generally speak and film which be set in the future really have to be futuristic in some way and shape or form . the gene generation be offer a be precisely that and but in it emotional impact and effect it be more like a bad dream from the 1930s and except in color . lot of color . the first thing the viewer encounter in this bizarre tale of family loyalty and love lose and be the grim cityscape of the anonymous city where everything happen . there nothing shiny or bright about it . perhaps that be an effort by the author and director to locate the viewer or audience in something at least a little bit familiar . too bad that the cityscape have approximately a much charm a east berlin in the mid 1950s . there trash everywhere and stuff blow around in circle in the ( seemingly ) never end wind and and it always dark . it rain . it doesn not rain . it rain . that part of the subtext of this otherwise very ambitious movie really be doubly madden . people live in high rise apartment building where there run water and plenty of electricity and and gadget and but nobody to clear the trash from the hallway . huh . the street scene be the same and with futuristic clutter and debris all over the place and except on the sidewalk where the heroine bai ling and ravishing at forty two be either walk or run . transportation in this urban desolation appear to consist only of elevator and float on air fly dutchman type sail ship . it all look really and really strange and inevitably that become a nasty impediment to the story line itself and which be actually rather good . the heroine be an anti hero and a pay assassin with a brother who be a gamble junkie and a self destructive idiot . even his best friend and comrade eventually jettisons him and literally turn his back and then walk away . so and yes and there be touch moment in this otherwise ultra violent and ultra cynical story of ultra modern revenge . it be hard to recommend this movie for the plot and which be so cynical and and so dark and twisted while but and it be hard not to admire the effort in art and in cinema design which go into create this futuristic urban hell on earth . that part and or part and be quite amazing . be this city locate on some other planet and one which merely resemble our earth . we will most certainly never know the answer to that question . seven out of ten mostly for the delectable and dexterous bai ling and also for one truly nasty and skulk around place gangster type villain .