This is not a great martial arts movie, it is a good story, well acted and directed with something for everyone. It is like a cross between 'House of Flying Daggers' and the Chinese warrior epics you may have seen. All the lead characters are believable, there is a good and evil story, a love story, a friendship story and an unrequited love story, oh and plenty of action. The fights are well choreographed, especially the larger battles with some scenes that look truly realistic, I don't know how they did some of them with no deaths ( makes the chariot scenes in Ben Hur look like Childs play ) I did get a bit bored with some of the lovely dovey stuff, but by the end of the film I knew I would watch this again. The end fight is worth waiting for, not just for the action but for the emotion shown by the actors.

Or in other words, neither action movie, nor romantic comedy/drama! And don't get fooled by Donnie Yens name in the cast list. Yes he has his action scenes, but don't watch this movie, expecting him to be the lead role. He shares that with another actor. Of course the main spot/role is reserved for a woman.Everything revolves around her (the Empress) and the movie starts off pretty good ... until it breaks up after the first act of the movie. The nice pace from the beginning is gone and we are treated to a sort of short-movie-in-the-movie. The sudden change doesn't feel right and it doesn't fit into the rest of the movie too. It's indecisiveness which genre it belongs to and a few other flaws really brings the movie down.

This is one of those movies that you can tell is trying to be good but ends up being mediocre. There is a love story that is way out of place during a war between the Yan and the Zhao, a love triangle between Donnie Yen, and an ambitious Nephew who will seem to do anything to take over the throne. All of these stories could be well off on their own, but the director doesn't explore either to a satisfaction. Martial arts fans will see a duel between Leon Lai and Donnie Yen, but it feels like it was just placed there just for the sake of having them fight each other. There is good stuff here, but it is rushed and clichéd to the point where it feels like you are buying one of those TV drama DVD sets.

The Mandarin was better spoken than in the past even for those that have heavy Cantonese accents. Nothing like the rushed HK movies that one view wrote about. Must have been watching the cartoon version. More like Hero and more likable ending (spoiler) although all the Empress lovers die in the end it was still memorable. I am tired of one thing in these movies is the hero's constantly dying. Other than that I really enjoyed this movie. The Legend of the Black Scorpion has the same type ending but this one you feel for the Heroen almost all the way through the movie.Being somewhat optimistic in life affords me the feeling that this is how things should be.As for a slow story plot. What the heck are they talking about. Story line is consistent and in order. Gives you enough information about the past so you can understand the present.What a goofball trying to rate this as something other than a good effort. Thanks, more in line of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon except the cliché of flying warriors. Realistic for the most part. I am not to much into the Armies facing each other on the field and everyone going at it but it gives you a base to understand the ending.The last part though is that this is yet another movie that tries to tie the unity of China as one country, one people. Eh, it still felt good though.