Ashes of Time

1994 ‘東邪西毒’ Directed by Wong Kar-wai

The film is set in five parts, five seasons that are part of the Chinese almanac. The story takes place in the jianghu, the world of the martial arts. Ouyang Feng has lived in the western desert for some years. He left his home in White Camel Mountain when the woman he loved chose to marry his elder brother rather than him. Instead of seeking glory, he ends up as an agent. When people come to him with a wish to eliminate someone who has wronged them, he puts them in touch with a swordsman who can do the job.

Leslie Cheung Tony Leung Ka-Fai Brigitte Lin Jacky Cheung Tony Leung Chiu-Wai Carina Lau Charlie Yeung Maggie Cheung Li Bai Collin Chou Siu Tak-Foo

Alternative Titles

Cenizas del tiempo, Cinzas do Passado Redux, 东邪西毒终极版, 东邪西毒：终极版, Este contraveneno del Oeste, Dung che sai duk, 東邪西毒終極版, 동사서독 Redux, มังกรหยก ศึกอภิมหายุทธ์, Ashes of Time Redux

drama action

100 mins More details at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

Review by Sean Gilman ★★★★★ 7

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…
Review by josh lewis ★★★ 3

i have no fuckin clue what happened but it's beautiful and i was vibing
Review by col_plimp ★★★½

"Blurry Tiger, Dreaming Dragon"
Bei Wong Kar-Wais sehr eigener Mischung aus Wuxia-, Western- und romantischem Drama ist es nicht immer leicht die ganzen Personenkonstellationen und ineinander verwobenen Erzählstränge der epischen Romanvorlage voll im Blick zu haben (Wikipedia kann helfen). Aber auch ohne alle Hintergründe zu verstehen werden die tragischen Kämpfer, Liebe, innere Zerrissenheit, Einsamkeit und Trauer mit viel Erzählungen aus dem Off und von einem Taiwan/Hongkong-All-Star Cast vor und hinter der Kamera toll rübergebracht.
In der eigentlich tristen Wüstenwelt philosophieren die Charaktere vor sich her und die wahnsinnig rauschartigen Kampfszenen kommen mit wilder Kamera, Schnitt, Unschärfe- und Zeitlupeneffekten; und generell sind die Tempowechsel extrem und das Farb- und Sounddesign eine große Freude. Alleine Kar-Wais gemälde- oder traumartigen Bilder erzählen mir schon oft genug.
Mit der schönste, "angenehm" unvollständig und unzugänglich, farbgetränkte, grüblerische und poetische Martial-Arts den ich kenne - aber eben auch ganz klar ein Wong Kar-Wai.
Review by Sean Gilman ★★★★★ 3

The Redux version. Shocked at how similar the two versions are. Other than the rerecorded score and the hallucinogenically color-timed images, there is essentially no difference between the two. The Redux adds some on-screen titles connecting the characters more explicitly to the Legend of the Condor Heroes novels from which they're taken, making the whole enterprise feel like backstory, like a prequel to adventures we won't see, defining these wuxia heroes as much by their romantic disasters and haunting memories as by their martial skill or arcane codes of honor.
Review by TajLV ★★★½ 6

"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 by <Todd> ★★★★

"A drunk man's words can't be taken seriously,"
-Scavenger Hunt 45: boxd.it/2dQsw
Clue 1. Watch a Wong Kar-wai film (29/30 tasks complete)
This movie is so much better than Mortal Kombat!
This is my first Wong Kar-wai film and I'm in....now I just have to find all of his other films. Over the five seasons of the Chinese almanac, and taking place in the world of Martial Arts, Ashes of Time is a twisty fantasy martial arts drama that I can't pretend I fully understood on first watch. What I love about this film however, and the reason I'm looking forward to future films, is the use of color, direction, creativity, and the way he films martial arts. In addition, Wong Kar-wai gets A LOT out of these performances. I'm excited to watch again to more fully grasp the story.
***Redux version

Recent reviews

Review by Josh Beckelhimer ★★★

A weird Wong wuxia. It’s hard to follow and very colorful, much like a trip on psychedelics! I much prefer Wong in the city, but this (like The Grandmaster) is an interesting relic of his attempts to dip into other stuff. It’s also an interesting relic within the progression of Wong and Chris Doyle’s camera work and effect usage.
Review by Martin Salas Pando ★★★★

Tal vez la historia no sea tan potente como en los otros trabajos de Wong Kar-wai, pero creo que la intención siempre fue que esta sirviera como una suerte de acompañamiento para la simple belleza de la imagen y los juegos de texturas y colores. Una de las obras más hermosas del director. Ashes of Time es un deleite visual de principio a fin.
Review by NoahRubenstein ★★★

35mm. Metrograph
Review by Chris W ★★★★½

These images will be dancing around in my head forever and I have the feeling that I really need to get around to watching more from Wong.
Review by col_plimp ★★★½

"Blurry Tiger, Dreaming Dragon"
Bei Wong Kar-Wais sehr eigener Mischung aus Wuxia-, Western- und romantischem Drama ist es nicht immer leicht die ganzen Personenkonstellationen und ineinander verwobenen Erzählstränge der epischen Romanvorlage voll im Blick zu haben (Wikipedia kann helfen). Aber auch ohne alle Hintergründe zu verstehen werden die tragischen Kämpfer, Liebe, innere Zerrissenheit, Einsamkeit und Trauer mit viel Erzählungen aus dem Off und von einem Taiwan/Hongkong-All-Star Cast vor und hinter der Kamera toll rübergebracht.
In der eigentlich tristen Wüstenwelt philosophieren die Charaktere vor sich her und die wahnsinnig rauschartigen Kampfszenen kommen mit wilder Kamera, Schnitt, Unschärfe- und Zeitlupeneffekten; und generell sind die Tempowechsel extrem und das Farb- und Sounddesign eine große Freude. Alleine Kar-Wais gemälde- oder traumartigen Bilder erzählen mir schon oft genug.
Mit der schönste, "angenehm" unvollständig und unzugänglich, farbgetränkte, grüblerische und poetische Martial-Arts den ich kenne - aber eben auch ganz klar ein Wong Kar-Wai.
Review by MikeyMalibu ★★★

-Redux cut-
For fans of wuxia...but I'm not a fan of wuxia.
Review by Pok Manero ★★★★

Si bien prefiero los dramas románticos contemporáneos de Wong (incluso In the Mood for Love, que se ambienta en los 60 pero es más cercana), esta película toma el género wuxia y lo llena de la melancolía propia del director. Amores no correspondidos, memoria y olvido, aislamiento y rencor. Una estructura cíclica, fragmentada y desorientadora, con algunas escenas de acción memorables y el dolor de la soledad y el arrepentimiento.
Review by Eric Eidelstein ★★★

between this and grandmaster, i want even more wong kar-wai martial arts films.
Review by Cindy

Redux version.