A profound influence on Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and one of the most visually spectacular and beguiling films to emerge from the Far East, veteran director King Hu's A Touch of Zen is quite simply essential viewing. An ambitious, intricately structured tale that begins as a ghost story in a sleepy town outside Peking, Hu goes on to audaciously blend elements from the political thriller, the martial arts genre and Japanese Samurai movies to create a highly spiritual Ming dynasty epic. Moreover, the film boasts some of the most impressively choreographed and imaginative action sequences ever committed to celluloid. Beautifully performed throughout (the feisty, combative heroine Hsu Feng presents a refreshing vision of female empowerment), A Touch of Zen has acquired a legendary status that entirely befits its visionary daring and its utterly transcendent beauty.