It's Romeo and Juliet knee-deep in carnage, staged with Jacobean fury, lurid sensuality and high style by the recklessly gifted Chereau.

That's a lot of plot-and plotting-to sort out, and while Chreau and co-writer Danile Thompson occasionally fail to explicate it clearly, the center of the film holds strong.

A model of heaving, combustible history, in which period lavishness and performance energy aren't mutually exclusive.

If you like historical costume pieces, this is your ticket. Be warned, though, that the level of violence is high.