Xu lao hu yu bai gua fu

It's all about expectations. I sat down to watch "The Tiger and the Widow" expecting an action film, with Kara Hui (from countless kung-fu flicks, both old-school and new) and Tanny (from "Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold") getting a large share of the action. Wrong on all counts: the film is a talky drama, there is only ONE fight scene, and neither lady is involved in it. The problems begin with the premise: the movie is about an illegal salt smuggling ring run by Tanny and her male partner, who spend most of the movie arguing which one of them is going to sacrifice him/herself and surrender to the police. Did you get that? Salt smuggling. That ranks right up there with tax evasion as far as exciting "screen crimes" are concerned. The movie is pretty to look at and well-acted, but it is also incredibly boring. Kara Hui fans, in particular, should just ignore it completely. (*)