Hidden Blade

The bluntness keeps the film from approaching greatness, although history buffs and genre fans might appreciate a World War II story told from a unique, non-Western perspective.

As much as Tony Leung was made for subtle but heady roles like this, Hidden Blade belongs to Wang Yibo, and so does this review.

Gorgeous and empty.

"Hidden Blade," a stylish, nonlinear exercise in Chinese film noir, is one of those movies where, at first, you're not exactly sure where it's going or what anyone's doing. But, boy, do they look great doing it.

However crisp and stylishly executed, the parts don’t quite add up to a satisfying whole.

While it is eminently watchable, it’s a movie that consists of mostly people sitting at tables with fantastic period clothing plotting and scheming, but sometimes barely moving at all.

In terms of plotting and scene-setting, Cheng repeats himself a bit too much, and not for the better.

It’s a gorgeous spy-noir, with hardly a boring composition in it—and yet, I’m not sure I’d jump to recommend it and its empty calories to many.

Cheng Er, in both Hidden Blade and The Wasted Times, is not after suspense but rather mystery: the tension (and fun) of the film lies not in anticipating what comes next, but in trying to figure out what is happening and why.

Hidden Blade is a film that attempts to shock its audience, drilling home how terrifying and heartbreaking war is. That said...Hidden Blade twists the story too many times that it begins to buckle under itself.