The Warlords (Tau ming chong) is a stunning tale about the bonds of friendship, loyalty and morality in China in the 1800s. Majestically beautiful cinematography, a compelling story that never feels formulaic and incredible art direction, The Warlords is a must see film experience, strongly recommended for the big screen.
The movie begins as we see General Pang climb out from under a pile of bodies, all lying dead on the battlefield. The bodies are those of Pang’s entire battalion, leaving him the last man standing. Emotionally and physically broken he is cared for by a beautiful woman who offers him more than just food and starts him on the mend. The following morning Pang is found by Jiang, a young, idealistic man who is distributing food. After Jiang engages Pang in a fight over Pang’s boots, in which Pang easily bests him, Jiang invites him back to his village for some food and shelter. There Pang discovers that the woman who helped bring him back to life is actually the wife of the village’s leader, Zhao. That night the village is attacked by soldiers who take their food and harm their people. Pang declares that if they joined the opposing army – whose ranks are diminished from the battle he had just lost – that they would have money to feed their families, respect for their village and, more importantly, weapons to defend themselves. The three men swear a blood oath to always protect one another and to kill anyone who harms one of their brotherhood.
Eager to redeem himself, Pang launches an offensive on the opposing army and is easily victorious. Pang believes in a moral society in which the poor are not subject to unnecessary cruelty by the occupying forces. He teaches his men that if they all live this way China will be the best nation on Earth. As time goes on Pang’s hunger to fulfill his dream, mixed with significant political meddling, creates a divide between himself and Zhao, with Jiang stuck in the middle.
As mentioned above, The Warlords is a genuinely incredible movie. It tells an epic story in very intimate terms putting a personal face on this time in China’s history. Loosely based on real events (the film is set against the background of the Taipeng Revolution), director Peter Chan, creates a sense of realism with this action, costumes and set decoration that allow the viewer to simply feel immersed in the film, rather than focusing on the details.
Unfortunately this movie has been caught up in a personal fight between Peter Chan and his business partner over the movie, which broke up the partnership and tied up the international rights to the film until now. While I’m not sure the details of the disagreement, it seems such a shame not to have this film receive a wide theatrical release and the acclaim it genuinely deserves. Jet Li puts in the best performance of his career in a more dramatic role than I’ve seen him before. Holding their own beautifully Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro round out this brotherhood perfectly and soulfully.
I’m not certain what the status of North American distribution is, but this should definitely be seen, even if only on DVD. Try to catch it at your local rep theatre if nothing else as it’s moe than worht your time and is destined to become a classic of Chinese cinema.
Toronto After Dark runs from August 14 to 21, 2009 at the Bloor Cinema in Toronto. Click here for our coverage.
{ 1 trackback }
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Nice review, Trista! This is another film I wish I could have seen. I’ll definitely be looking for this one on dvd if not theatres.
.-= Erika´s last blog post ..FILM REVIEW: HIS NAME WAS JASON – THIRTY YEARS OF FRIDAY THE 13th =-.