For all its genre pleasures, Peking Opera Blues seriously reflects on the political upheavals of 20th-century China.

The film is bright, colorful, and zany; any kind of plot is secondary to its freneticism, which moves the story along at a pace that often makes it difficult to follow

... a crazy concoction of costume pageant, historical drama, espionage thriller, Chinese opera, action spectacle, and slapstick comedy. And refreshingly, this rapid-fire pageant is driven by three resourceful women.

Truly a treat.