Chan's old-fashioned, highly watchable mega-production comes complete with God's-eye surveys of mass carnage, the moist sounds of sword-skewering, and little or no discernible CGI.
The Warlords(投名狀)
✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ Read critic reviews
Hong Kong, China · 2007
Rated R · 2h 6m
Director Raymond Yip Wai-Man
Starring Jet Li, Andy Lau, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Xu Jinglei
Genre Action, Drama, History
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With his army slaughtered by the rebels, the injured General Qingyun finds unlikely allies in two bandit leaders after he impresses them with his fighting ability. With the bandits and peasants behind him, Qingyun develops a plan to beat back the rebels and save the Qing dynasty.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
Los Angeles Times by Betsy Sharkey
Like the best war movies do, director Peter Ho-Sun Chan has woven together an intimate story of men against a backdrop of history writ large.
Laden with gritty action, but with an emotional undertow that carries the drama even through its weaker moments, picture reps a strong comeback by Hong Kong helmer-producer Peter Chan.
The New York Times by Jeannette Catsoulis
Epic in scope but intimate in theme, The Warlordsheaves with spectacular battles and the relentless sway of self-interest over conscience.
New York Daily News by Joe Neumaier
The scope of director Peter Chan's military drama is impressive, though this sometimes-rousing depiction of strategy and loyalty in mid-1800s China pales next to recent, similar historical epics like "Red Cliff" and "Mongol."
The film lurches through narrative incidents: Battle scenes, political intrigue and a ticking-time-bomb love triangle are all pitched at the level of mundane competence and rarely get the blood racing.
The guy story is so strong that conventional romantic interludes with the woman torn between two men could easily have been dropped.
It's a surprisingly nuanced and sober tale of brotherhood and betrayal.
The Warlords relies too much on combat movie clichés and corny sentiment, weighted down by speeches about heroism and hypocrisy.
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