In ancient China, a desert-dweller named Ou-Yang gets in the middle of a circle of stories involving various swordsmen. Huang is a swordsman who drinks some magic wine in order to forget his past.  The film alternates between flashbacks involving Huang and Ou-Yang and a host of other swordsmen and women, all involved in stories of betrayal and revenge. Their lives all cross each other to tell an overall story.

Acclaimed director Wong Kar-wai has created a beautiful, if murky, film. There are some nice stylistic touches throughout the film, and many scenes are tightly constructed gems visually, with a nice score adding to the feeling. If only the script were as cohesive as the visual look of the film, we'd have a true masterpiece here. Based on characters introduced in a classic martial arts novel by Jim Yong called EAGLE SHOOTING HEROES, the film is confusing, and only some of the stories are appealing. All in all, I'd recommend the film visually, and it does spark an interest from time to time, but the poorly constructed circular style of the film lends itself to many headaches when trying to determine what's going on. Perhaps a repeat viewing would help clear things up, but it's so hard to find a version with adequate subtitles.

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