Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-Hsien is widely regarded by scholars and critics as a great director, with many of his works being labeled as masterpieces. Perhaps it's due to this reviewer having watched too many Wong Jing films or ingested too many Heinekens over the many years this site has run for, but Millennium Mambo came off as pretentious rather than entertaining.

Don't let the cover art and Hsu Chi's background as a nude model and Category III star fool you -- this isn't the sexy romp you might be expecting. Though you do see Hsu in various stages of undress (but never fully naked) this is a film that is ostensibly supposed to stimulate your upper head, rather than your lower one.

The problem being that this movie is just so damn boring. Hou tends to favor an almost cinema verite style, simply letting the camera linger as the action (or lack thereof) plays out. Basically, this adds up to a lot of static shots of people talking with each other -- if that even occurs. Most of the conversations portrayed here are one-sided affairs. This is symbolic of the issues the characters are having in their relationships and works well in that fashion, but as for creating a compelling movie, it falls flat, especially since none of the characters are all that likeable, or even interesting.

To her credit, Hsu Chi does seem to be trying her best, and her performance manages to save this picture from being a total cinematic albatross. However, when the audience (or at least certain members, like this particular reviewer) ends up not caring about any decision she makes or the consequences brought forth by them, does any of it matter in the end? Perhaps that was the point Hou was trying to make, but by the time the end credits rolled, any attempts at artistic expression were falling on long-deaf ears.

RATING: 4