CHINESE FILM REVIEW: DRAGON BLADE 3D


4/5

It is 48 BC and Huo An is a disgraced head of so-called SILK ROAD PROTECTION SQUAD. As brave as he is kind hearted, he fights for the benefits of the others. When faced with Roman General and his squad, escaping Rome after a coup, he lets them into the GOOSE GATE, a ruined fortress he is forced to rebuilt as a punishment for a crime he did not commit. Here he makes a great friend in the face of Lucius (John Cusack). Together they work hard to rebuild the city. But the Roman legion, led by villainous Tiberius (Adrian Brody), approaches the GOOSE GATE. Will a handful of warriors be able to stand against the army of Rome?

The correct translation of the movie is “CELESTIAL GENERAL, HEROIC ARMY”, it is more suitable name to this giant epic deserving an IMAX screen. The enjoyment of DRAGON BLADE requires total suspension of disbelief. One of the characters calls the story of Huo An “an engrossing fairy tale” and this is exactly what it is. If you want a historical movie - look elsewhere. But if you love good conflicts, some great good acting and impressive battle scenes   - DRAGON BLADE is your sort of a movie.

Jon Cusack and Adrian Brody are English speaking Romans, but as believable as it could possibly be.  Both characters are charged with charisma, which gives in particular Adrian Brody’s villain an unexpected depth.

DRAGON BLADE is a perfect adventure movie. It is long, its impressive, and it is never boring. Jackie Chan as Hua An, a kind hearted but tough protagonist, seem to slip into his character, like into a well worn shoes - it is not easy to portrait an innocence of a middle age warrior and be believable in the role.

On the down side, the films message of how we all have to try to understand each other to end all wars, is harshly and relatedly pushed down our throats.

DRAGON BLADE has many attributes of a family movie, but on the other hand it is full of bloody violence (not the type we see on GAME OF THRONES, but still). Many choreographic and singing moments in the film are welcome, but there are plenty of flashbacks to them - which can get tiresome. While I did not mind the movies lengthy screen time, but they could have cut out a fifteen minutes or so to speed up the action.


Overall DRAGON BLADE does not need to prove anyone anything. With 65 million budged it did double in china alone and only opens in America in September. This is a fantasy epic Chinese style,  and can be compared to the final in THE HOBBIT trilogy: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES. With brilliant cinematography and larger than life story telling, it is one film from China not to be missed this year.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

KOREAN MOVIE REVIEW: MEMOIR OF A MURDERER

Image
8/10 Byung-su is an elderly veterinarian who has recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. He has a caring daughter who does all she can to make his life easier, and a policemen friend whose name Byung-su forgets from time to time. He also goes to a poetry club (in order to keep his mind exercised) where a lonely widow makes advances at him. But there’s one thing that sets Byung-su apart from the other senior citizens of his little town – he is a serial killer.  When a new wave of killings begin Byung-su starts to suspect that a young man who is dating his daughter is the culprit. Trying to keep the remains of his memories together Byung-su writes extensive journals. But what if his memories are actually real? Losing his grip on reality he goes head to head with the new serial killer in order to protect the only life he cares about in the world – his daughter’s. Before Dexter came around Koreans had excelled in creating charismatic killers as protagonists of the f...
Read more

We'll End Up Together - Nous Finirons Ensemble (French Movie Review)

Image
10/10 Max has a sixtieth birthday coming up. The problem is he is broke, divorced and depressed. When a group of his best friends show up at his doorstep to help him celebrate, he reluctantly agrees to spend a few days with them, but won’t explain what’s going on in his personal life. When ones darkest moments come, will friendship conquer all? Seven years after the breakout success of the film Little White Lies (Les Petits Mouchoirs) comes the long anticipated sequel and it is worth the wait. The success of WE’LL END UP TOGETHER is not in its rather predictable plot, but the chemistry on screen, the characters that we recognise ourselves and our friends in, and the amazing warm atmosphere that makes one believe there’s no problem a good dinner with friends won’t sort out.  Written and directed by much loved French actor and director  Guillaume Canet this movie feels like a welcome return home to those who have seen the original and will also welcome new viewership - t...
Read more

MSFF: DEATH IN BUENOS AIRES (MUERTE EN BUENOS AIRES)

Image
3 1/2 /5 It's year 1980 and we are in Buenos Aires. The wealthy gay man is murdered  and inspector Chaves is on the case. In order to find the culprit he has to plunge into the world of gay nightclubs, drugs and sex. But what is it with the young and handsome officer Gomes, who was the first on the crime scene, and seems to place himself with ease as a mole into a gay community? Is he trying to catch the killer? Or hiding something? As suspicions arise, Chaves is haunted by the feelings he does not understand. Will the fatal attraction to a younger man help him to solve the case, or be his undoing? First time director Natalie Meta is "spot on" on the upbeat atmosphere of the 80s without too much expense. She cleverly uses the pop tunes, over-the-top clothes and many other ingredients to recreate the time. The murder mystery is secondary, and the movie is focused on the relationship between the two men, full of innuendoes and mistrust. The very simple cinema...
Read more