This Chinese film is almost like two separate movies (as I guess the title implies a sort of dichotomy). The first half plays out like a legend of a great military fighter and a supernaturally powered despot. The second half is the true story of the man who created a new style of martial Wu-Shu fighting (Drunken Fist, like in Legend Of The Drunken Master with Jackie Chan, though I think this film is far superior), both about the same character/actor. I really liked both parts and think they were very well done. The visual quality (film stock, etc) was very good for a foreign film, and the special effects were for the most part seamless (there were a couple parts where a bird or carved mountain was obvious CG animation, but otherwise solid). Much of the fighting was done with wirework, but it still looked clean. The fighting was a treat to see, and reminded me of some Dragonball Z fights minus the fireballs and aliens (I mean this in the best possible way). The story wasn't overly complex like Dune or Watchmen (the graphic novel more so than the film), but that's fitting for a legend/fairy tale and for a true story.
This film includes appearances by Michelle Yeoh (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, 007: Tomorrow Never Dies) and David Carradine (Kill Bill, the Kung-Fu tv series), both of whom performed their roles very competently but did not steal the scene. The acting was competent for all of the actors actually, even for the main character's son. I liked the character arc, the various things he had to overcome and how he overcame them.
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