From the opening credits to the heart-breaking finale, a masterpiece of revenge, storytelling and a meditation on the costs of our actions.

Kar-Wai's near masterpiece. Repeat viewings deepen it and you soon begin connecting to the longing on Leung's expressive face - and how it affects everything he does.

Some of the casting limits it. It needed a lead actor with a more expressive range and gravatis than Farrell, but the imagery is amazing and sequences, such as the first landing, are breathtaking in their wonder and impact.

At first, you think it's going to take the easy way out. But it doesn't and lets everyone, no matter their background, have their dignity. Soon, you're thinking about each character in a new way.

Hoffman is terrific, of course, but Miller's filmmaking evokes both Capote's book and Richard Brooks' film at times. And it includes an underrated turn from Chris Cooper.