Ashes of Time (1994)

79% of critics liked it
(78 reviews)
74% of users liked it
(14,551 ratings)

Master Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-wai directed this lyrical, dream-like martial arts epic. A famously troubled shoot, the film took two years and 40 million dollars to produce (a shocking sum for a national cinema populated with low-budget quickies) and features a virtual who's-who of the Hong… More Master Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-wai directed this lyrical, dream-like martial arts epic. A famously troubled shoot, the film took two years and 40 million dollars to produce (a shocking sum for a national cinema populated with low-budget quickies) and features a virtual who's-who of the Hong Kong film world. Conceived as a prequel to the popular martial arts novel The Eagle-Shooting Hero by Jin Yong, the movie is less a straightforward action thriller than a visually striking meditation on memory and love. It nominally centers on Ouyang Feng (Leslie Cheung), who ekes out a lonely existence as an itinerant hired sword. Getting on in years and tormented by memories of a lost love, he also works an agent for other mercenary assassins from his remote desert abode. Ouyang's old friend and fellow swordsman, Huang Yaoshi (Tony Leung Kar-fai, who starred in the The Lover) drowns his lovelorn misery in a magical wine that makes him forget. Later, a mysterious young man named Murong Yang (Brigitte Lin) hires Ouyang to kill his sister's unfaithful suitor, Huang Yaoshi. The following day, that spurned sister, Murong Yin (Lin again), hires Ouyang to protect her dearly beloved. Meanwhile, Hong Qi (pop star Jackie Cheung) finds some redemption for a life of killing by accepting a poor girl's offer to avenge her brother's death -- a task that Ouyang brusquely shunned. In another subplot, a master swordsman (Tony Leung Chiu Wai) is slowly going blind. He agrees to defend a village from horse thieves so that he can afford to go home and see his wife before his eyesight fails completely. This film is one of the most celebrated examples of 1990s Hong Kong cinema: it won multiple awards in its native Hong Kong, along with a Golden Osella for Best Cinematography at the 1994 Venice Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 35 min.
Directed By: Kar Wai Wong
Written By: Kar-Wai Wong
Genres: Art House & International, Action & Adventure

In Theaters: Oct 10, 2008 Wide
On DVD: May 15, 2000
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics

Critic Reviews

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
Wong Kar Wai seems considerably more out of his depth than other Chinese filmmakers who have slummed in the martial arts genre. This can't compare to Chen Kaige's The Emperor and the Assassin or Yimou Zhang's House of Flying Daggers.
Andrew Sarris, New York Observer
One feels the passionate intensity of the filmmaker in every strand of his luminously intricate narrative.
Andrea Gronvall, Chicago Reader
For this director's cut, Wong has trimmed several minutes and reorganized the narrative according to the passage of seasons, though the plot is still impenetrable.
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail
Martial-arts fans may find themselves disappointed, but Wong Kar-wai addicts will be delighted.
Rafer Guzman, Newsday
Wong's reworking hasn't made Ashes more coherent, but it's still a gorgeous enigma.
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe
The film has been remastered and reordered. But the story, such as it is, remains secondary to Wong's sensibility. Even in violence, the movie billows and lilts.
Enrique Buchichio, Uruguay Total
Como es habitual en el cine de Wong Kar-wai, la línea narrativa no es lineal y en cierto grado implica un desafío para el espectador, quien corre el riesgo de quedar por fuera de una anécdota que encierra su complejidad.
Amber Wilkinson, Eye for Film
Each of the storylines wash over one another, refusing to take on a fully-fledged shape and yet they have a surprisingly cohesive cumulative effect.
Sonny Bunch, Washington Times
It's hard to recommend a film as frustratingly inaccessible as this one, but if you go into the theater expecting a trip to an art gallery, you might be pleasantly surprised.
Rob Boylan, Orlando Weekly
Redux clocks in at a slightly shorter running time than any of the previous versions Wong has offered. The tighter edit is a better fit, but ultimately, it's not enough.
James Kendrick, Q Network Film Desk
The film's imagery is its most striking asset, creating an impressionistic sense of both vastness and intimacy that frequently overwhelms the characters and their problems.
Steve Biodrowski, Cinefantastique
Ultimately, ASHES OF TIME REDUX is of tangential interest to fans of [martial arts fantasy cinema];its true appeal is to fans of Wong Kar Wai.
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul), St. Paul Pioneer Press
Wong Kar Wai could make even a compost heap look as gorgeous as a Vermeer.
Austin Kennedy, Sin Magazine
I know Kar Wai's got a fanbase, but to me he's equivalent to a recent film school graduate using all of the post-production tricks that he's learned, either to show off what he's learned or to cover up his lack of talent.
Michael Smith, Tulsa World
Wong's film is to be appreciated as poetry on film, an aphorism-filled ode to lovestruck dreamers, and for its beautifully rendered images.
Matt Brunson, Creative Loafing
The motion picture as mood ring.
Larry Ratliff, San Antonio Express-News
Maybe something gets lost in the translation, as often happens, but Wong may be giving us the first Eastern.
Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy
Unfathomably gorgeous; perhaps even the most gorgeous film Wong Kar-Wai has yet made, which is not a bit of praise I hand out lightly.
Phil Villarreal, Arizona Daily Star
Beautiful to look at, with painterly compositions, gorgeous, emotionally charged close-ups and slick, elegant transitions. It's all for naught because the story seems no more coherent than the flourishes of a kaleidoscope.
Jason Heck, Kansas City Star
In the end, it's not unlike a Jackson Pollock painting. No matter how close or how far away you stand from it, some people just get it and some people don't.

Read all 21 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Stella D

certainly one of the most beautiful films i have ever seen. but honestly, what the hell just happened? would kill to see this projected though
Dean !

No doubt a well made film and with great cinematography. However it was a little confusing at times to follow the story and who were friends and who were enemies. The big disappointment for me was I had expected something along the lines of Hero or House of flying daggers.… More
No doubt a well made film and with great cinematography. However it was a little confusing at times to follow the story and who were friends and who were enemies. The big disappointment for me was I had expected something along the lines of Hero or House of flying daggers. Unfortunately this is a different type of film altogether and barely has any fight scenes, and when there are they are a blur. Definitely more of a drama than a martial arts film.
Lesley N

Muddling but strangely absorbing and beautiful to look at and (kind of) resolves itself at the end.
Jonny C

OK movie. Heartbreak, death, decent fight scene, heartbreak, death, decent fight scene. That's about it really.
Ed Fucking H

This is a difficult movie to rate. First off I will state that visually this movie is flawless and exists in a league of it's own in that department. And while I did enjoy this film immensely on that level, I still felt that the story telling aspect left a lot to be desired. I am… More
This is a difficult movie to rate. First off I will state that visually this movie is flawless and exists in a league of it's own in that department. And while I did enjoy this film immensely on that level, I still felt that the story telling aspect left a lot to be desired. I am aware that this redux version has a lot of fat cut, and the fuller, longer version might have been more to my liking, but i am reviewing the redux version alone here. Not to say this cimplaint hindered my enjoyment too much, I still enjoyed what is on display here. The loss of points are more for what isn't there rather than what is. I did feel it was difficult to follow what was going on and none of the characters were really very engaging for me though, As I said though this film is a visual feast and is worth seeing on those merits alone. Could have been better but still recommended.
Anthony V

A beautiful restoration. The cuts and additions provide a new clarity, while the new soundtrack enhances the emotional impact. I'd list this film among the most stunningly photographed films ever.