Shura Yukihime 2001

Dave Kehr, New York Times: Not quite good enough to jump out of the pack of Asian swordplay movies but is too well crafted to sink into utter anonymity. Read more

Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: Its corny streak brings the movie too close to cut-rate Chinese Opera epics than should be allowed. Read more

Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times: Has all the makings of a cult film. Read more

Gary Dowell, Dallas Morning News: [Yumiko Shaku] doesn't project the confidence or menace that the role requires. Trying to pass her off as a stone-cold assassin is like casting Britney Spears as Marie Curie -- it just doesn't jibe. Read more

Scott Foundas, L.A. Weekly: Despite its origins, nearly every visual and storytelling idea in this green-and-black-tinted martial-arts fantasy seems to derive from Mad Max, The Matrix and/or The Lord of the Rings. Read more

Derek Elley, Variety: Delicately rendered, if full of pretty banal sentiments, the film's softer central section is a necessary counterweight to the other two acts, which are largely shot in an oppressive blue filter. Read more

Ed Park, Village Voice: Yuki's streamlined revenge story (the furious, elegant choreography is by HK maestro Donnie Yen) has in its modest dimensions a surprising grace. Read more