Sure, the fights aren't exactly as good as that of Once Upon A Time in China or Fong Sai Yuk, but I highly enjoyed the great love story, which may not be the most realistic but is never the less interesting. Lots of fight scenes/swordsplay, although none very good (still, you have to admire the training that these modern no-kungfu-still-at-all actors and actresses had to go through and the actual result, which is nothing less than their best effort, and I can't ask for more) and lots of suspense (duh). The movie on the whole, however, is quite unsatisfying, especially if you watch it over and over like I have been. Nice efforts from some of the biggest names in HK cinema, but maybe not an overwhelming result. Andy Lau excels playing comedy, but not as a warrior. Anita Mui looks rather bored, and frankly, ugly in this film. I think her makeup was a bit overdone.

[8/10]