Ashes of Time
Ashes of Time
東邪西毒
Overview
"Ouyang Feng, a cynical and broken-hearted swordsman, lives in the desert acting as an agent who hires hitmen for those seeking revenge. Over the course of the seasons, various legendary warriors pass through his isolated tavern, each dealing with their own romantic tragedies, lost memories, and existential sorrow."
Iconic Tracked Scenes
- ▶
A blind swordsman takes on a massive gang of horse thieves to earn travel money, filmed in disorienting, blurry slow-motion to reflect his failing vision.
"blind swordsman fight""wong kar wai action" - ▶
A barefoot swordsman fights an entire gang of assassins single-handedly in incredibly chaotic, impressionistic flashes of light and motion.
"barefoot swordsman""step printed sword fight" - ▶
Ouyang Feng drinks a magical wine designed to erase painful memories, only to realize that forgetting is impossible, accompanied by moody, atmospheric swordsmanship.
"drinking the magic wine""ashes of time ending"
Why It's Remembered
- ★The blind swordsman fighting a horde of bandits, waiting for the blood to spray to hear if his blade strikes true before he loses his sight completely.
- ★The schizophrenic swordsman fighting unseen assassins in the desert reflection of a lake.
- ★Ouyang Feng lamenting the loss of his love while drinking magic wine that was supposed to erase his memories.
Cultural Context
- ◈Directed by Wong Kar-wai, this is a radical deconstruction of the wuxia genre, prioritizing melancholy romance and visual poetry over traditional storytelling or clear combat.
- ◈The action scenes, choreographed by Sammo Hung, are famously impressionistic—rendered in blurry step-printing, chaotic slow-motion, and flashing lights.
- ◈Features essentially every massive superstar in Hong Kong cinema of the era in a single, deeply depressing film.
About the Action Elements
Ashes of Time is widely celebrated among martial arts cinema fans for sequences involving blind, swordsman, horse thieves, blurry, slow motion. One of the most memorable sequences features Leslie Cheung naturally executing blind swordsman fight, where the choreography and unique set pieces become the unexpected highlight of the film.