Temptation of a Monk (1993)

Now, Margret Pomenez, one of SBS's movie critics, says that this movie has an unforgettable sex scene. This is a shame because I was expecting something incredibly erotic, and what I got was a monk literally screwing a woman simply because he had not had sex in a long time. What it was was him falling to temptation rather than the beautiful act that occurs between two people in love. I guess that this is the whole point of the movie, and it was at its climax, but there was much more to this movie than a monk succumbing to his lust.Temptation of a Monk is set in 1626 in the Tang Dynasty and is focused on General Shi. He witnesses his emperor overthrown by his brother but is forbidden to seek revenge, so he flees to a monastery with some devoted followers to hide from his enemies. Unfortunately his enemies seem to always find him. The first monastery that he goes to is farcical as his followers, even though they become monks, behave in a very unmonklike manner, while Shi cannot handle being commanded by a boy. After he witnesses the princess and his lover murdered by his enemies, he flees to another monastery high in the mountains were he is cut off from all that is the real world. It is not until a woman who is dying comes to the monastery, and after her life is saved, she decides to stay. Only after Shi succumbs to his lust does he realise that she is in fact his enemy and has led the emperor's soldiers to the monastery.What impressed me about this movie was the beautiful cinematography. The story is hard to follow, and the fact that subtitles are there, the following movie is even harder. Despite that it is a beautifully made movie in which the costumes are beautifully constructed and the scenes marvellously put together. Unlike Pomenaz, I will not praise the sex scene, but rather praise the story of a man trying to flee from his enemies while taking up a lifestyle of abstention, which he is not used to. It is the psychology of Shi that makes this movie great, not the sex that he has with a woman at the end.

Throughout, I felt that this movie had the sensibility of a comic book, but a comic book of genius. The visuals were ceaselessly stunning, every single scene change led to another beautiful surprise; both dramatically and with what we were allowed to gorge our eyes (and sometimes ears) on. Rather than call it "directing", or "photography," or "set design," I want to say that the artwork was breathtaking.What are movies but comic books with the added dimensions of movement and sound? Both largely tell their stories with visuals, and dialog or narration. Too often I am a stickler for believability in movies but I could not help cutting this movie a lot of slack. "Yes, that is just how a comic book might treat the story but with nowhere near the impact," I found myself thinking throughout...

Although good in design and in content, Clara Law somehow fails to invoke emotion or response from her audience due to lack of character depth.The topics of betrayal and loyalty are confronted here, but neither are deeply explored by Law, who instead opts for visual grandeur in bloody battles and breathtaking backdrops. Andrew Lesnie's cinematography is an outstanding feast of colour and movement, with stunning scenery thrown in for good measure.Wu Hsin-kuo does convince us of the struggle within to forgive an free himself of his past, and his performance goes some way to lending the film focus and strength. In worthy support is Joan Chen, who makes the most of her rather meaningless character. More enjoyable is Michael Lee as an hundred year old abbot whose wit serves him well.Alas any true depth or searching, meaningful dialogue in Eddie Fong Ling-Ching an Lilian Lee's screenplay (based upon Lee's novella) is lost in Clara Law's all too grand approach which is visually stimulating yet intellectually void.Monday, April 28, 1997 - Hoyts Croydon

Temptation of a Monk is a treat for those viewers who value character development and self discovery. The movie is the story of a army general who strives to transcend the trappings of his position, social expectation and his current state of existence. He enters a monastery which shakes his social foundations (an elder brother monk, 10 years old ordering an ex-general around), but the teachings are ineffective because of his hidden motivations in joining the monastery. After a traumatic event, he moves on to another monastery, where his life begins to change. His newfound learnings and knowledge are again tested to determine whether he perseveres.The subtlety of the plot and the gradual development of the character is wonderful, much like the metamorphosis of a caterpillar. This is the strength of the film, enticing viewers to watch on to find out whether the protagonist perseveres. The contemporary style of the costumes is another feature of this film adding to the beauty of the landscape. Overall, Temptation of a Monk is an oriental treat -- displaying both the beauty of the land and of the human soul.