phillip-58 I think this film would have got better reviews if it had been called something else. The problem is Ronny Yu made a great, almost perfect film with the original Bride and this has rather a rushed feel to it. The epic, mythological feel of the first film has been replaced by something else and Brigitte Lin has no real space to develop the tragic character until right at the end when she is reunited with Leslie Cheung in a not exactly happy ending, if perhaps fitting. But the photography is wonderful and Sunny Chan is, in my opinion, a better actor than some give credit for. Joey Man does what she is there for and provides the eye candy and some nudity. They are supported by the great Helena Law Lan and Christy Chung plays it for fun and dies a suitably tragic death. This is much bloodier than the first film and the feminist, even lesbian overtones are too obvious at times. The kung fu and sword play is minimal but I sat through the film really enjoying it and if you don't consider it a sequel then it is still better than many other films.

victorsyrmis The Best Chinese/Hong Kong Action flick you'll ever see. And it's 20 years old. Ronny Hu set the standard with this classic action packed HK spectacle. A must for budding action directors..

Puppetmister There's some confusion in these reviews between the first and second movies. The sequel was rushed into production to capitalise on the success of the first, so obviously there is a drop in quality. Brigitte Lin did not "retire" as such, but got married, which in Hong Kong cinema often counts as the same thing - its seen as bad form if a woman has to work because it suggests that the husband is not providing. The rest of us know that acting in movies doesn't actually count as real work, but we almost lost Maggie Cheung to this odd syndrome, and even Michelle Yeoh retired for the few years when she was married to a big name producer. Anyway, Brigitte Lin is still fine in this film (great to see a woman "of a certain age" still given such a strong part in a HK film), despite her performance being simplistically villainous throughout. And Christy Chung is fantastic in a cigarette chewing pastiche of Chow Yun Fat. The gender politics in this movie are particularly striking - the men are mostly sexist pigs trembling in the face of female empowerment, while the women inhabit a man-hating commune where they are gradually eradicating the two-timing dogs from their world ("Men. I see one, I kill one."). Both are somewhat reprehensible in their own way, but in the Asian context, it is notable that many such films indulge fantasies of powerful evil women permitting spectacular displays of forceful sexuality which is always punished or destroyed at the end to return the gender balance to its patriarchal, safe norm. As such, it fits neatly into all the categories which have made Hong Kong films so fascinating and extreme to Western viewers.

muichimotsu Much more action and a varied storyline makes the closing effort shine brilliantly.There is a wide array of new characters each woven into the fabric to make a smoother flowing piece.Gentlemen please pay homage to your significant other or else..Brigitte Lin is as always superb.she holds the camera with her patented stare.Sterling swordplay,great music and the support characters make this an enjoyable film..romance and unrequited love abound.The ending is pure magic.Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned..Great film.