Since this film has received so much praise, I feel the need to issue a warning here for those who expect a masterpiece.<br /><br />The film is actually pretty difficult to get into. The storytelling is very confusing. For at least the first 45 minutes, I couldn't make heads or tails out of what was happening, who was fighting whom, who all those people were, etc. Perhaps this is a movie meant to be seen and understood completely only by those who have read the novel on which it's based. When an actual story does begin to take form, the film does have some touching and/or disturbing moments (you get a good look at naked Siamese twins), but the much-talked-about violence and action choreography is strictly comic-book-level. This film needed more clarity and narrative skill to be successful. (*1/2)