In Hollywood, directors used to earn their stripes by tackling that archetypal American genre, the Western. In China and Japan, martial-arts epics fill that bill.
Before he made “Chungking Express” and the melodramas “In the Mood for Love,” “My Blueberry Nights” and the interminable “2046,” Wong Kar-wai took a shot at making his Chinese Western.
“Ashes of Time,” a brooding, naturalistic prequel to the four-volume “The Eagle Shooting Horses” novels, came out in 1992, a slash-and-spatter martial-arts piece that plays like a Chinese imitation of a Samurai Western. Now he’s dusted it off, edited it, cleaned up the colors and given it a new score.
But if you’re in the mood for a martial-arts action flick, be warned. Even back then, Wong Kar-wai was in the mood for love. And talk. Lots and lots of talk.
“Ashes of Time Redux” is all mood and narration and gorgeous images and extreme close-ups of very pretty actors, but precious little action.
In the deserts of China’s lawless past, Ouyang Feng (Leslie Cheung) lives alone, a killer for hire. Once a year, his friend and fellow swordsman Huang Yaoshi (Tony Leung Ka Fai) visits. One year, he brings magical wine with him, wine that takes away your memories, both the painful and the wistful.
Ouyang recalls the woman who broke his heart, and we meet the Yin and Yang of Huang’s womanizing past. Murong Yang wants to hire Ouyang to kill Huang. And his sister, Murang Yin (Brigitte Lin), wants Ouyang to kill her brother for keeping her from her man.
There’s a lot of confusing business with other swordsmen showing up, bandits slaughtered and haunting memories recalled and then forgotten.
Some characters seem cribbed from Japanese Samurai tradition (the blind swordsman), and all are so under-explained as to make the viewer impatient for another blurred, impressionistic swordfight.
“Ashes of Time Redux” may be higher-minded than your average martial-arts quickie. It’s also a lot less entertaining.
But for some reason, “Ashes” has been restored and is earning a wide U.S. release. Considering the source, be grateful. He could have reissued “2046.”
“Ashes of Time Redux”
R for some violence. 1 hour, 33 minutes. In Cantonese and Mandarin. Directed by Wong Kar-wai; starring Leslie Cheung, Tony Leung Ka Fai, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Jacky Cheung, Brigitte Lin and Maggie Cheung. Opens today at Chez Artiste.
