Jumbled plot serves up visual extravaganza(2)

The real grandmaster, in terms of dramatic conflict, turns out to be Gong Er, daughter of the old-generation master. She takes the initiative to safeguard her father's honor by standing up to Ip Man, and then, to revenge her father by throwing down the gauntlet for Ma San. That fight sequence, staged next to a moving train, is the most testosterone-firing scene in a movie that is largely brooding and pensive.

As portrayed by Zhang Ziyi, the character shows a steely resolve reminiscent of her role in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Her encounter on the train with Chang Chen hints at a subplot of romantic entanglement, and her last scene at the opium bed is full of pathos.

With a dancer's training, Zhang is capable of graceful fluidity in her martial-arts movements that is not only a source of aesthetic pleasure, but also an extension of her body language and hence her dramatic expressiveness.

Like 2046, her previous collaboration with Wong Kar-wai and Tony Leung, Zhang Ziyi, with one pouty look, manages to take the spotlight amid narrative indecisiveness and atmospheric grandstanding. It is a remarkable mixture of continuing the spirit of her best-known roles, especially those in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and 2046, and discovering a newfound maturity.

One cannot talk about a martial-arts movie without dwelling a little on its fight choreography. Obviously, Wong Kar-wai is very serious about the authenticity of every move of every fighting style. Many of the scenes are turned into textbook dissection, with jargon flying. Also, the action shots tend to be disjointed and choppy, leaving one dizzy but not excited. The repeated staging in backlit rainfall is great to look at, but has been done to death before. (Think The Matrix Revolutions.)

But I'm nitpicking. If you disregard the storyline, the movie has lavish photography and abundant music not every educational program can afford. And you may fall in love with Chinese kung fu, at least Wing Chun and other styles of boxing, by watching this action-spiced meditation on alliances broken and dreams dashed.

The Grandmaster opened in China on Jan 8. It will be the opening film for the upcoming Berlin International Film Festival, where director Wong will serve as president of the jury.