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A Touch Of Zen Reviews

1969

60
from 1214 members

An influential martial arts film and an acknowledged influence on Ang Lee's amazing Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, King Hu's A Touch of Zen opens with young scholar Ku Shen-chai working at his portraiture stand in a small frontier town. He lives with his nagging mother in a supposedly haunted, rundown house at the edge of the .. Read more

Starring	Hsu Feng, Pai Ying, Tien Peng, Roy Chiao
Director	King Hu
Genres	Action/Adventure, World Cinema

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Critic's review of A Touch Of Zen
View all critics' reviews (3)
- King Hu's remarkable Ming Dynasty epic deliberately makes itself impossible to define, beginning as a ghost story, then... read more on Time Out
- 45503
- - Time Out
  - 04 Nov 2008 at 00:15
Write your own review »
Most helpful member's review of A Touch Of Zen
View all members' reviews (10)
- - 4
  - 0
  'A touch of Class' in the martial arts movie world!
  
  You can see that this film has been the inspiration for countless other martial arts flims. Ang Lee found it inspirational for Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 55076
- [Highly rated reviewer]
  - a customer
  - London
  - 23 Nov 2004 at 14:16
Most recent members' reviews of A Touch Of Zen
View all members' reviews (10)
- - 1
  - 0
  Bad Subtitling but Decent Film.
  
  This has very poor subtitling... Parts of exchanges are uttered without being subtitled, and none of the signs are translated either. The viewer stilll gets the... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 1061938
- - JoseyMoses
  - 6 reviews
  - Hove
  - 12 Nov 2011 at 19:42
- - 0
  - 1
  Just atrocious
  
  Fidgety camera-work - lack of characterisation - overlong story - all opportunities missed in this tedious & turgid martial arts tale. The only good things ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 949355
- - blahblahblah
  - 40 reviews
  - Sandy
  - 28 Dec 2010 at 22:18
- - 0
  - 0
  Classic Film That Does Go On.
  
  I watched this with an open mind, knowing quite a bit about the film and it's twists and turns. This is a flawed masterpiece though. As it switches from one... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 359049
- - drunkenmaster
  - 479 reviews
  - Merthyr Tydfil,
  - 29 Jan 2006 at 10:31
- - 0
  - 0
  Superb
  
  Long lingering shots and graphic violence are more reminiscent of the Japanese Babycart series than typical wuxei. However this classic that founded the wuxei ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 351358
- - ColBen
  - Manchester
  - 17 Oct 2005 at 11:59
- - 2
  - 5
  a classic!
  
  really superb film. seminal work which has had much influence on later films. well developed characters and story, good cinematography and dialogue and (a ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 145747
- - DJM
  - Staffs
  - 30 Aug 2005 at 16:37
- - 0
  - 0
  Masterpiece
  
  The inspiration for ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ and an incredible film in it’ own right.
  
  King Hu was the master of martial arts ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 343549
- - craigskinz1
  - hampshire
  - 12 Aug 2005 at 12:35
- - 2
  - 5
  A touch of zzz...
  
  Very slow to begin with, but then becomes watchable once the action starts. May have been influential back in the day but now there is so much better.
  
  Report this review
- 321456
- - abs78
  - East Lothian
  - 02 Feb 2005 at 12:42
- - 4
  - 0
  Need patience but worth the wait
  
  This movie lasts a considerable time (2.30min?) and is quite convoluted in its story telling. Nevertheless anyone interested in seeing feudal Chinese society ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 315228
- - jellyfish1
  - London
  - 27 Nov 2004 at 11:22
- - 4
  - 0
  'A touch of Class' in the martial arts movie world!
  
  You can see that this film has been the inspiration for countless other martial arts flims. Ang Lee found it inspirational for Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 55076
- - a customer
  - London
  - 23 Nov 2004 at 14:16
- - 4
  - 8
  A classic dull boring.
  
  This may well be a classic film, antecedent of all the modern glossy fun Crouching Tigers or Heros, but unfortunately it goes on far too long.
  
  ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 313702
- - Miphon
  - oxfordshire
  - 10 Nov 2004 at 14:19
View all members' reviews (10)

- - 4
  - 0
  'A touch of Class' in the martial arts movie world!
  
  You can see that this film has been the inspiration for countless other martial arts flims. Ang Lee found it inspirational for Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 55076
- [Highly rated reviewer]
  - a customer
  - London
  - 23 Nov 2004 at 14:16
- - 4
  - 0
  Need patience but worth the wait
  
  This movie lasts a considerable time (2.30min?) and is quite convoluted in its story telling. Nevertheless anyone interested in seeing feudal Chinese society ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 315228
- - jellyfish1
  - London
  - 27 Nov 2004 at 11:22
- - 1
  - 0
  Bad Subtitling but Decent Film.
  
  This has very poor subtitling... Parts of exchanges are uttered without being subtitled, and none of the signs are translated either. The viewer stilll gets the... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 1061938
- - JoseyMoses
  - 6 reviews
  - Hove
  - 12 Nov 2011 at 19:42
- - 0
  - 0
  Masterpiece
  
  The inspiration for ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ and an incredible film in it’ own right.
  
  King Hu was the master of martial arts ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 343549
- - craigskinz1
  - hampshire
  - 12 Aug 2005 at 12:35
- - 0
  - 0
  Superb
  
  Long lingering shots and graphic violence are more reminiscent of the Japanese Babycart series than typical wuxei. However this classic that founded the wuxei ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 351358
- - ColBen
  - Manchester
  - 17 Oct 2005 at 11:59
- - 0
  - 0
  Classic Film That Does Go On.
  
  I watched this with an open mind, knowing quite a bit about the film and it's twists and turns. This is a flawed masterpiece though. As it switches from one... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 359049
- - drunkenmaster
  - 479 reviews
  - Merthyr Tydfil,
  - 29 Jan 2006 at 10:31
- - 0
  - 1
  Just atrocious
  
  Fidgety camera-work - lack of characterisation - overlong story - all opportunities missed in this tedious & turgid martial arts tale. The only good things ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 949355
- - blahblahblah
  - 40 reviews
  - Sandy
  - 28 Dec 2010 at 22:18
- - 2
  - 5
  a classic!
  
  really superb film. seminal work which has had much influence on later films. well developed characters and story, good cinematography and dialogue and (a ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 145747
- - DJM
  - Staffs
  - 30 Aug 2005 at 16:37
- - 2
  - 5
  A touch of zzz...
  
  Very slow to begin with, but then becomes watchable once the action starts. May have been influential back in the day but now there is so much better.
  
  Report this review
- 321456
- - abs78
  - East Lothian
  - 02 Feb 2005 at 12:42
- - 4
  - 8
  A classic dull boring.
  
  This may well be a classic film, antecedent of all the modern glossy fun Crouching Tigers or Heros, but unfortunately it goes on far too long.
  
  ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 313702
- - Miphon
  - oxfordshire
  - 10 Nov 2004 at 14:19

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Buy from Amazon.co.uk

- - Buy
- A Touch Of Zen
  
  An influential martial arts film and an acknowledged influence on Ang Lee's amazing Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, King Hu's A Touch of Zen opens with young scholar Ku Shen-chai working at his portraiture stand in a small frontier town. He lives with his nagging mother in a supposedly haunted, ...