Let eyes feast, and don't worry about the plot

Simply in terms of its visual poetry, the exhilarating effects of image upon image of dazzling impossibility, The Promise is not to be missed.

Written and directed by Chinese director Chen Kaige - taking his cue from the wuxia hits of Ang Lee (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) and Zhang Zimou (House of Flying Daggers) - The Promise mixes sword and sorcery, fable and romance, and armies of knights in acrobatic combat.

Almost 20 minutes shorter than the version shown in Asia (where, as Wu ji, it enjoyed great success), the U.S. cut isn't the easiest thing to follow. Plot-wise, it's a boggle.

A prologue sets the sumptuous, romantic tone of Chen's ancient China tale: a little girl, first seen scavenging among battlefield corpses, is met by a kind-of-fairy-godmother, the goddess Manshen (Chen Hong), and offered a deal. If she accepts, she can lead a life of infinite wealth and comfort, among the country's powerful elite. There is but one caveat: She will lose any and every man she loves. Happiness of the heart is impossible.

The poor peasant girl agrees. The promise is made.

Jump ahead two decades, and the young waif is now Princess Qingcheng (Cecilia Cheung), an awesome creature who can literally stop enemy soldiers in their tracks. This she does, in fact, standing atop the roof of the Imperial City, the king at her side. But Wuhuan, the Duke of the North (Nicholas Tse), wants the princess for himself, the king is a jerk, and the slave Kunlun (Jang Dong-Gun), disguised as the General Guangming (don't ask), rides in, runs a saber through the king and flees - taking the beautiful princess with him.

The duke and his gang giddy-up in pursuit, hot on their heels.

And then there's a masked assassin, making everybody's life more difficult.

Rife with windblown leaves, slo-mo effects, cartwheeling choreography, and some amazing computer animation, The Promise is about fate and destiny and whether man - and woman - have any control over matters of the heart and soul.

It is also about the miracle of the moving image. When Kunlun, say, points his head down and runs faster than the fastest wind, or when the goddess Manshen hovers above a lake, her tresses billowing wildly into the clouds - these are moments of pure transcendence that make audiences forget every worry that they've ever had.

Whether or not the story makes any sense, The Promise promises to transport - and does.

Contact movie critic Steven Rea at 215-854-5629 or srea@phillynews.com. Read his recent work at http://go.philly.com/stevenrea.

The Promise *** (out of four stars)

Produced by Chen Hong, Han Sanping, and Ernst "Etchie" Stroh, written and directed by Chen Kaige, photography by Peter Pau, music by Klaus Badelt, distributed by Warner Independent Pictures. In Mandarin with subtitles.

Running time: 1 hour, 43 mins.

Qingcheng. . . Cecilia Cheung

Kunlun. . . Jang Dong-Gun

Wuhuan. . . Nicholas Tse

Snow Wolf. . . Liu Ye

Parent's guide: PG-13 (violence, sex, supernatural goings-on, adult themes)

Playing at: Ritz East and Ritz Sixteen/NJ