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I stumbled into this one by accident thinking it was "Hero", the 2002 oscar nominee also starring Zhang Ziyi. The region 2 (Korean & French audio 5.1) looked good so I rented it... For you consideration, ladies and gentlemen at the Academy Awards. Perhaps not for best director or picture it is true, but nowhere during the last year have I seen a film with such striking yet low-key effects and such a layered action film. For all its desire to entertain, Musa is a sweeping epic indeed. The plot seems inspired by "Seven Samurai" in many places, but with a thread original enough to offer surprises, not least of which are: 1) The characters (some flawed some god-like, but all very human, and a great villain, if indeed he can be called that), 2) Photography... and editing and production design. This is Gladiator-style effects transposed to medieval China with added gritt. The themes also evolve interestingly throughout. The way all characters struggle with their conceptions of honour and how honour in itself turns out to be a cruel and ironic trap to those who cling to it: the only fault our heroes commit to start with is to remain loyal to their mission, and then to their moral views, which brings them more pain than gain. This also gains in texture with repeated viewings, and though it may not quite be Kurosawa, it is a triumph in its own right and procures that unqualifiable delight at watching a film and knowing exactly where all the money went, because it is all up there on screen, and for once, equally shared, performances included. Something you have got to see. For your consideration, ladies and gentlemen: "Musa".
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