The Promise

Two young kids try to scrounge food on a battlefield. The girl uses cunning to get a cake the boy found. As she flees with it she drops it in the water. A female spirit offers her a deal : if she never find happy love, she will never be hungry (= rich) again. She accepts. General Guangming (Hiroyuki Sanada) is victorious in battle once again. He meets the spirit (in human form) that tells him someone will kill the king and stain his honor. He is wounded but is rescued by a slave, Kunlun (Dong-Gun Jang). He sends him to the palace with order to save the king, describing him as the only one without a weapon. Confused, he kills the king and escapes with Qinsheng (Cecilia Cheung), they are surrounded by soldiers and agrees to jump off the cliff to save Qinsheng. General Guanming is faced by his soldiers and saved again by Kunlun. He meets Qinsheng and falls in love.

This is a Chinese fairytale. The story is very simple, what's important here is the characters, what their choices lead to, and morale of the portagonists (even the "evil" characters). The movie is known as "The Promise" (as for the promise of the little girl) or "Legend of the wind riders" (the tribe Kunlun comes from). There is some Wuxia elements, with incredible sword fights, incredible jumps and races ... Director Chen Kaige uses very bright colors that bring intensity and life to the movie, either using the scenery or costumes to this effect.

The main characters, Kunlun and Qinsheng, are victims of fate and can only try to do their best of the situation. There is mostly drama here, with good hearted characters trying to keep their honor and follow their heart and aspirations until their last breath.

Remarkable movie.