Well-meaning but unambitious scholar/painter Ku (Sek Jun) is visited one day by an out-of-towner by the name of Ouyang Nin (Tin Peng) who wishes to have his portrait painted. The outsider, though mysterious, seems to be harmless enough – though he does tend to ask a lot of questions about other newcomers to the town. Ku is lorded over by his mother, who wishes him to become an official in the government and get married so that he can carry on the family name. When Yang Hui-Ching (Hsu Fung) arrives in town, Ku’s mother thinks she’s found the perfect match. But she seems to have a few secrets of her own, and Ouyang Nin is very interested indeed…

Although symbolism generally isn’t a strong point for me, the meaning of the opening shot of a spider weaving her web and catching flies did not go unnoticed. In fact, the spider’s web theme crops up again later in the film and actually feels more like a plot device than anything else. As mentioned in other reviews, the film is quite clearly and cleverly layered, a device emulated by the likes of Tsui Hark ever since.

The first hour focuses on Ku and his relationship with his mother. He is constantly harassed into taking his officer’s exam and finding a wife. When he meets Yang, his mother proposes to her on his behalf! Although she rejects him, he later finds himself sleeping with her (Yang, not his mother). Upon losing his virginity to her, his character goes through a severe change. No longer the naïve bumbling innocent, he becomes confident and assertive, and when Yang’s plight is revealed, he insists on being part of it – and even comes up with a fiendish trap for the East Chamber. More about this later…

The second hour is where the action sequences start. That’s right, for the first 55 minutes there’s not a single sword fight! However, when it kicks off, it does so in style. This eventually culminates in the fight at Green Bamboo Hill, a fight that leaves no doubt in the viewer’s mind as to where Zhang Yimou got his inspiration for HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS from. You’ve also got a flashback to Yang’s original flight with general Shih (Pai Ying) and Doctor Lu (Sit Hon) and their encounter with an order of Buddhist Monks, who we later learn taught Yang everything she knows.

The final section ties everything together. It’s here that we find the true extent to which Ku’s character has changed. He laughs callously as he strolls through the aftermath of his “ghost trap” for the East Chamber soldiers. That is, until he discovers the loss of life his creation caused. The look of horror on his face is credible and shocking. The use of superstition as a weapon may appear to be far-fetched in this day and age, but it has to be remembered that out east this sort of thing was taken very seriously indeed, and remains so to this day in some areas.

Yang of course features most heavily in the later stages of the film as she is forced to confront her aggressors along with Shih and Lu. The denouement is certainly worth waiting for. Other than that, I’m saying nothing.

The one word that describes this film accurately and completely is “unique”. The settings used are moody and atmospheric right from the opening shot until the final second. The town itself is suitably squalid, but shot so atmospherically that it draws you right in and doesn’t let go. In fact the whole film drips atmosphere and mood, sometimes making the locations feel more like characters in their own right. And unlike many eastern epics, this film never meanders. The reason for this may be the relatively small cast of characters. Every character in this film has a right to be there, and every one of them is memorable.

The cast itself is pretty much unknown to me, which I think helped my enjoyment as I wasn’t overly familiar with the faces (although checking the HKMBD revealed that Hsu Fung and Sek Jun were King Hu veterans and regulars!). I was only really familiar with Hsu Fung (“Hey! It’s that lady from TO KILL WITH INTRIGUE!”) and of course Roy Chiao. A baby-faced Sammo Hung also appears, but apart from him and a walk-on part for Kok Lee-Yan (who I think was contractually obligated to appear in every film made in the east - probably until his death) the film is free from the usual Hong Kong regulars – not surprising, I suppose, as the film is Taiwanese.

I really can’t recommend this film highly enough. The one image that seems burned in my mind at the moment is a scene where Ku travels the land in search of Yang. He is pictured walking along with an absolutely gob-smackingly stunning vista behind him. Whereas most directors would have lingered and probably filmed the entire conclusion there, the shot is just a few seconds long. Like with so many other aspects of the film, it leaves you wanting the experience to never end. Phenomenal.