Devotees of old wuxia movies will particularly delight in the scene where Jen is chased by Li, both gliding along the swishing treetops of a luscious bamboo forest.

CNN: From Our Correspondent: Movie with a Message

Meanwhile, through the film, the ambitious, but out-of-control Jen causes so much trouble for others by violently resisting Li Mubai's offer to be her teacher.

CNN: From Our Correspondent: Movie with a Message

Granted, the tale of the aristocratic Jen (played by Zhang Ziyi), her tangles with martial-arts masters Li Mubai (Chow Yun Fat) and Yu Shulien (Michelle Yeoh, fresh from her recent successful turn as a Bond girl), and her torrid romance with rough-hewn Lo (Chang Chen) is not that gripping.

CNN: From Our Correspondent: Movie with a Message