An ambitious work, transcending all genre conventions, in both its philosophical exploration/s and its filmmaking techniques...
Exploration:
(Among many other topics) rural life during the Ming Dynasty, political intrigue and Daoism vs Zen Buddhism.
Like Hu’s other movies, a message about working in harmony with others as a collective, against government officials.
Techniques:
The first two acts feature wonderfully staged dialog exchanges, superb art direction and camerawork.
The action scenes remove wires and replace them with trampolines, cutting between jumps…
