Chinese Odyssey 2002 (2002): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 2002, Chinese Odyssey 2002 is an action, comedy and romance film directed by Jeffrey Lau, running about 97 minutes.

What it’s about. The Emperor (Chang Chen) is desperate for the free-spirited life of a wanderer, and tries to escape from the royal palace with his sister, the Princess (Faye Wong). He's caught and returned to his angry mother by the royal guards, but the Princess, disguised as a man, manages to escape. Meanwhile, King Bully (Tony Leung) has returned to his hometown, where he is widely despised for his bullying ways, to run a restaurant with his tomboy sister, Phoenix (Vicki Zhao). They have a very close relationship. In fact, King Bully mistakenly believes that he can read his sister's mind. When the Princess arrives in town, King Bully finds himself drawn to her, but, believing she's a man, decides that his attraction is some kind of empathy with Phoenix.

Who’s in it. Chinese Odyssey 2002 stars Tony Leung Chiu-wai as Li Yilong, Zhao Wei as Phoenix, Faye Wong as Princess Wushuang and Chang Chen as Emperor Zheng De, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 7.1/10, Chinese Odyssey 2002 has been warmly received by audiences.

Where to watch. In US you can stream it on Criterion Channel and rent or buy it from Fandango At Home. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Chinese Odyssey 2002 page.

If you liked it. Fans of Chinese Odyssey 2002 tend to enjoy The Dark Knight, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Inception and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.