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Film: Hero
Release date: 21st February 2005
Certificate: 12
Running time: 95 mins
Director: Yimou Zhang
Starring: Jet Li, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Maggie Cheung, Ziyi Zhang, Donnie Yen
Genre: Action/Adventure/Martial Arts
Studio: Miramax
Format: DVD
Country: Hong Kong/China
While Zhang Yimou stuns audiences with this martial arts adventure where cinematography takes to the foreground, the message conveyed to some through the story has managed to spark debate over Yimou’s political implications of the film. But with the themes of love and war at centre stage in China, no less – what else can be expected?
Set in 3rd century BC China, the King of Qin (Daoming Chen) is on a mission to bring all the surrounding warring dominions in to one ‘united’ kingdom. Naturally, war is met along the way, sparking three illustrious assassins to seek personal revenge on the king, and end all the seemingly irrational destruction he is causing around the lands. For security, no-one is allowed within a hundred paces of the king unless proving their faith to him somehow. Enter Nameless (Jet Li), a warrior brandishing the three swords of the assassins (thus proving their defeat by his hand) who is allowed within ten paces.
Four different versions of the story ensue, each truer than the last, of how the assassins meet their demise. Essentially in all versions, there is first a battle between Nameless and Sky (Donnie Yen) in a chess house, where Sky meets his downfall. Then, there is a battle between Nameless and Flying Snow (Maggie Cheung), where she also loses out to Nameless’ unmatched skill. The third assassin, Broken Sword (Tony Leung), is also Flying Snow’s lover, and complications between the two allow for Nameless to obtain the last sword. However, there is a twist in the story, as it slowly becomes revealed that Nameless is not actually who he says he is, and now that he is within ten paces of the king, knowledge and righteousness put him to the test to discover if he really can be a true warrior…
Perhaps Yimou’s previous experience as a cinematographer influences the weight given to the film’s abounding aesthetic. However, credit must be given to this film’s cinematographer, Christopher Doyle, as the film is so amazingly visually rich. The individual versions of the story are told with different colour schemes; saturated primary colours, which provide evocative contrasts to otherwise beautiful but barren landscapes.
Tan Dun’s score provides a constant melancholy theme throughout, which is soft and dramatic, and nearly always present. This gives credence to the film’s existence as a piece of art as much as an entertaining film. Of course, drums are at hand for the fight scenes and moments of tension, which add authenticity to the Chinese culture of the film.
The storytelling should not be overlooked either. Its Rashomon-style flashbacks add layers of depth - four to be precise - to energise the story. They allow for not only four different stories to be told, but four different versions of assassin characters to be explored. In this way, Yimou gets to play with the audience by keeping it guessing until the very end.
It is difficult when watching and listening to a language so completely different from English to be able to fully appreciate what is being said, and how it is being expressed. From every other aspect that the renowned cast can be scrutinised from, none of them disappoint. They adhere to the choreography of the duel scenes with such natural ability, and although the expression of emotion is not at the forefront of the film, each carries a great weight of believability in their (many) roles.
We are not met with copious amounts of dialogue, and combat scenes fit to take your breath away seem to occupy more time in the film than any speaking. The general lack of conversation aligns with the elemental approach of the film, and so this is not a problem, however, the same ‘lost in translation’ issue can be said of the script. A western audience cannot be sure to receive the same message as what is understood by a Chinese speaking audience.
Following in the same vein, the most important feature in the film, Broken Sword’s depiction of the word ‘Tianxia’, accurately translates as ‘all under heaven’ (i.e. the world), whereas the western translation is ‘our land’, as in China. Both notions imply distinct differences, and hit on a critical debate over the film and Yimou’s intentions. Critics of Yimou have said the film’s approval by the Chinese government admit it to be a film of pro-totalitarian rule, of which Yimou has denied. Nevertheless the film certainly makes an impact politically, emotionally and visually.
Only those opposed to the wuxia genre may want to give it a wide birth, as there are a lot of combat episodes, however, those able to appreciate the elegance behind finely choreographed martial fighting, clever storytelling, and visual mastery will not want to miss it. MI
Film: Hero
Release date: 21st February 2005
Certificate: 12
Running time: 95 mins
Director: Yimou Zhang
Starring: Jet Li, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Maggie Cheung, Ziyi Zhang, Donnie Yen
Genre: Action/Adventure/Martial Arts
Studio: Miramax
Format: DVD
Country: Hong Kong/China
Zhang Yimous’ sumptuous historical warrior epic certainly lives up to, if not surpasses, the two years of excited hype that this is the most expensive Chinese film ever made. Falling firmly within the wuxia genre, this breathtaking (although sometimes mind boggling) piece of cinematography softly coaxes you through a dramatic journey of loyalty, love and sacrifice that deals with both personal and political issues without feeling as though you are having to wade through a torrent of boringly obvious morals and ethics.
The determined dream of King Qin (Daoming Chen) to become the first emperor of China draws the attention of three deadly assassins from neighbouring warring kingdoms. It seems as though there is nobody who can defeat the killers until an enigmatic nameless warrior, surprisingly called Nameless (Jet Li), appears to seek a private audience with the naturally wary king.
Nameless claims to have battled and beaten all three of the king’s enemies - Broken Sword (Tony Leung), Flying Snow (Maggie Cheung) and Long Sky (Donnie Yen) - and modestly explains the details of the slayings. Even with the dead assassins’ weapons as proof of their demise at his feet, the king is unconvinced and proceeds to put forward a completely different version of how he thinks events played out.
Two powerful men with two opposing powerful stories, but which is the right one?
The actors carry off a solid set of performances, creating powerful, complex characters. Particularly of note is Jet Li’s portrayal of Nameless, our perfectly inscrutable hero warrior, who manages to subtly layer his character, leaving the audience questioning whether his motives are entirely honourable and honest. Maggie Cheung’s never faltering grace and beauty also shines through by combing a lethal combination of femme fatale with the ability to slay opponents with the ease of a warm knife through butter.
The director stretches the delicious battle scenes so that they make up a huge portion of the film, and revised in different ways according to who is telling the tale. Time is taken to create a tantalising flow of impressive frames that only serves to whet the appetite for the next. The direction is wonderfully unique, a prime example being when Nameless and Long Sky are engaged in battle purely in their minds. It is undoubtedly amazing visual art, but the audience would be forgiven for thinking they were being deliberately swept away by the set design to detract from the sometimes dubious plot points.
But, to be honest, it’s hard to care or be bothered to rack our brains over such mere doubts when there is so much more to be inspired by. Christopher Doyle is in charge of photography and has managed to create a masterpiece. Whether it’s the goose pimple inducing battle sequences, the majestic serenity of the floating assassins, or the fantastically vibrant use of nature and landscape that takes your breath away, it’s the perfection of imagery that makes Hero a must to watch.
Although the backdrop is arguably one of the most beautiful in cinematography, the halting nature of the narrative doesn’t give the characters enough opportunity to open up and develop to their fullest potential. Confusing changes in the storytelling and the battle scenes means the audience spends more time trying to figure this out and has less time concentrating on the characters. Subsequently, the film lacks the emotional appeal that made Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon such a winner.
Still, Zhang Yimou certainly has succeeded in making a special martial arts spectacle, although to merely class Hero as a martial arts film doesn’t give justice to the sublime richness of the movie. Although the warriors float around the screen as if part of a tightly woven, intricate dance, the audience knows that the possibility of blood, pain and death is ever present - a poetic brutality if you will - but these moments are kept comfortably waiting in the wings whilst the senses are overwhelmed by the genius of the picture.
All in all, this beautifully beguiling story is a timeless action movie, a heavyweight title clincher that will enjoy both commercial success as well as satisfying lovers of foreign films. At times lacking in plot substance and slightly confusing which, possibly, has been anticipated by the director, prompting the use of colour coding to indicate through which eyes the story is being told and also the individual stages in the story. However, this is a mere spot of rust in an otherwise impeccable suit of armour. Hero is an awe inspiring experience that should be sought by all movie lovers.
Film: Hero
Release date: 21st February 2005
Certificate: 12
Running time: 95 mins
Director: Yimou Zhang
Starring: Jet Li, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Maggie Cheung, Ziyi Zhang, Donnie Yen
Genre: Action/Adventure/Martial Arts
Studio: Miramax
Format: DVD
Country: Hong Kong/China
Finally, two years after its creation, and as a result of severe petitioning to Miramax Studios from Quentin Tarantino, Zhang Yimou’s Hero obtained its western cinematic and unedited DVD release. Following in the mould of its spiritual predecessor Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Hero is a succession of sweeping landscapes, vivid colours and high wire action that sees Jet Li return to his native China to assume the lead role.
Summoned by the King, an orphaned warrior, Nameless, is hurriedly ushered through the gates of the palace so as to confirm a miraculous achievement. Presenting the Prime Minister with three boxes, each containing the weapons of three powerful assassins killed by Nameless, he is permitted into the throne room to drink tea with the King.
The King is a single-minded militant who wages war on the other regions in China, yet his philosophy is to do so not for personal gain but to make the nation strong, unifying them under a single leadership and language. Eager to learn how this mysterious warrior, who held a position of nothing more than a mere local Prefect in his Kingdom of Qin, defeated these assassins, the King invites Nameless to recount his feats. Nameless states he does not possess the abilities to have defeated them collectively yet reveals by separating and confronting each assailant individually he knew he would be victorious.
While it is widely known Broken Sword and Flying Snow are lovers, Nameless reveals that the couple had not spoken to each other in three years because of an illicit encounter Snow had had with the third assassin, Sky. Shown through flashback, Nameless, having infiltrated a calligraphy school in Zhao, reveals to the remaining martial arts masters the remains of Sky’s spear, claiming that Snow's compassion would lead her to avenge his death. This revelation leads to a startling and spiraling sequence of events where Broken Sword, distraught by the actions of his paramour, engages in sexual gratification with his student Moon to earn Snow’s resentment. Snow in a fit of indignation and rage retaliates by killing her former lover. Nameless, in the hall of the King, states this emotional unsettling as a result of the cunning plan he had instigated made the disposal of Snow in combat a formality.
After pondering this lavish tale, the King of Qin announces he has been deceived by the orphaned swordsman, and professes his own entirely new account of what transpired…
With directorial projects that have earned him Golden Bear’s and the elusive Grand Jury Prize, it is unsurprising that Hero exudes the confidence of a director who is comfortable in his craft. Hero is a visual feast as Zhang sculpts beautiful, if not iconic, imagery from the shifting landscapes of Chinese deserts through to the poetic motions of his actors’ choreography. It is impossible not to underestimate the painstaking effort that went into making sure the director achieved perfection in every single scene, as not one inch of the screen is wasted or not deliberately thought out. For the fight scene in the forest, between Maggie Cheung and Ziyi Zhang, Yimou Zhang had a man spend days there purely to inform him of when the leaves began turning yellow so that the director could achieve his vision of the juxtaposed yellow and red colours. Not simply this, but the lake scene involving both Cheung and Tony Leung could only be filmed for two hours a day because this was the only time the waters in the lake would be still enough to create the mirrored effect desired.
Yimou Zhang’s dedication to faultlessness in his artistry is the primary reason Hero is undeniably hypnotic in the sheer scale of its visual palette, but he accompanies this with an interweaving sequence of stories. When Jet Li’s Nameless delineates the fits of jealousy his craftiness sent Broken Sword and Snow into, the film and the characters are awash in red. From wearing red robes through to the red calligraphy house, there is a striking statement being made. It is only, however, when the King begins his hypothesis that the colours start to resonate as being more than just bright garlands when the same characters and school are depicted in a calming blue.
Zhang’s colour coding typifies the emotional thought processes of the characters, where red symbolises passion and rage; blue is representative of sacrifice; green is the exemplification of mercy; while white, as the closing of the thematic colours, can be interpreted as truth, birth or death. While the director has been quoted as claiming the colours bear no direct correlation to any one theme, this must be taken with a pinch of salt for Zhang is undoubtedly aware of the symbolism he himself must attribute to each shade - his declination of a definitive response has created much discussed ambiguity and subsequent publicity.
At its heart, despite the kaleidoscopic opticals, Hero is a martial arts film. Thankfully the high-wire choreography does not overly bend the rules of physics so as to feel nonsensical, but does so just enough to gift his characters an ethereal and benevolently enlightened feel. Despite Jet Li and Donnie Yen being the only schooled martial artists in the primary cast, the remaining protagonists all undertook weeks of training, and the result is there as evidence to the hard work they put in. Not one scene is compromised as a result of an individual’s inability - all the actors are beautifully convincing as they glide through air, bounce off lakes and pull off remarkable feats of dance-like combat.
There are criticisms that Hero, for all its breathtaking visuals, harbours an overriding doctrine of unification, and a philosophy that supports an individual's desire to bring peace to the masses through blood thirsty conflict and totalitarian rule. There are certain parallels that can be made to modern day China leading to a school of thought that Hero is pro-communist propaganda. However, as with the meaning of colours, Yimou Zhang’s true reasoning is open to interpretation by all, and while from a certain standpoint it is difficult to ignore these observations, it is also difficult to ignore the seemingly obvious that his story is based on history, and that certain events cannot be changed. Eastern cinema has a great penchant for the philosophical, endowing the perceived antagonists with moral codes, blurring the lines between 'good' and 'bad'. Yet the reasoning in this instance may be as simple as the director choosing to implement his poetic license, but then in Hero, nothing is ever quite as it first seems to be.
While some may have an unwillingness to swallow the simple premise as a means for justifying ninety minutes worth of sword-clanging, finding it a tedious exercise in high-wire showboating, it is impossible to deny the sheer beauty which resonates throughout this sumptuously narcotic feast.
Whether it be through majestic landscapes, the vibrancy and range of striking colours on show, or the graceful movements of some of China’s finest stars, Yimou Zhang champions a case for style when done with substance. BL
Wong Fei Hung (Jet Li) is a legendary kung fu master, waging a one man war against criminals and corruption in the Boxer Society of turn-of-the-century China.
Wong unknowingly opens a martial arts school right next to a notorious brothel, only to come across a kidnapping plot. Much fighting ensues.
Film: The Last Hero In China
Release date: 25th October 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 90 mins
Director: Wong Jing & Yuen Woo-ping
Starring: Jet Li, Sharla Cheung, Dicky Cheung, Chan Pak-cheung, Leung Ka-yan
Genre: Action/Comedy/Martial Arts
Studio: Cornerstone
Format: DVD
Country: Hong Kong
Film: The Legend Of Fong Sai-yuk
Release date: 6th September 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 126 mins
Director: Corey Yuen
Starring: Jet Li, Lung Chan, Adam Cheng, Josephine Siao, Michelle Reis
Genre: Action/Comedy/Martial Arts
Studio: Cine Asia
Format: DVD
Country: Hong Kong
Jet Li stars as the title character in this action romp from venerable film studio Golden Harvest pictures. Made in 1992, this Cory Yuen helmed production has been restored and repackaged for Cine Asia in partnership with American Far East action label Dragon Dynasty.
The movie opens with paranoid Manchu Emperor and oppressor of the Han Chinese having a nightmare where he is killed by the fabled rebel Red Flower Society. He sends out his Governor (Wen Jor) to retrieve a list that tells of all the rebels active in the country. This heavy, ominous opening is quickly tempered with a fun introduction to our title character and hero.
Fong Sai-yuk (Li) is a talented martial artist who, with his friends, likes to get into fights and cause mischief to upset Tiger Lu, a businessman who has bought up most of Fong’s hometown of Guang Dong.
Whilst falling in love with Ting Ting (Reis), the daughter of Tiger Lu, Sai-yuk and his equally tough yet beguiling mother (Siao) find themselves fighting against the Emperor’s Governor, as he comes to their town in search of the Red Flower Society rebel list and the man protecting it - a person very close to Fong Sai-yuk…
The Legend Of Fong Sai-yuk is undoubtedly fun. It clips along at a very brisk pace, neglecting any overly emotional exposition or extensive back story explanation. Perhaps because of this, the sudden move from light-hearted interplay into intense emotion – particularly when Sai-yuk has to retrieve the dead body of a close friend murdered by the Imperial Guard - can be jarring. Jet Li doesn’t stretch himself in this film, playing it for laughs for the most part.
Josephine Siao is the heart of the comedy in this film. Her cantankerous, unapologetic attitudes and her impressive fight skills make her more than a match for the men. As she fights alongside her son, Sai-yuk, they mirror each other’s moves, and prove a formidable, if dotty pair. The representation of a strong female role model and character is very welcome, and something Far Eastern cinema is adept at. Along with the sterling skills of Tiger’s Lu’s wife, Siu Wan (Sibelle Hu) and the gentle but polished acting of Michele Ries, The Legend Of Fong Sai-yuk is almost a film for the girls!
Moreover, as it’s a Cory Yuen production, we can expect too much wire work but also strong, fast choreography. People half fly from roof tops before hands and feet start flying. Jet Li is permitted ample time to showcase his amazing speed, and he does not seem to mind supporting the female leads when it comes to bare handed combat. When fighting to earn the hand of the daughter of Tiger Lu in an open challenge, Sai-yuk and Sui Wan must take each other on with the stipulation that their feet cannot touch the floor. Cue a riotous display of spinning on red cloth and running over people’s heads and shoulders, and flips across great swathes of the townspeople. Other superb combative scenes see a stunning fire-rope versus sword battle between Sai-yuk and the Imperial Guard, as well as a tightly sequenced face-off using wooden staffs as weapons against the Governor.
Of course, this was the era before CGI dominance to iron out the kinks in production. A body falling onto a pyre is obviously a dummy, while the wires used in some of the more elaborate scenes are quite clearly visible. It is also referential to movies that have gone before following the same vein. As Sai-yuk is released from jail for yet more fighting, he tells his friends he gave an alias, and goes into a revered pose as the famous music of legendary Chinese hero Wong Fei Hung is played over, then the music breaks and Sai-yuk says a different name altogether. This pleasant in-joke is also matched with a hark back to Jackie Chan. During a dye-house altercation, and after a series of devastating punches between himself and the Governor are thrown, both men suddenly stop, rub the sore parts of their chests and take a breather.
For all of The Legend Of Fong Sai-yuk's positives, there are a few annoyances. Far too much time is given up to the love story, which is fraught with misunderstanding and duplicity. The movies main plot that was setup in the opening few scenes - the apprehension and annihilation of the Red Flower Society by the Manchu Emperor - seems forgotten until revisited almost forty minutes into the narrative. When serious emotional sentiment is touched upon, it’s disregarded for another pitch at comedy.
The Legend Of Fong Sai-yuk is fun, with a solid and equal mix of male and female character interplay. Any plot niggles are forgotten thanks to the brisk pace, and the spared expense of the effects is charming rather than distracting. JM
Film: Tai-Chi Master
Release date: 26th April 2010
Certificate: 18
Running time: 91 mins
Director: Yuen Woo-ping
Starring: Jet Li, Michelle Yeoh, Chin Siu-hou, Fennie Yuen, Yuen Cheung-Yan
Genre: Martial Arts/Comedy
Studio: Cine Asia
Format: DVD
Country: Hong Kong
Two of Asia’s more impressive acting let alone martial arts exports teaming up with a director whose credits include Jackie Chan’s Drunken Master and The Matrix surely couldn’t fail.
The orphaned Junbao (Jet Li) and Tianbao (Chin Siu-hou), who he befriended as a child, have grown up together as monks, getting themselves in many comical high jinks along the way. Whilst both are exceptionally talented martial artists, Junbao is far more carefree than the determined Tianbao who enters a competition for promotion within the Shaolin’s ranks.
Winning his final bout with ease, Tianbao grows enraged when his opponent cheats and tries to attack him with a concealed weapon. Despite being the innocent party, his subsequent actions are frowned upon, and when Junbao stands by his friend they are both expelled from the temple that has been their home for so many years.
Now on their own, the duo enter a poor village which is being terrorised by a corrupt governor and his army. The kind-hearted Junbao of course sides with the rebels who want to steal from the wrong doers and give back to the poor, whilst the ambitious Tianbao opts to join the military ranks, bringing the duo into direct conflict. You know the rest…
If there’s a familiarity to the synopsis, it’s understandable - the story has been recycled and adapted on countless occasions within this medium. Li’s character following his old master’s philosophies and training to do good, his close friend turning against those ideals out of greed to do bad - although the swift switch from competitive to cold-blooded and merciless tyrant is hardly given plausibility here. Still a familiar romp with unrealistic character shifts is not the be-all and end-all with a classic martial arts movie – it’s how well they deliver in the action stakes.
Unfortunately, that’s the film’s biggest failing. The fighting, no doubt impressive feats of physical endeavour, are overly excited; the speed and busyness rendering well executed moves unimpressive as you barely take in lightning speed feats amongst a plethora of bodies (Li taking on a whole army with a bamboo stick sounds a lot better on paper). It doesn’t help that the more impressive and better executed martial arts scenes are delivered early on, with Li and Chin turning their everyday chores into sparring bouts, and their expulsion from the Shaolin is not without first witnessing some fantastic pole assisted ass kicking, as the duo take on countless pupils (whose development has, of course, been dramatically impinged in comparison) within the temple’s confined space. However, whilst the film can never match yet surpass these early highlights, the lack of any bone-crunching impact coupled with the excessive and unrealistic use of wires (people are flown around the screen with minimal grace) does it no favours – even if augmenting the film’s intentional comedic aspect.
It’s not uncommon for Asian martial arts flicks to balance out the violence and forcefully delivered philosophical messages (Li also develops ridiculous ‘super powers’ through his understanding of Tai-Chi that eventually rebalances his mental state) with a deep running current of humour, but roping Jet Li in on the fun was a bad move. Massively miscast, the jokes fall flat, he looks visibly uneasy on screen, and it all adds to the mess. It doesn’t help that the filmmakers seem keen to make comment on some fairly serious subject matter – alcoholism, for one, mocked throughout.
Li is not only unable to display the intensity that’s made him a household name with both eastern and western audiences, he’s embarrassed. When the filmmakers decide to mock mental health problems (he goes insane after his old chum gives him a proper hiding), we have him stumbling around pretending to be a duck - it hits a real low point. This is not funny; it’s a dark subject matter that is made all the more depressing when delivered in such an unsubtle and dim-witted manner.
As mentioned, there is more than one actor here who has made their impression internationally, but Michelle Yeoh is woefully underused – and you have to question the merits for her inclusion in this story, given that her kidnap is swiftly remedied and is not used to crank up the tension or intensity as the film draws to a close. Thankfully, there is restraint, and no ill conceived romantic developments put the brakes on a film whose single credit is that it runs at a brisk enough pace to enjoy as mindless throwaway fodder – as you’ve just been privy, it’s not a good thing to think too hard about what you’ve witnessed.
Despite the pedigree of those involved, this is a disappointedly amateur offering, whose production was already dated by the time of its original release. You really will have to switch the lights off to enjoy the mayhem. DH
Film: The Warlords
Release date: 2nd March 2009
Certificate: 15
Running time: 108 mins
Director: Peter Ho-Sun Chan
Starring: Jet Li, Andy Lau, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Xu Jinglei
Genre: Action/Drama/War/History
Studio: Metrodome
Format: DVD
Country: China/Hong Kong
Director Peter Ho-Sun Chan unites three of Asian cinema’s most prolific and charismatic leading men for an epic of war, morality and betrayal loosely based on one of “the great unsolved mysteries” of China in the Qing Dynasty.
1865. China has been ravaged by a decade-long civil war that is eroding the will of the nation. Destiny brings together three men, soldiers all, whose decisions and actions may yet decide the fate of the country. Brothers Er-Hu (Lau) and Wu-Yang (Kaneshiro) are joined by General Pang (Li), an unpredictable warrior haunted by a moment of rare cowardice, and driven mad by his need to atone for it.
With Pang uniting and organising their ragged army, Er-Hu and Wu-Yang soon become major players in the war for China. But, as their army marches across the land, each man’s moral code is tested by difficult and potentially soul-shattering decisions. Can they make free their country before destroying each other?
It is strange to consider that Jet Li, like Jackie Chan, is now very much an elder statesman of Chinese martial arts/action cinema. After twenty-plus years of working mostly within his righteous hero persona, Jet Li takes his longest stride away from his comfort zone with The Warlords, a grim, brutal historical epic. General Pang may share martial proficiency with Li’s back catalogue of heroic figures, but where he differs is in his tenuous grip on his own sanity, and an agenda that seems anything other than honourable. Like Jackie Chan’s recent attempt to exercise his acting muscles with The Shinjuku Incident, Li seeks to subvert his cinematic persona - his performance distorting his usually impassive features with tinges of bloodlust and a megalomaniacal frenzy. While the end result is a slightly over-cooked turn that ultimately does not match the sheer perfection of his necessarily blank performance in Zhang Yimou’s Hero, Li’s acting is nevertheless a notch above what his star vehicles usually permit him to do, his unhinged delivery extremely effective within the parameters of a war fable.
He is ably supported by his two co-stars. Andy Lau’s Er-Hu, the most honourable and conflicted of the trio, is an over-stuffed box of pent-up frustration surely destined to explode. Lau plays him with a measured stillness that is slowly, hauntingly, inevitably undone, and his performance here is arguably his best since 2002’s Infernal Affairs. But the star turn, almost predictably, is from Takeshi Kaneshiro, who makes believable the about-faces and suddenly redefined motivations the script thrusts upon Wu-Yang. Together, the three leading men form three pillars of a morality tale which, though fairly simplistic in its examination of necessity-during-war, is far more compelling than its occasionally pedestrian and predictable narrative.
The film itself is a stirring, searing war epic that owes as much to Greek, Shakespearean and operatic tragedy traditions as it does to Asian action cinema. Its battle sequences, directed by Ching Siu-tung, are visually stunning slices of pure excitement, even if they lack the crisp clarity of Ching’s work in the aforementioned Hero, and the screenwriter’s decision to gradually narrow the focus of the film to the characters and their emotional motives is a welcome change from war films that walk blindly into a chaotic final battle sequence. Both action and drama are shot with the lush, meticulous hand of the venerable Arthur Wong, whose cinematography conjures up some truly memorable images, not least the sight of a horrified Andy Lau standing in a sea of dead soldiers after a mass execution.
But, as stellar as The Warlords is on a technical level, there remain persistent niggles with a slightly underdeveloped script that is oddly elliptical, suggesting a film that’s received the kind of savaging in the editing room that its principal characters inflict upon each other on-screen. Whole scenes and sequences seem to be missing (for example, a siege of Nanking - presented as a bone of contention between the three conflicted lead heroes - is strangely skipped over), leaving viewers scrabbling to connect the dots. Likewise, a pseudo love triangle involving Jet Li, Andy Lau and Xu Jinglei’s Lian is hinted at, but never fully explored or committed to, and is eventually utilised purely as a device through which the script can swiftly put its main characters at-odds going into its third act, which unfolds with the inevitability of Shakespeare and the carnage of John Woo. In addition, any allegorical contemporary relevance to which the film might aspire is buried too deep beneath the violent, visceral aesthetic to truly resonate. While it may play very well for local audiences, The Warlords is likely to at least mildly alienate overseas viewers. That should not, however, detract from an often-exhilarating cinematic experience.
Subtlety is not on the menu for this feast of blood and carnage, but The Warlords is an effective historical epic with more than enough well-staged action to recommend it. The action is complimented by fine work from the cast, and Arthur Wong’s visuals are stunning. JN
Film: Fist Of Legend
Release date: 22nd March 2010
Certificate: 18
Running time: 99 mins
Director: Gordon Chan
Starring: Jet Li, Chin Siu-ho, Yasuaki Kurata, Billy Chow
Genre: Martial Arts/Action
Studio: Cine Asia/Showbox
Format: DVD
Country: Hong Kong
Jet Li steps up to two monumental challenges - on-screen, he battles corruption and oppression as he seeks to avenge the wrongful death of his master; off-screen, he attempts to wear comfortably the shoes of Bruce Lee in remaking the legend’s signature film role. Genre convention dictates he will likely succeed on-screen - but what about off?
In 1940s Kyoto, Chinese student Chen Zhen (Li) receives word that his esteemed kung-fu master, Huo Yuan-jia, has been killed in a challenge match with a Japanese fighter. Abandoning both his studies and his Japanese sweetheart, Chen returns to Jing Wu Men, his kung-fu school, in occupied Shanghai, where he sets about seeking righteous revenge. But after defeating his master’s conqueror far too easily, Chen orders a snap autopsy on the old man’s body, determining that he was poisoned shortly before the fight.
What begins out as a simple righting of a wrong soon becomes a crusade for the vengeful kung-fu student. He must battle not only the Japanese oppressors, but also the xenophobic attitudes of his fellow Chinese, who disapprove of his courting of a Japanese girl, as well as the envy of his master’s inferior son…
In remaking Fist Of Fury, arguably Bruce Lee’s finest hour, Gordon Chan and his collaborators set themselves two tough challenges. The first is producing a film that honours and lives up to the legend of ‘The Little Dragon’; the second is figuring out a way to tell its straightforward story (Chinese hero cuts a righteous swath through nefarious Japanese baddies) without employing the kind of two-dimensional, anti-Japanese jingoism that characterised the earlier picture. On the first challenge, they succeed - Fist Of Legend is an efficient martial arts actioner, if a little rough around the edges. Their success with the second challenge is somewhat questionable.
Chan’s film certainly makes efforts to tone down the nationalism that pervaded the earlier work, principally through the use of likeable, positive Japanese characters. Its Chinese hero has a Japanese girlfriend who is endearing and honourable, as well as a strong, respectful relationship with her karate master uncle, Fumio, played with characteristic poise and dignity by Yusuaki Kurata. In addition, Chan does not shy away from presenting a cast of Chinese supporting characters hampered by ignorant xenophobia, and even goes as far as having Chen Zhen walk away from his beloved school rather than abandon the Japanese sweetheart who has travelled to Shanghai to find him.
But as refreshing as the even-handed approach is, it ultimately comes off as disingenuous in a film that shoots, edits and scores early moments like Chen Zhen smashing a banner that reads ‘Tolerance’ right before seeking his master’s killer with such a triumphant and righteous energy. Furthermore, the overtly staged and statically directed scenes of the secondary characters debating the rights and wrongs of the film’s socio-political context render any depth and subtlety in the script’s theme as preachy and obvious, leaving the viewer with the distinct impression that the filmmakers have more interest in playing it safe in a politically sensitive era than they do with turning a sharp eye on Sino-Japanese relations.
Politics aside, the film is an enjoyable, if straightforward action movie that makes a decent fist of giving its supporting characters some depth, especially Chin Siu-ho’s frustrated and conflicted Ting’en - the son of the great master, talented but not as prodigiously so as his lifelong friend, Chen Zhen. Ting’en is characterised as the Salieri to Chen’s Mozart, and the casting of Chin Siu-ho, an actor with the looks of a leading man and the charisma of a sidekick, who never quite made it to the top tier of the Hong Kong film industry, is both shrewd and inspired.
Where Bruce Lee played Chen Zhen as borderline psychotic in his vengeful bloodlust, thus making slight overacting entirely appropriate, Jet Li’s version of the character is scripted as being thoughtful, with more in the way of quiet inner conflict. Li infuses the calm persona he perfected in the Once Upon A Time In China movies with a new restrained intensity, creating a convincing heroic figure that feels like a step outside his comfort zone. While he may, as a dramatic actor, lack the range to make convincing Chen Zhen’s inner turmoil, there’s no doubt that he hits all the right notes as the force of vengeance and honour the script needs him to be.
And, of course, who else in this era of Hong Kong film could tear up the screen with the same kind of balletic, graceful ferocity? In this, Li is aided by superlative work from the great Yuen Wo-ping, whose choreography eschews the wire-based, near-supernatural style that characterised his work in films like Iron Monkey, Once Upon A Time In China Part 2, and Wing Chun in favour of a more grounded, hard-hitting approach. Bruce himself would have surely approved.
5-star action enlivens a 2-star script. But, for pure entertainment value, you can’t do much better than this - even if the film is not destined to be as much of a landmark as its source material. JN
