those who haven't seen it: it's overhyped, but worth looking at. it's got love and fighting up the wazoo, and a worthwhile plot with some extremely admirable heroes, and some villains who range from naughty to annoying. the fighting is basic wire fu, but with some more ambitious settings than the typical guys flying around movies from china, and the aforementioned plot and characters to *try* to lend it all some epic sweep. give it a chance. those who have seen it: was that love story between the little thief girl and her kidnapper the most cumbersome and distracting thing ever? who cares about her little episode with the helsinke syndrome? wouldn't you rather have seen the more mature characters, the master and the older babe who loved him get it on? it might have tainted their purity, but face it, nothing, and i mean nothing, could redeem that little tramp for killing chow yun fat's guy. i'll give her this, when yeoh beats up all the would-be apprentices in the bar with the master's sword, and in the process pretty much takes out the bar itself, and when she took her own life at the end, the movie's magic came through to me. i have to give it 5 stars, despite some strained bits. 