"A story of violent love within a time frame spanning from 2001 to 2017" according to its tagline. Well technically speaking it was 2018 in the movie but who's really keeping score. Violent love? Not that I necessarily wanted to see any graphic depictions, but when did anything remotely related to love occur in this 136 minute snoozefest. More accurately speaking,Ash Is Purest White is a long, drawn out tale of (greatly) unrewarded loyalty on the part of an industrious gangster's girlfriend; on her rise, fall and moderate rise again over the course of 17 years or so, noting the changes across Chinese society in the background.
Yes, I do admit there was something compellingly attractive about Tao Zhao's performance as Qiao, the much taken for granted moll. But anyone hoping for some sort of sweeping, oriental, love story set against a Godfather-like background of underworld intrigue will be sorely disappointed. Many of the elements which might add stimulus to this snail trail of a story happen off screen. Instead viewers have to sit through interminably long periods of various characters casting shady looks at one another, whilst undertaking bus, train or boat trips or alternatively karaoke or exhibitions of dance performed by minor characters completely unrelated to the main storyline. The one solitary action set piece in the movie, admittedly crucial to the narrative, is underwhelmingly choreographed, whilst being laughingly over-hyped by many a critic for its exhilarating originality. LOL! Surely they jest?
Ash is Purest White is like a delicate soup. Some may appreciate its light body and discerning palate. Me, I like the stock to have been derived by a source with a little more meat on its bones. This is one seriously overrated movie.
Yes, I do admit there was something compellingly attractive about Tao Zhao's performance as Qiao, the much taken for granted moll. But anyone hoping for some sort of sweeping, oriental, love story set against a Godfather-like background of underworld intrigue will be sorely disappointed. Many of the elements which might add stimulus to this snail trail of a story happen off screen. Instead viewers have to sit through interminably long periods of various characters casting shady looks at one another, whilst undertaking bus, train or boat trips or alternatively karaoke or exhibitions of dance performed by minor characters completely unrelated to the main storyline. The one solitary action set piece in the movie, admittedly crucial to the narrative, is underwhelmingly choreographed, whilst being laughingly over-hyped by many a critic for its exhilarating originality. LOL! Surely they jest?
Ash is Purest White is like a delicate soup. Some may appreciate its light body and discerning palate. Me, I like the stock to have been derived by a source with a little more meat on its bones. This is one seriously overrated movie.