I haven't watched a lot of Chinese cinema, but Warriors of Heaven and Earth seems to be part of a uniquely Chinese genre - the martial arts movie that preaches the importance of loyalty to the state.
Lai Xi (Nakai Kilchi) is a Japanese warrior who has spent most of his life in China, serving the Emperor with his prodigious skill and strength. Xi has been given two oddly disparate missions. He is to both safeguard an important young woman on her way from the Western regions of China to the capitol, and he's also to hunt down and bring to justice the renowned outlaw "Butcher" Li (Jiang Wen). Li was once a solider in the Emperor's army, but he rebelled at being ordered to slaughter unarmed women and children. Li and his loyal men became mercenaries, until Li's men settled down in an isolated village while the "Butcher" pursued his destiny alone. Wandering through the desert, Li is saved by a convoy that's taking valuable Buddist artifacts to the imperial capitol. Xi and Li finally meet, and after a brief sword fight, Xi agrees to allow Li to escort the convoy to the Emperor and only kill him after that mission is complete. But, both Xi and Li have to save the convoy from Master An (Wang Yuengi), who seeks the convoy's artifacts to help his Turkish allies control China's Western regions. Through combat, deprivation and hopelessness, Xi and Li fight on until the story ends with a rather strange, "Look! It's magic" conclusion.
The first thing to know about this film is that it is not a wildly exaggerated, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", people-flying-through-the-air-with-super-powers martial arts movie. There are a couple of moments of so-called "wire-fu", but this is a much more realistic adventure and I think it's the better for it. Some people really get off on the intricately complex, ballet-like conventions of modern martial arts films, but I prefer action scenes that bear some resemblance to what can happen in actual life.
There are certain aspects of the story that don't make sense or don't seem to hang together that well, but this is a foreign film so it's hard to tell if anything is actually missing or if I am just missing certain cultural or social themes that a Chinese audience would easily recognize.
Even with all that, there's some good acting here. Jian Wen and Nakai Kilchi create very different characters without big scenes to show off in. Lai Xi has a decidedly aristocratic air to him, while "Butcher" Li is a solider much more used to the muddy trench. Several of the other characters are also allowed some depth.
The theme of loyalty to the state running through Warriors of Heaven and Earth isn't something you see much in cinema from other countries. Loyalty is usually something between individuals, not between a person and a ruling government. Yet, I've seen a few Chinese films that strongly stress the nobility, honor and necessity of sacrificing oneself for the betterment of the nation. It's a very communitarian, as opposed to individualistic, concept of heroism.
Warriors of Heaven and Earth is a pretty straight-forward adventure tale that's enjoyable on its own, but it also might teach you a little bit about modern Chinese culture or at least the culture that's being propagated at this particular time.
Lai Xi (Nakai Kilchi) is a Japanese warrior who has spent most of his life in China, serving the Emperor with his prodigious skill and strength. Xi has been given two oddly disparate missions. He is to both safeguard an important young woman on her way from the Western regions of China to the capitol, and he's also to hunt down and bring to justice the renowned outlaw "Butcher" Li (Jiang Wen). Li was once a solider in the Emperor's army, but he rebelled at being ordered to slaughter unarmed women and children. Li and his loyal men became mercenaries, until Li's men settled down in an isolated village while the "Butcher" pursued his destiny alone. Wandering through the desert, Li is saved by a convoy that's taking valuable Buddist artifacts to the imperial capitol. Xi and Li finally meet, and after a brief sword fight, Xi agrees to allow Li to escort the convoy to the Emperor and only kill him after that mission is complete. But, both Xi and Li have to save the convoy from Master An (Wang Yuengi), who seeks the convoy's artifacts to help his Turkish allies control China's Western regions. Through combat, deprivation and hopelessness, Xi and Li fight on until the story ends with a rather strange, "Look! It's magic" conclusion.
The first thing to know about this film is that it is not a wildly exaggerated, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", people-flying-through-the-air-with-super-powers martial arts movie. There are a couple of moments of so-called "wire-fu", but this is a much more realistic adventure and I think it's the better for it. Some people really get off on the intricately complex, ballet-like conventions of modern martial arts films, but I prefer action scenes that bear some resemblance to what can happen in actual life.
There are certain aspects of the story that don't make sense or don't seem to hang together that well, but this is a foreign film so it's hard to tell if anything is actually missing or if I am just missing certain cultural or social themes that a Chinese audience would easily recognize.
Even with all that, there's some good acting here. Jian Wen and Nakai Kilchi create very different characters without big scenes to show off in. Lai Xi has a decidedly aristocratic air to him, while "Butcher" Li is a solider much more used to the muddy trench. Several of the other characters are also allowed some depth.
The theme of loyalty to the state running through Warriors of Heaven and Earth isn't something you see much in cinema from other countries. Loyalty is usually something between individuals, not between a person and a ruling government. Yet, I've seen a few Chinese films that strongly stress the nobility, honor and necessity of sacrificing oneself for the betterment of the nation. It's a very communitarian, as opposed to individualistic, concept of heroism.
Warriors of Heaven and Earth is a pretty straight-forward adventure tale that's enjoyable on its own, but it also might teach you a little bit about modern Chinese culture or at least the culture that's being propagated at this particular time.