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Title: Restrained? Muted? Boring!
Review: This movie was tedious. Absolutely nothing happens. Blocking, which is supposed to reflect the tension between the actors, is nonexistent. In fact, the characters hardly move. The cinematographer's only trick is a slow pan; there are no cutaway shots or close ups. It's almost as if the director sought to evoke in the viewer the opium-induced stupor many of his characters reside in. I am no stranger to Chinese cinema; I own a few dozen titles. Nor am I unsympathetic to movies with serious themes; in fact, that is precisely what I find entrancing about Chinese cinema. But this movie will, quite simply, bore you to tears.
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