A Touch of Zen
Seen it?1970 | 180 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Sunday Safe BetWhy it’s a Sunday Safe Bet
Critics loved it (97% on Rotten Tomatoes). A safe bet when you want something reliable.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for fantasy fans and action fans. If you loved Mulan, start here. Critics rate it higher than audiences do, so it rewards patience more than it chases thrills.
- The mood
- Exciting.
- The pace
- Epic and sweeping, at 3 hr.
- What might put you off
- It's long: 3 hr.
- It's in Chinese, so expect subtitles (or a dub).
- Made in 1970: an older pace and style.
- Audiences were cooler on it than critics.
Yang Hui-zhen, a mysterious princess on the run from corrupt government officials, is joined in her endeavors by skilled Buddhist monks and an unambitious painter named Gu Sheng-zhai.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsVery strong
97% on Rotten Tomatoes
- AudiencesSolid
7.6 out of 10
- AwardsNot counted
No major awards or nominations
- Reach & staying powerSolid
Streaming release that reached a small audience so far; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactSolid
About 35K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Directed by King Hu
- Hsu FengYang Hui-zhen
- Shih ChunGu Sheng-zhai
- Pai YingGeneral Shi Wen-qiao
- Tien PengOuyang Nian
- Roy ChiaoAbbot Hui-yuan
- Tsao ChienMagistrate Xu Zheng-qing
- Miao TianNie Qiu (Men Da's Advisor)
- Melvin Chang Yun-WenTao Lung
- Hsueh HanGeneral Lu Ding-an
- Han Ying-chiehChief Commander Xu Xian-chun