| King Hu's final film sees him returning to some of the spiritual and ghostly side of his storytelling, as also seen in Legend Of The Mountain. In no way a reference work for the legendary filmmaker, there are also those that are not blessed to go out on a semi-decent note. Joey Wong plays a ghost being prevented to go either to heaven or hell thanks to the King Of Yin & Yang's disruptions. She encounters a happy, a bit horny scholar (Adam Cheng) but he gets possessed by the Yin & Yang King so hope to restore peace in the spirit world rests on the shoulders of a monk (Sammo Hung)...
With its stylistic heart in the right place, King Hu shows plentiful of his typical sweeping elegance which in turn leads into some fairly well-honed instinct for creepy atmosphere. This particular Wuxia world is filled with dread as it is being disturbed and all beings above, middle and below seems to be forced to co-operate in order to restore spiritual peace. Not a missed opportunity but leaning towards a standard one in execution, while Painted Skin doesn't hit the mark, it provides a decent breath of fresh air in the Wuxia craze of the era. Wu Ma, Lau Shun and Lam Ching-Ying also appear. |
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