Temptation Of A Monk (1995) Movie Review

At the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, the great General Shi is persuaded by Hou Da to murder his lord. His guilty conscience (and his mother) forces him to execute Hou Da in revenge for this treasonous crime, which prompts Hou Da to reveal Shi’s complicity in the crime. Banished, Shi retreats to a monastery. However, being a proud and worldly man, he finds the life of humbleness and self-denial rather irritating and boring, disobeys the head abbot and causes havoc and mischief. However, his past comes to haunt him, with the inevitable tragic consequences.

With this film, Clara Law embarks on an ambitious project. There’s no denying Clara Law has made a jolly good and interesting bash at the historical epic genre. Weird costumes, knobbly headgear, harsh stylistic makeup and fantastic colour-soaked scenes and generous application of filters create a weird surreal image. It doesn't though, quite overcome the convoluted and confusing plot (Joan Chen appears twice in two roles, that as the runaway Tang princess who loves the general, and as an aristocratic widow who tempts him into what could really be his fatal last bonk). The motivation of the characters are mysterious. We struggle to empathize with a fickle-minded man who’s fallen down so many times in his penance that you’d wonder why he bothers. All around the general, violence and sex swirl about him like giggling ghosts, staining his hands as fast as he could wash them. What this film is trying to say is ultimately lost. Law has made a valiant attempt to get there but doesn’t quite reach it.