Yi dai zong shi – The Grandmaster
The version I saw was the shorter, edited-down version, which was the only cinema choice we have been offered in the UK (thanks, Mr Weinstein). While I enjoyed this film, (and perhaps the re-edited version does make it more accessible for someone like myself who has little knowledge of kung fu or Chinese history), I now want to see the original longer version to fully make my mind up.
But there’s no mistaking that it is ‘un film de Wong-Kar Wai’, with its beautifully choreographed martial arts scenes, the wonderful Tony Leung, and that constant sense of longing for something that’s missing.