In the 3rd Century BC, in one of the seven warring kingdoms that will one day be China, a nameless hero is brought before the king to tell the story of how he defeated the three most powerful martial artists in the land. If this is just an excuse to show a series of expertly staged martial arts duels, then fair enough: Zhang Yimou does everything Ang Lee did in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and does it much better. His fights are all more thrilling flights of fantasy, and they certainly look more impressive; at the same time, they're more plausible, with every tiny movement well defined.

But the story is not just a series of fights. It starts to turn into a riddle, as we discover the nameless hero may be lying to the king, and we see alternate versions of what we thought we knew. As in Rash((trade))mon, we can triangulate from the lies and work out what really happened. Unlike in Rash((trade))mon, we also get to see what really happened (and what happens next), which, given that all the footage is among the most stunning and gorgeous I've ever seen, is fine by me.

A blind masseur (Kitano) comes into a town dominated by the sinister Ginzo gang, resting with an innocent farming family. But he is - of course - far more than he seems. He's actually a samurai swordsman of the highest order, a nearly silent defender of widows and orphans who stands ready to slice'n'dice all warlords, thugs and other abusers.

Kitano is able to change one of the standard samurai film set-ups ("Zatoichi" is an iconic figure in Japanese film, with dozens of films released, as well as such Hollywoodisations as Rutger Hauer's Blind Fury) into something very different. Yes, you do get your sword battles complete with severed limbs and squirting blood, but there's a lot more. The plot lays as much emphasis on the drama in the supporting cast as on Kitano, including the two geishas also out for revenge against the Ginzo gang, and the young samurai who becomes a Ginzo henchman for the most worthy of reasons. Plus there's the strangely surreal scenes, choreographed around the rhythms of rural activities, which make the film feel like a close relation of percussion maestros "Stomp", which build to a Japanese clogdancing finale. In short, it's the kind of film that could fit into the Cult Movies slot on SBS - but with enough added dimensions that the serious film-buff should get something out of it too.