In the 21st century Andy Lau, Kenny Bee and Anita Mui are "city cops". Anita captures a notorious criminal and his disciple Silver Fox swears revenge. Anita must leave the ones she loves to protect them, even though it hurts them all. But there's no escaping destiny, and a showdown with Silver Fox is inevitable.

SAVIOUR OF THE SOUL was one of the first HK films I saw, and I was completely blown away. Often described as "Manga In Motion", the film definitely has a bit of a comic-book flavour in the design of the characters, the sets and the action. The film is visually stunning, full of luscious colours and cinematography that give the film a dream-like feel. This is "balanced" by some goofy comedy that at the very least isn't translated into "amusing" by the subtitles, and would have been better left on the editing room floor - though the relish with which Anita plays her own twin sister makes some of the scenes worth having. The script (from Wong Kar-Wai!) is good, effectively transplanting a typical wu xia tale into a science fiction setting. It's the super-stylish visuals and some great action choreography that really make the film into a classic though.

This is a film that's long overdue a remastered DVD - ideally with freshly translated English subtitles that might make clarify some of the less comprehensible plot details and maybe even make some of the jokes funny! Without them, I can't quite give the film the perfect score that the cinematography alone comes close to justifying.