The Promise
Seen it?2005 | 121 min | Fantasy, Drama, Action, Thriller, Romance
Weeknight Watchearly ratingWhy it’s a Weeknight Watch
With almost no lasting buzz and middling reviews (31% on Rotten Tomatoes), it's a mixed bag. Fine if it's on; don't plan your night around it.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for anyone who likes to be kept guessing, romantics and fantasy fans.
- The mood
- Tense, warm and romantic.
- The pace
- Takes its time with its characters, at 2 hr 1 min.
- What might put you off
- Rated PG-13: peril. Probably too much for younger kids.
- It's in Chinese, so expect subtitles (or a dub).
An orphaned girl, driven by poverty at such a young age, makes a promise with an enchantress. In return for beauty and the admiration of every man, she will never be with the man she loves. This spell cannot be broken unless the impossible happens: snow falling in spring and the dead coming back to life. Now a grown and beautiful princess, she regrets her promise, for all of the men she's loved has always been met with tragedy.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsBelow par
31% on Rotten Tomatoes, 53 on Metacritic
- AudiencesBelow par
5.6 out of 10
- AwardsWeak
0 wins and 1 nomination from smaller awards and festivals
- Box office & staying powerBelow par
$42 million worldwide
- Buzz & cultural impactWeak
About 19K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Directed by Chen Kaige
- Cecilia CheungPrincess Qingcheng
- Liu YeSnow Wolf
- Chen HongGoddess Manshen
- Cheng QianThe Emperer
- Jang Dong-gunKunlun
- Hiroyuki SanadaGeneral Guangming
- Nicholas Tse Ting-fungWuhuan
- Yu JinweiYe Li
- Guan XiaotongYoung Qingcheng
- Shi LeiYoung Wuhuan