Kim Sung-su (South Korea)
A moderately interesting swordfest set in China, 1375, where the Ming dynasty has just overthrown the Yuan. Korea wants good relations with the Mings, but its hapless delegation, led by inept young general Choi Jung, has just been thrown out of the Ming court. Choi Jung then gets the bright idea of rescuing a captured Ming princess from the Yuan and using her to curry favour with the new dynasty. Cue to: lopped heads, slashed horses, and impaled handmaidens. Plus a bizarre mixture of cliché (mysterious slave boy who proves to be a warrior of superhuman prowess) and sound character observation. The film stars the disturbingly beautiful Zhang Ziyi (from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) as the princess. Here is a woman whose pendant lips really do look as if carved in jade, and right away she makes you believe all the battling over her is perfectly justified. - R.C.

(Sept. 14, 5:45 PM, Uptown 2; Sept. 15, 6:00 PM, Isabel Bader Theatre)