reversion, Wong re-edited and re-scored the film in 2008 so that it could be released on DVD and Blu-ray. Major differences between the two…

Review In A Nutshell:

Before discussing the film, I just want to state to whoever is reading this that my opinion here is purely based on what I have just seen, I have no previous experience of the Wong Kar Wai's filmography and the 1994 original release of the film.

Ashes of Time follows a number of random stories that revolve around a contract hit-man who lives in the desert in isolation. The film started off weak, following a character that lacked any explanation or exploration on why I should care, but as the film progressed, details emerged and eventually I found myself engaged with what was happening on screen. I cannot say, even with its revealing conclusion, that I…

A young, skillful and solitary swordsman crosses paths with other doomed characters as he searches for answers about a past he cannot come to terms with. Although in Ashes of Time Wong Kar-wai explores a different genre, he does not put aside the themes that characterize his body of work, such as love and oblivion, emotional scars that never heal, the longing to find in the present what was allowed to escape in the past, and the constant search for solace in the face of failure. The characteristic style of the filmmaker is present with vibrant colours, a fragmented structure, and a voiceover that gives a poetic insight to the story; in addition, the spectacularly choreographed combats must be mentioned.…