Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon isn't alone in bringing star-cross'd lovers to the martial arts genre. Korean director Young-jun Kim's debut - the first release from new DVD label Premier Asia - is as strong on swooning romance as it is on breakneck fight choreography.
Driven by gorgeous images (the petal-blizzard flashbacks in particular) and awesome action (the swordplay sequences are truly dizzying), the knot of the plot grows tighter as a warrior avenges the murder of his parents while wooing his lifelong love (his adversary's daughter). Hyeon-jun Shin also excels as the broodingly charismatic sword master.