I really liked the atmospherics, period costume, story, and characters in this movie. It was, however, soiled by the use of almost exclusively Hong Kong kung fu theater combat sequences set in the 18th Century French countryside.

The movie, for me, was made by Monica Bellucci’s tarot card reading catholic hooker of mystery character. Hers was the best character with an ambiguous presence but full knowledge of the plot; the character through which the storyteller behind the supposed story teller told the tale. Make sure you view the special features on the DVD. The deleted scenes are interesting. More important are the director’s commentary on why these scenes were deleted, which serves as a testimony to the limitations of film as a storytelling medium.

Robert E. Howard would have loved this movie.