The trouble with CR, for me, is that the big action scenes are front loaded, then it goes into a more personal bit during the card scenes, then we get the romantic interlude and then we get
another big set piece that ends up feeling tacked on (and which, as exciting as it is, doesn't sit well thematically with the rest of the film, which is a series of Mano a Mano conflicts.) And it isn't that I have a problem with romance, it just comes at an odd point in the film (which in fairness is down to the source material) The film also does suffer from Return of the King never ending endings syndrome! OHMSS is of similar length, but for me is better paced.