Temptation of a monk = You seng [DVD]

General Shi (Wu Hsin-kuo) is a loyal servant to heir apparent Prince Yuan-ji in the Chinese Tang Dynasty period. Fraternal jealousy is rampant amongst the sons in contention for the throne and Shi is offered the opportunity of a bloodless coup by a rival general: order his troops not to resist and no one will be hurt. The general reneges on his word and a bloody, trancelike battle ensues which sees the majority of Shi’s army, and the Prince, slaughtered. Shi, opposed to the new regime flees to a Buddhist shrine for refuge, and to secretly plot revenge with his comrades against those who turned against his leader. Another disastrous battle ensues in which he loses the Princess (Joan Chen) who has fallen in love with him and pursued him, as well as more men. Devastated he seeks redemption in a shrine, shaving heads of monks in the region, pondering his future, and being tempted by a widower (also played by Joan Chen) who visits the shrine seeking burial for her husband. Shot in an atmospheric blue hue, the plot of Clara Law’s film is at times hard to fathom, however it’s easy to savour the epic proportions of the film, the mesmerising battle scenes, and witness the restrained performance of the two leads as they manage to imbue their scenes with sensuality and passion. Cast also includes: Zhang Fengyui, Michael Lee.