The Promise

Chen Kaige has created a beautifully shot Asian fairy tale. When Qingcheng is a young girl she makes a promise to a fairy goddess that in order to be rich and have all the material possessions that she wants she will never be able to keep the man she loves. Before Qingcheng meets the goddess she steals some food from a boy who wanted her to be his slave. So, in order not to have to worry about being hungry again she makes the promise to the goddess.

As time goes on, we see various factions waging war. General Guangming, who commands one of the armies is out to save the King but he is gravely wounded. So he gives his red armor to his slave Kunlun to do the job for him. When Kunlun gets to the royal castle he finds the King with Qingcheng who is now his Princess. The King ridicules her and wants her to take off her clothing in front of many people but she refuses and he tries to kill her. When Kunlun sees this he kills the King. Qingcheng is grateful to the man that everyone thinks is the General.

What follows are many chases, battles, martial arts, etc. We've seen this many times before but that doesn't mean I didn't find it enjoyable. We meet characters such as Wuhuan who has been carrying a bitter secret with him for many years and Snow Wolf, a man who is more dead than alive. The film also focuses on how fleeting love can be and how we can sometimes change our destiny.

Many critics have been unkind to the film. I must admit that it is not as good as some of Chen's earlier work, especially his masterpiece Farewell My Concubine. But, it is entertaining and beautiful to look at. I, for one, can think of worse ways to spend an hour and forty five minutes.