filmcritic . com presents a review from staff member max messier . you can find the review with full credits at <a href= " http : //www . filmcritic . com/misc/emporium . nsf/2a460f93626cd4678625624c007f2b46/d7665b014d292aff8825684b000a1cf2 ? opendocument " >http : //www . filmcritic . com/misc/emporium . nsf/2a460f93626cd4678625624c007f2b46/d7665b014d292aff8825684b000a1cf2 ? opendocument</a> my assumption is that every generation needs their own version of the film the king and i . my grandparents had rex harrison , my parents had yul brynner , and now my generation has chow yun-fat . hold the phone right there , mister . chow yun-fat . . . isn't he that the guy from those crazy , violent , hong kong action movies by john woo ? fear not , kind reader , for chow yun-fat commands the role made famous for all these years and gives both harrison and brynner a run for their money . when i watch chow yun-fat , one person comes to mind : steve mcqueen . watching chow move across the screen and establish his presence strongly echoes the attitude and the acting style of mcqueen . upon the viewer's first impression of the king of siam , chow is the complete image of royalty in eastern asia . his curt , rigid mannerisms and omnipotent status as king are delivered strongly with simple , direct looks . this attitude clearly draws the line between the customs of the east and west . as the film progresses , i watched chow evolve from this distant , commanding presence to an emotional , tangible creature that , with an honest glance , can covey passionate love for his family and for his country . the chemistry between the king and anna is made concrete by jodie foster's amazing acting abilities . she encompasses fully the role of a victorian lady born and bred in england . her staunch avocation towards defending her actions and securing proper respect from the king is fueled by the directness of foster's character . foster projects a silent understanding of the king's actions towards his family and strives to communicate with him on an equal level . she brings to the role a hidden sorrow that is shared by the king , and this sorrow lets them draw closer to one another . her reservations towards temptation are laid bare and chow supplements the situations with his own reservations towards love for another person . the main issue with films that deal with an epic theme -- one that requires grandiose set constructions , hundreds upon thousands of extras , an amazing selection of costumes and jewelry , and exotic locations -- is that it can all fail with the wrong director behind the camera . with all the amazing acting achieved by chow yun-fat and jodie foster and complex character development they pull off so well in the film , anna and the king has the wrong director for the job . this is where my main criticism for the film lies . andy tennant , from such hits as fools rush in , that crazy salma hayek comedy , and ever after , must have gotten his directing credentials out of a crackerjack box . the emotional impact of many intimate scenes between chow and foster were lacking one thing : intimacy . tennant never draws close to the character's faces and i felt distant and removed from most of the scenes . the acting of chow and foster held strong conviction for me , but the inclusion of these images would have left a greater impression . tennant also lets the actors move within the scene without letting the camera move with them , but this only instills greater remoteness towards the audience . another main fault is the film's script . i'm not to sure that this subject matter should have been handed over to two guys , steve meerson and peter krikes , whose last film was star trek iv : the voyage home . i could just see the first treatments of the film : `kirk to spock , put the phasers on stun because the king of siam needs our help to rid his country of imperialist forces uniting against him in a deadly trade war' . `dammnit jim , i'm a doctor not a political advisor ! ' this `political struggle' of chow's king mongkut between british imperialism and the internal power struggles of his kingdom adds only a distraction to the film's main focus of the unrequited love people can hold for one another . when it attempts to give partial validation to the love of the king and anna by their uniting to overcome this `power struggle , ' the film becomes trite and reaches resolution without fanfare or emotional involvement from the audience . overall , the film is commendable for the acting of chow and foster and the impressive set and costume designs of the film . anna and the king should also provide chow yun-fat the ability to finally move into a stronger category of american actors and achieve the notoriety he has held for so long in the east . would that it did more for the audience . 
