Something's always falling through the air in "The Promise": blossoms, feathers, snowflakes, people. An Oscar nominee this year for best foreign language film, and at around $30 million-plus reportedly the most expensive movie ever made in China, Kaige Chen's fantasy epic is the sort of certifiably insane picture that keeps you watching, if only to see what craziness it'll come up with next. Read the full review
Love unfolds against a backdrop of war as a beautiful and mysterious princess becomes the object of affection for three very different men: a powerful duke, a brave general and a lowly slave. As passions spark and egos clash, lives are ruined and lovers spurned and no one will ever be the same.
Director: Chen Kaige
Starring: Chen Hong, Liu Ye, Guan Xiaotong, Nicholas Tse, Hiroyuki Sanada
Run time: 103 minutes
Release date: May 5, 2006
Rating: PG-13 for stylized violence and martial arts action, and some sexual content.
Language: Chinese with English subtitles.
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The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: B
"... delirious extravagance and dauntingly over-the-top battle sequences and confrontations."
The Palm Beach Post: B-
"... a plot full of mystical elements that get in the way of our emotional investment."
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