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This attempt at a romantic, emotionally nuanced martial arts film -- in the style of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"
-- doesn't come up to the level of its brilliant predecessor, but it's a beautiful and entertaining film all the same. The
love story feels contrived, despite the actors' heroic efforts to redeem a clumsy script. There are stunning passages of
cinema, however, with highly stylized fight sequences -- too lyrical in many cases to be truly thrilling or suspenseful.
The real glory of the film is Zhang Ziyi, fierce, innocent, luminous -- she's really one of the genuine treasures of movies
today.
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