Fridae

Based on the old supernatural story that has already been told � albeit poorly � in the 1993 movie by King Hu, Painted Skin tells the period tale of a female demon which eats the hearts of men so she may stay young.

The effete-looking Chen Kun plays a soldier who saves a beautiful woman (Zhou Xun) in the desert and brings her home to be a servant to his wife (Vicky Zhao). Little does he know that the stranger is a demon who eats human hearts so she can stay young. When the local villagers start to die one by one, the wife suspects her new servant. She seeks the help of a rogue (Donnie Yen) to help her prove it...

Painted Skin is directed by Gordon Chan who does an efficient but uninspired job. The storyline is engaging enough, and strong performances by Zhou Xun, Chen Kun and Vicky Zhao in the leads keep you watching. Painted Skin is not a great film, but it's not bad either.

Incidentally, the film also stars two Singaporean actors in supporting roles, China-born Qi Yuwu as well as newcomer David Leong. Oddly enough, Qi Yuwu � the bigger star of the two � gives a typically weak performance, while David Leong is surprisingly convincing as a clairvoyant soldier.