I rented this movie amidst high expectations and glowing reviews. Which makes my disappointment with this film all the greater.

Basically, nothing much happens, and takes an awfully long time about it. And for anyone wondering why on earth it was rated Cat III, you have to wait until right near the end. The scene isn't erotic though, to be fair, it isn't meant to be. More like surreal.

Much has been made of the gorgeous photography, but this is grossly over-rated. Even many otherwise-dull HK art are more pleasing to the eye than TOAM.

Even the fast-forward button cannot save you from this head-shakingly dull yawnfest.

And it's a real pity. At the risk of being disloyal to a fellow citizen (director Clara Law now operates from Melbourne), this is one of the films which began to turn me off Ms Law's work.

Clearly, I cannot recommend this one !

Previously published:
Three words describe this film : dull, dull and dull. The direction lacks any sense of pace, the characters do not involve and the story does not make sense. There are occasional outbreaks of action, but even these do nothing to lift the interest, and they are not allowed to go on too long or be too exciting. The Cat III rating is a puzzle. Although the battle scenes are gory, they aren't sufficiently so. There is one only erotic/sex, 17 minutes before the end of this two-hour yawnfest, but even this is still within the IIb classification. Overall, very disappointing. Resist any temptation to see it, especially in a cinema, where the essential option to fast-forward button is unavailable.