Warlords

[doug maverick]

that movie was so ****ing cornball. it sucked sucked sucked.

[Hebrew Hammer]

Now this looks better to me than Red Cliff!

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809812815/video/17448740

[Brule]

There's a thread on this already, you can check out what others thought of it. I haven't seen it myself but it looks cool.

http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/foru...light=warlords

[doug maverick]

yeaH we put this movie to bed like two years ago...its finally getting a us release so thats good.and no its not better then red cliff...but it is really good

[GeneChing]

It wasn't as good as Red Cliff IMO, but it was very entertaining. I wouldn't quite give it the 'masterpiece' nod that Doug did, but it's definitely worth checking out.

[Hebrew Hammer]

I thought it was odd, I didn't see a thread for it in Martial Media section...I had no idea it was that old...thanks for getting out of bed to bring it back. I'm looking forward to it none the less!

Gene did you really like Red Cliff that much? Was it the story? The epic?

[GeneChing]

We can discuss it more on the Red Cliff thread if you like.

[GeneChing]

I'm not sure the magnitude of the release. It probably won't be that wide. Magnolia has been doing these VOD, XBOX LIVE, PLAYSTATION and AMAZON pre-releases, and then following with a limited theatrical release. The strategy must be working for them since they keep doing it.

Just posted: The Warlords Featurette Official HD

[GeneChing]

'Warlords': Gritty epic re-creates Chinese war
G. Allen Johnson
Thursday, April 8, 2010

There have been quite a few Chinese historical epics the past decade - many with martial arts, like Zhang Yimou's "Hero," and many with computer effects that can create epic sweep, like John Woo's recent "Red Cliff."

But "Warlords," a film directed by Peter Chan that opens in the United States on Friday, is something different. There is no kung fu, despite the presence of Jet Li. There are no impossible shots that only could have been created with ones and zeros. Instead, this is a gritty film that knows that death is not pleasant and that armies and peasants alike need food and water.

Set during the Taiping Rebellion of 1850-64, it stars Li as a general who survives a brutal massacre and joins a group of bandits led by Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro.

"I was aiming for a photographic re-creation of what the past was like," said Chan, calling from the back of his ride as he was on his way to the Hong Kong airport to travel to a film set in China. "I wanted to film a war that killed 60 million Chinese over 12 years - about as many as were killed worldwide in World War II.

"We went and looked at black-and-white pictures from turn-of-the-century China, and we also looked at pictures from the last 20 years in Afghanistan. That's as war-torn as any country can get."

Chan is not the first filmmaker you'd think of to make a war film. He began during the golden age of Hong Kong movies, scoring hits in the '90s with comedies ("He's a Woman, She's a Man") and personal dramas ("Comrades: Almost a Love Story"). He tried Hollywood (1999's "The Love Letter") and has spent most of the past decade producing as Hong Kong filmmakers have integrated themselves into the burgeoning Chinese film industry. His previous film as director was a musical, "Perhaps Love," which opened the 2006 San Francisco International Film Festival.

Why would a filmmaker known for lighter fare tackle a war epic?

"I wanted to portray not only the history of China but also the history of anywhere else - greed, betrayal and how power corrupts," Chan said. "Also, we have not dealt with period film properly in Chinese films. Somehow, all our period films are derived from Chinese opera and they're all detached from reality."

Of course, any film is going to have inaccuracies. Asked what was the biggest liberty he took, Chan thought for a moment.

"The trenches were a little bit of a stretch," he said. "We couldn't find real historical accounts of trenches in 19th century China. The trenches thing really came from 'All Quiet on the Western Front' (the 1930 classic that won best picture), one of my favorite war movies.

"But there were cannons and there were guns (in 1850s China). There was not an abundance of them - guns were very expensive - so they needed arrows too. But if you have cannons and you have guns, it would be logical that you would have trenches."

Opens Friday at the Lumiere Theatre, 1572 California St., S.F. (415) 267-4893; Shattuck Cinemas, 2230 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 464-5980. www.landmarktheatres.com.

- G. Allen Johnson, ajohnson@sfchronicle.com

This article appeared on page G - 20 of the San Francisco Chronicle

Here's the release schedule from Magnet:

On Screen

Santa Ana, CA: South Coast Village 3
West Los Angeles, CA: Nuart Theatre
New York, NY: Cinema Village

Opening

4/9/2010
Berkeley, CA: Shattuck Cinemas 10
San Francisco, CA: Lumiere Theatre 3
San Jose, CA: Camera 3
Washington, DC: E Street Cinema
Aiea, HI: Pearlridge West 16
Honolulu, HI: Kahala Theatres 8
Cambridge, MA: Kendall Square Cinema

4/16/2010
San Diego, CA: Ken Cinema
Philadelphia, PA: Ritz at the Bourse
Seattle, WA: Varsity Theatre

4/23/2010
Denver, CO: Chez Artiste

4/30/2010
Santa Cruz, CA: Nickelodeon Theatres
Minneapolis, MN: Lagoon Cinema

5/7/2010
Keene, NH: Putnam Arts Lecture Hall

[GeneChing]

I'm going to try to get out to see this on the big screen to support it, but I won't get the chance for a few weeks because I'm tightly booked and none of the venues are that close to me. I hope you all try to support this too, assuming it's coming to a theater near you. The big battle is definitely big screen worthy.

'The Warlords' is more than battles
Peter Hartlaub, Chronicle Pop Culture Critic
Friday, April 9, 2010

POLITE APPLAUSE War drama. Starring Jet Li, Andy Lau, Wu Yang and Wu Jing-Lei. Directed by Peter Ho-Sun Chan. (R. 110 minutes. At the Lumiere in San Francisco, Landmark's Shattuck in Berkeley and the Camera 3 in San Jose.)

The best action scene in "The Warlords" arrives less than an hour into the historical war epic. It's as good as any battle in "Braveheart" - in terms of cinematography and emotional heft - with cannons firing, arrows flying, people falling off horses and Jet Li impaling foes in multiples of five.

Director Peter Chan's Taiping Rebellion-era drama never comes close to reaching that level of rousing carnage-filled action again. But as the filmmaker shifts from battlefield heroics to political intrigue and betrayals, you'll only miss the mayhem a little bit. "The Warlords" gets a release in the United States nearly 2 1/2 years after its Hong Kong premiere, and it's a wonder it took so long.

Li is Gen. Pang Qingyun, a Chinese military leader who survives a brutal battle, becomes "blood brothers" with a pair of bandits (Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro) - one of whom is engaged to a courtesan (Wu Jing-Lei), who nursed Qingyun back to health during his post-war wanderings. After the three warriors join the Qing Dynasty army and win a glorious battle against a growing rebellion, their relationship is strained by love and constant meddling from Qing leaders.

As the story gets better, the battle scenes become an afterthought - the two large-scale battles in the movie's second half occur almost entirely offscreen (we had to imagine a lot of severed heads and eviscerations). This placed more pressure on the actors, who are capable, but never extraordinary. Hidden underneath a layer of filth for most of the movie, Li is steady but unremarkable as the lead. Kaneshiro has a meatier role as the most tortured brother, but doesn't get as much screen time.

The film has a surprising level of clarity, considering the number of different twists, turns and characters involved. (The film is in Mandarin, with English subtitles.) A smothering eight screenwriters are credited, usually a sure sign that the end result will be a mess. And yet "The Warlords" is focused throughout, up until the satisfying ending.

Fans of this film will some day wear out their DVDs and Blu-rays playing that fantastic battle scene again and again. (Does anyone even watch "Braveheart" all the way though any more?) "The Warlords" is still worth viewing at least once in its entirety.

-- Advisory: This film contains as much gore and violence as one would expect from a movie where about 50,000 people die.

E-mail Peter Hartlaub at phartlaub@sfchronicle.com

[GeneChing]

...should still support it anyway. Buy the DVD too.

I wonder if I would have noticed the edit.

‘Warlords’ missing 16 crucial minutes
Posted on 08 April 2010
By Andrew Hamlin
Northwest Asian Weekly

Peter Chan’s Chinese battle epic, “The Warlords,” opens with a creepy voice narrating, “He told me — that dying was easy and living was hard.” But who is speaking? And who is he speaking about?

The film continues with an air of mystery. Crucial elements in the characters’ war-ravaged lives remain hidden. Certain elements may seem confusing to the moviegoer. Sometimes, the mystery adds depth to the saga. Other times, it seems calculated to cover the plot’s weak spots.

The international version of “The Warlords” runs sixteen minutes shorter than the original version. In the international version, significant material seems to be left out. Characters change their minds for no identifiable reason. Some crucial battle sequences fly by with very little time devoted to their unfolding.

After the opening narration comes a massacre of the Qing Dynasty army by the Taiping rebels in China during the 1860s. General Qingyun (played by Jet Li) ends up being the only survivor on the losing side. He hides under a pile of corpses and digs himself out after the enemy departs.

The massacre occurred as a result of another general’s decision to back out last minute. He refused to aid Qingyun’s troops. We never get a firm grip on why two separate armies that are technically on the same side try to undermine one another.

A wandering and despondent Qinyun meets a rag tag bandit army led by Wuyang (Takeshi Kaneshiro) and Erhu (Andy Lau). Qingyun respects the courage and grit of the two bandit leaders. Soon, the three bind together and prescribe death for anyone who goes against the other two.

Qinyun must kill a man he doesn’t even know to fulfill the trio’s oath. He shows a slight hesitation and oddly enough, warmth and respect to his victim. In this scene, Li proves to be an impressive and sadly underrated dramatic actor. He expresses suppressed rage, futility, or deep love using only the simplest facial expressions.

Unlike many films in this genre, “The Warlords” doesn’t wholly celebrate war. Director Chan matter-of-factly demonstrates the machinations necessary to keep an army together. The blood brothers know how to spark their soldiers’ egos and manipulate their men into accepting dangerous and possibly suicidal missions. They just don’t know what to do when they lose confidence in one another.

At one point, the three fight amongst themselves to determine the fate of some captured enemy forces. Two of them prevail, but they lose confidence in the third.

Unfortunately, Li doesn’t have many chances to demonstrate his world-famous fighting skills. Li puts on martial arts moves unequaled in film history since Jackie Chan slowed down. But “The Warlords” concentrates on huge battles sequences filmed with no sense of underlying rhythms.

Li needs an up close and personal approach to best portray his skills. With the exception of one masterfully choreographed match near the end, Li is not given the opportunity to showcase his skills.

The film deserves credit for Li’s striking performance and its sobering look behind the scenes of combat. A little more footage, I’m thinking, would help it make a lot more sense. ♦

“The Warlords” opens Friday, April 16, at Seattle’s Varsity Theatre, 4329 University Way N.E. Call 206-781-5755 for prices and show times.

[brothernumber9]

I know I'm super late to the party but I just got the DVD last week with english subs. I've only watched a little more than half the movie, but I am liking it quite a bit. I have had Red Cliff (both) for a while and still have not watched it (hangs head in shame) so I guess I will build up to that after Warlords.

I really get into movies that have an extreme root in a "brotherhood" or "sisterhood" kinda theme.
I assume alot of 'dudes' feel the same. There is something to be said for films that elicit a feeling of upholding that kind of idealistic honor an selflessness especially in a battling enviroment, eventhough often made out to be far far more fantastical than it ever would be or was in reality, at least in the sense of actual warfare. I think movies of the ilk that involve less a risk of life, like sports or even hand to hand kind of fighting can still evoke the same or similar feeling.

Or it could just be that I was imbibing in something really good at the time when watching this movie and others that I think are in the same vein, which I often do.