This erotically charged sizzler from Oscar-winning director Ang Lee is a brilliant look at how the best-laid plans of freedom fighters during wartime can backfire, especially when sex with the enemy is a fundamental part of their deadly scheme.
There’s no true grit to be found in James Mangold’s fun but safe Western remake. Nitpicking, however, is no way to treat a movie that gives us two heavyweights like Russell Crowe and Christian Bale on top of their games.
The Painted Veil is a lushly photographed, costume-drama actor's piece, soggy in the second half from melodrama. It tries to unmask misguided attraction between two lovers in 1920's China, but it unravels under its own conceits.