Product Description

A new epic fantasy set in China's mythical past, "The Promise" is a visually stunning tale of passion that unfolds against a backdrop of war as a beautiful and mysterious princess becomes the object of affection for three very different men - a powerful Duke, a brave general and a lowly slave. As passions spark and egos clash, lives will be ruined and lovers spurned and no one will ever be the same.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #27306 in DVD
• Brand: CHEN,KAIGE
• Released on: 2006-12-19
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
• Formats: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: Cantonese
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, French
• Dubbed in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds
• Running time: 121 minutes

Amazon.com
The Promise came to American shores with endless hype about its visual splendor--and for once, the hype is deserved. Lush and luminous, almost every shot will make you want to weep from its sheer loveliness. A starving young orphan girl named Qingcheng is offered a deal by a capricious goddess: The girl will be staggeringly beautiful and have all the wealth, delicious food, and fabulous clothing she could ask for--but every man she ever loves will die. Thus begins a twisty tale in which a fleet-footed slave (Korean actor Dong-Kun Jang) and a mighty general (Japanese actor Hiroyuki Sanada, The White Countess) compete for the love of the adult Qingcheng (Hong Kong beauty Cecilia Cheung), while a vengeful usurper (Hong Kong star Nicholas Tse, Time and Tide) seeks to destroy them all. Like many of the classics of Hong Kong fantasy--such as A Chinese Ghost Story, Swordsman II, and Green Snake--The Promise combines the epic storylines of Chinese mythology with the headlong momentum and energetic editing of kung-fu action movies. The result can sometimes seem absurd to American audiences--though these same audiences will happily swallow the absurdities of American science fiction, simply because they're familiar with the conventions of the genre. Viewers who embrace the conventions of Hong Kong fantasy will find The Promise engaging and emotionally rich...and there's just no denying the gorgeousness. Compared with the sterile spectacle of the later Star Wars movies or the clumsy, labored Matrix sequels, The Promise bursts with human warmth, dynamic storytelling, and elegant design. More Western audiences should open themselves to its pleasures. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews

The Promise
Being a big a fan of Asian cinema I had read quite a few negative to luke warm reviews of this film and thought I would give it a try.

The Story is not as bad as I was led to believe. I will not go into the story description as it has been covered. It is full of the virtues that I like so much in Asian films. Honor, sacrafice, and death.

The DVD I watched was the shorter version. It includes the deleted scenes which I watched and do not feel they added or subtracted a whole lot from the story. The fact that the Asian release included them makes me wonder why they were cut out. The bothersome issue with this DVD is the film defaults to the awful english over dubs. You have to manually go into the menu and choose Chinese (Mandarin), and then designate english sub titles.

I love Crouching Tiger, Hero and House of Flying Daggers. This movie is none of those. While it has some beautiful moments it does seem 'synthethic'. If it were the directors intent to create an abstract feel he suceeded.

The CGI is deplorable. I have no problem with the fantasy aspect but this looked almost animated. Maybe Lord of the Rings ruined it for all but if this was supposed to be the most expensive movie ever made in China they could have done better. An example: the over view of the palace is a model. Absolutely obvious. The flying fights made so famous on other films of the genre are not at all fluid here, but jerky and clumsy.

All in all I watched with intrest. I had no desire to turn it off. I may have even given it three stars but I did grade it against the likes of Hero and House of Flying Daggers which may be unfair. I recommend watching it if you like the aforementioned films. My opinion may not be yours.

movie is mindblowing
this movie is absolutly mindblowing. i love it. being a fan of jang dong-gun, i found this movie great. the characters were fantastic, the special effects were amazing, and the story is a little out there, but very enjoyable. I would like to let everyone know that his is a FANTASY story and meant to be one. Critics and other reviewers, get an open mind. I appreciate the hard work put into this film.

Ultimately Disappointing
Having seen "Hero" and "House of the Flying Daggers," I expected a great deal out of "The Promise." The story combines a number of interesting folk tale-esque elements - a princess who, at an early age, chose to be beautiful but, in return, is cursed at love; a brash and boastful warrior-virtuoso and his servant, who can run faster than the wind; and their opposite numbers, a cruel villain who seeks a secret only the brash warrior's servant can reveal. As the plot unfolds, a love triangle and cases of mistaken identity ensue, leading to a fairly emotional climax. The story, however well-conceived, ultimately falls flat and fails to deliver on its early promise. The film's production design and special effects also leave a great deal to be desired, making the daring-do of the heroes frequently appear laughable. Indeed, for an action film, there are also very few battle scenes to break up the monotony. Those interested in a good kung fu movie would do better to check out either a massive epic the likes of "Hero," or a romp such as "Iron Monkey."