Terra-Cotta Warrior, A

Following their collaborations on the international art house hits Red Sorghum and Ju Dou, director Zhang Yimou and actress Gong Li reteamed for this bigbudget fantasy. Stepping in front of the camera this time, Zhang stars as a Qin Dynasty chamberlain who makes the mistake of falling for one of the emperor's concubines. As punishment, he is transformed into a Terracotta Warrior and awakens 3,000 years later, where he encounters an actress who is a dead ringer for the woman who captivated him so many years ago. Written by acclaimed novelist Lilian Lee and directed by Hong Kong action specialist Ching Siu-Tung (A Chinese Ghost Story), A Terracotta Warrior is a captivating combination of humor, adventure and romance. Zhang and Gong give winning performances, and their chemistry was no doubt heightened by the fact that they were also a couple offscreen at the time.