The answer is a masterpiece.
Duan replies: "Then the grain of love in your heart right now... is it for me?" journey to the west: conquering the demons movie
The film opens with a masterpiece of tonal whiplash. We see a floating fisherman’s village, a serene lake, and then—a giant, ravenous fish demon devouring a villager. Cue chaos. Xuanzang arrives to “quell” the beast by reading poetry. He fails spectacularly. He is saved by a rogue female demon hunter, Duan (Shu Qi), who wears a battle skirt, smokes a cigarillo, and laughs at his naivety. The answer is a masterpiece
It is not a triumphant ending. It is a resigned one. This is the price of compassion. Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons is often overshadowed by Chow’s earlier, funnier films. But it is arguably his most mature work. It sits alongside Pan’s Labyrinth and The Dark Knight as a genre film that asks hard questions. We see a floating fisherman’s village, a serene
The best example is the Pig Demon (originally Zhu Bajie). Before he was a lecherous pig-man comic relief, he was a betrayed husband who murdered his cheating wife and her lover. His rage is so pure that his demon form is unstoppable. When Xuanzang tries his "singing" routine, the Pig Demon doesn't pause—he charges, nearly killing our hero.
He screams: "From the very first moment I saw you, I fell in love with you!"