Ashes of Time Redux feels like dust in the wind (1)

Director Wong Kar Wai’s Ashes of Time Redux showcases blind swordsmen, bounty hunters and courtesans in ancient China who display superhuman, gravity-defying martial arts feats. That said, it’s best not to think of it as one of those “wire-fu” action movies like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar Wai specializes in sensual mood pieces over conventional narrative films. Ashes of Time Redux has much more in common with the director’s lush but enigmatic present-day narratives such as In the Mood for Love or My Blueberry Nights than any Jet Li popcorn movie.

The “Redux” part of the title comes from Wong's decision to re-edit his 1994 film Ashes of Time, which has a cult following despite never being released in the United States. The new version features a shorter running time and new digital color tinting, which gives the cinematography the quality of spun gold in some scenes. The late Leslie Cheung narrates the film as Ouyang, a broker of swords-for-hire who lives at the edge of a vast desert. Wong shows the precision of a painter in matching the inhospitable climate to the cynical character’s emotional desolation. Similarly, close-ups of a woman embracing a horse’s neck have the heady, tactile quality of Wong’s best work.