Fugitive ruler, the 13th prince Yen (Kenny Bee), uses a hidden ancestral tomb as a convenient hideout from the violent rivalry of his nasty younger brother, who commands a small army of 'royal thieves', and relies upon Yen's own treacherous bodyguard Hsien (Maggie Cheung) to follow the fleeing royals' travels. Fisherman Fei (Andy Lau, more recently seen in Fulltime Killer) is recruited by Brother Yen, and sent to escort bride-to-be Yuet (played by the late Anita Mui) to safety but, of course, the peasant warrior falls in love with Yen's lovely fiancé...

Dazzling and painterly visuals, an aerial battle in a bamboo forest predating a similar sequence in Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, a lonely hero that swims playfully with his pet killer whale, mass slaughter of innocents, and the familiar themes of loyalty, betrayal, and vengeance are all combined here with assurance and finesse, making this one of the touchstones of Hong Kong cinema. Honestly, there can be no denying the broad-ranging appeal of this Asian movie's artistically innovative action set pieces. Its merits as coolly stylish period fantasy drama and poignant tragedy are beyond question. Although some fans of kung fu action may find the songs and romantic triangle rather twee, at times, aficionados of Hong Kong style swordplay movies will certainly enjoy the rush of astounding images...

As the film opens, we meet Yen Ling, the 13th Prince of China (Kenny Bee), who is fleeing assassins, accompanied by a small band of retainers including the stern bodyguard Hsien (Maggie Cheung). The party is beset by bands of killers sent by Yen's evil younger brother, the 14th Prince (Kelvin Wong).

The evil prince is the sort of fellow who punishes the failure of his underlings by using his bow to form a Chinese character with flaming arrows, then decapitating the hapless minion with the bowstring and nailing his severed head to the center of the figure with a final swift arrow. The young prince also boasts an extensive collection of haughty sneers and a first-rate evil laugh. He favors the spear, rather than the sword, when entering combat, and proves deadly with the weapon.

In fact, a chance roadside encounter between Yen Ling and the 14th Prince conveys the impression that the younger brother has already assumed the role of Emperor, and seeks to eliminate his elder kin merely to wrap up loose ends.

The older prince, meanwhile, is a noble figure, but he seems to prefer exile to challenging his evil brother for the throne. Yen's party makes its way through a bamboo thicket where the fisherman Fei (played by cantopop star Andy Lau, of Infernal Affairs and Fulltime Killer fame) is chopping bamboo in an impressive display of martial arts form.

Suddenly, assassins spring from concealment and attack the Prince's party. Unaware of his royal identity but outraged at the ambush, Fei lends a hand. The attack is foiled, but not before the prince is slightly wounded. Fei offers the group shelter at his fishing village. Indeed, Fei knows the perfect spot: An abandoned tomb known only to him, where he used to play as a boy. Also present in a pool flowing into the tomb is a killer whale that Fei has befriended.

At the tomb, Yen reveals his identity, and the fact that the site is in fact the one true grave of his royal ancestors. From this sacred spot, Yen feels, he can recover in safety and plan his return to the throne. Impressed by Fei's bravery and good heart, Prince Yen asks him to escort his betrothed, the lovely Princess Moon, to the safety of the royal tomb.

The viewer also learns that Hsien is secretly an agent of the evil prince, under orders to finish his rival brother. Unfortunately, she's fallen in love with Yen, and can't bring herself to strike. Tired of her excuses, the evil prince gives Hsien an ultimatum: Either Yen must die, or she will in his place.

Fei reaches Princess Moon (Anita Mui, who starred with Cheung in The Heroic Trio) at the court of her father, played by old-school kung fu actor Yi Chang (Eagle's Claw, The One Armed Swordsmen). Unfortunately, the evil prince's assassins are ready to strike, and Fei and Moon must flee for their lives.

During their escape, the commoner Fei and the noble Princess Moon bicker in a manner reminiscent of Han and Leia in the first Star Wars film. When Fei is wounded defending the princess, though, Moon nurses him to health. She soothes him with the mystic tones of a special jade amulet held by only her and Prince Yen. Like their science-fiction counterparts, Fei and the princess find themselves falling in love, and share some tender romantic moments.

Unfortunately, their interlude is interrupted by a black-clad figure, who attacks in a flurry of impressive kung fu. Not surprisingly, the figure is Hsien; although she fails to kill the princess, she learns of her love for Fei. Complicating matters is the fact that although she doesn't recognize Hsien as her attacker, Moon instinctively distrusts the woman, sensing her desire for the prince.

The characters played by Anita Mui and Maggie Cheung represent something of a role reversal from the types the two actresses normally play. Cheung, a frequent romantic lead, displays little of her customary humorous charm, but is a grim figure tormented by the choice of betraying her evil master or her heart. Mui, on the other hand, ably assumes the role of innocent ingénue despite her maturity. Both actresses clearly relish the opportunity to display a greater range, and turn in first-rate performances.

It's common for wuxia pian films to include an element of doomed or tragic romance, and The Moon Warriors is no exception. All the main characters suffer from some form of unrequited love. The prince is of course in love with Moon, who has instead fallen for Fei. The fisherman returns the sentiment, but they know that a romance between them is impossible. Meanwhile, Hsien is in love with Prince Yen, despite her orders to betray him or die. Of course, in Hong Kong cinema, there's no guarantee that unrequited or forbidden love will work itself out in the end.

But The Moon Warriors hardly dwells solely on troubled romance during its rapid 83-minute running time. There's plenty of action, too, as the main characters fight for survival against the evil prince and his relentless minions.

The action choreography by Tony Ching Siu-tung and Corey Yuen Kwai (The Enforcer, The Transporter) is fairly violent -- not on the level of a Baby Cart film, perhaps, but there's still plenty of bloodshed. In one scene, assassins use the murdered corpses of Princess Moon's entire coterie of female retainers as cover to sneak close enough for an attempt on her life. The film racks up a high body count -- in addition to the scores of evil henchmen our heroes dispatch, many of Fei's fellow villagers and not a few of the principal characters suffer a dreadful fate.

The Moon Warriors is an above-average heroic swordplay flick set apart by excellent performances by the leads, a flurry of action and subplot of doomed romance. Sammo Hung directs with his typical expertise, and the end result is solidly pleasing.

Fei (Andy Lau, Fulltime Killer, Running out of Time, Infernal Affairs) is a simple country boy who stumbles into- actually it stumbles into him- a feud between the reigning princes. It seems that the 13th prince (Kenny Bee, Eagle Shooting Heroes, Savior of the Soul) has been usurped by his crazed militaristic brother the 14th prince, whose minions are now chasing the 13th prince across the countryside. Fei helps defend the 13th prince and gives him refuge near his village. The 13th prince is trying to get to Lord Lanling, the father of the girl he is engaged to, Moon (Anita Mui, Heroic Trio, Rouge, Miracles). Their marriage will give the 13th prince the support to overthrow his brother. Fei goes to get Moon, and as the two make their way to the hiding supplanted prince, eluding assassins, they begin to have affections for one another. Complicating things is the unrequited love bodyguard Mo Shin-Yee (Maggie Chueng, Police Story, In the Mood for Love, ) has for the 13th prince. With the aide of an informant the evil prince converges on his brother and Fei's village, leading to a blood-soaked finale in the mausoleum of the first emperor.

Now, you're probably wondering about the killer whale. The whale in question is Hoiwai, Fei's pet. Really it is only in about three ungainly scenes. Fei has a whole Lassie-like relationship going on with the whale, and if you want to reach for significance, it shows his connection to nature. But the real significance is that the whale was incorporated into the film as a bit of promotion for the Ocean Park water park in Hong Kong. Sort of like the Miami Dolphins in Ace Ventura or Superman tossing Non into the Coke billboard in Superman 2.

For a film of its genre, the plotting is pretty simple and doesn't get into the muddle of a Swordsman 2 or the head scratching Kung Fu Colt Master. Lau is the typical ever charming hero, half innocent bumpkin and half deadly sword fighter. Mui is almost miscast as the young princess (she is a bit old for the role) but does well, especially in some privileged princess vs. rough country boy antics between her and Lau's character. Director/legend Sammo Hung (Pedicab Driver, Dragons Forever, Eastern Condors, Prodigal Son) had a nice budget to work with, and the mausoleum set is great, with rest of the locales serving there purpose like the standard open air courtyard for the nobles and a simple fishing village for Fei's people. The battles are ainly combined to outdoor lactions, bamboo forests, complete with mist and shafts of sunlight King Hu style.

It is the action that really propels the film. While Sammo is one of the greatest action choreographers- ever, you can tell that he let the reigns over to action director Ching Sui Tung, who with films like Duel to the Death, Chinese Ghost Story, Executioners and East is Red is one of the men most responsible for modern HK wirework fantasy action. Fans of the genre will notice his trademark wide angle low to the ground shots, spinning stuntmen, and whirling swordplay. The film erupts into action frequently, with the standout scene being a fight in a thorny thicket between an assassin, Fei, and Moon, and the finale in which everyone's favorite whale lends a hand, I mean- a fin, to help defeat the bad guy.