Leofwine_draca THE WARLORDS is a typically overblown historical epic, full of pomposity and grandeur, a film of heroism, murder and larger than life characters. Such films have been very popular in Asia in recent years, with notable highlights including wushu flick HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS and the quite wonderful CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER. THE WARLORDS never equals the heights of those two films, but it is a good effort, a fine display of historical spectacle mixed with a three-hander character drama.My main complaint with the film is that it doesn't really know what it wants to be. It starts off as an action flick, but there's only really one notable fight scene in the whole movie. This involves a ferocious battle between two armies, with Jet Li taking to the field and cutting down swathes of the enemy. Extremely tight editing and a refreshing emphasis on the nastiness of warfare makes this scene one of the highlights of the year, but the rest of the film doesn't match it. Soon we move into a more thoughtful, character-led drama that somehow doesn't ring quite true to me. The acting is very good, and the scenes are all well shot with great proficiency in the technical details, but there's a hollowness here that just left me detached from what was going on. It may be that the story is overly familiar, or that some elements – the character of Lian and her relationships with the leads – are glossed over and feel false.I'd say that this is a film that could have been so much more. It marks an admirable move away from the outrageous 'flying' and gravity-defying situations found in the wushu genre, moving towards gritty realism and grimy authenticity. There are a handful of truly great moments, involving some wonderful acting, like the situation with the four thousand prisoners. But the way the film gradually moves away from greatness down to the climax between two individuals is disappointing and feels rushed. Jet Li shines with some of his best acting ever in a couple of places, and Takeshi Kaneshiro is the kind of amiable guy the crowd loves: good looking, fair and just. Andy Lau is also great, but used too little. Overall, it's a case of 'what could have been' rather than 'what is'; nice film, but no classic.

KineticSeoul I first thought this was going to be another Chinese war movie with different kingdoms fighting one another for different reasons. Mainly just to conquer and in a way that is what this movie is basically about. But it has certain attributes and direction with the story that makes it more captivating. Plus this doesn't really have over the top fight sequences or super unrealistic kung-fu. In fact the fight sequences is realistic for the most part and it has a story that is actually quite possible. It basically takes a real historical event and goes in a what if it happened this way to reach that point kind a direction. And it actually works for the most part. And the three cast members who are like the three most popular actors in china working today. Really are right for these roles. The plot is basically about three brothers, not by blood but by loyalty and allegiance fighting constant battles. And I seen a lot of these types of movies to know what is going to happen. But certain areas and direction this one takes makes it kinda new in a way. From the three brothers Jet Li plays General Pang a guy that pretended to be dead in order to survive a war. But starts to build courage and his vision. Andy Lau plays Er Hu a leader of a group of bandits that has certain codes and compassion. And Takeshi Kaneshiro plays Wu Pang, he is basically one of the brothers caught in the middle between the other two brothers. Who is both in love with a certain courtesan. But the thing is the love triangle actually is relevant in this movie and blends in with the story. Not a lot but it does have relevance. And the three actors like I said were just right for the roles in this movie, even if Jet Li's small stature makes him look awkward with all the armor he wears in this film. Although most of the way through it's a pretty generic war movie about loyalty and reasons for fighting. But the conclusion actually stands out and makes it, it's own. It's a very watchable war movie and is worth a rent.7.8/10

oneguyrambling Been a while since I have seen a so-called "serious" movie and been able to recommend it as worth watching without disclaimers or reservations.Finally The Warlords is here. While it is not an all-time classic it finally blends the right amount of serious info, historical accuracy, quality acting and plot lines in with some worthwhile action scenes.The Warlords starts off with a battle more bloody, graphic and realistic than any Kingdom of Heaven, Alexander, Gladiator, even the LOTR films. In fact anything since Braveheart, Jet Li is the only survivor of the carnage, and he looks a lot worse for wear.We find his name is Pang, and he comes across a kindly stranger and tells his story, he was a member of the army built to put down the rebel forces, only at the time most needed the "parent" army called the Ho army, sold them out and decided not to fight, leaving them to be slaughtered.As a result a disillusioned Pang has deserted the army once and for all.After he recovers Pang is in town looking for food when a rebel named Wu-Yang tries to steal his army issued boots, after Pang (of course) rolls him, the guy says "tag along with me and I'll introduce you to my boss, he'll love ya." In subtitles at least.Once Pang meets the boss named Er-Hu, he is told "We don't need you thanks, but stay the night, party with us and you can leave in the morning." But over that one night two things happen: Pang finds out that Er-Hu's missus Lian actually shares an intimate past with him, and the rebels are attacked by the Ho army.After the attack Pang urges Er-Hu to join the army for protection, food and safety, as rebels and thieves are the lowest form of life to the public, and their deaths would be welcomed by society. Before agreeing to sign up, Er-Hu and Wu-Yang demand that Pang take a brotherhood oath, they must protect one another at any cost, and any brother that does not or harms another brother is to be killed.He agrees and they enter the army, starting by attacking the Ho's as a sign of loyalty. This initial success leads the army leaders to bestow greater power and responsibility to Pang and friends, and they form a unit to take on a Ho-held city stronghold. This leads to the centrepiece of the film, a major battle that develops and unfolds in dramatic and effective fashion, while also showing the bond building between the three "brothers".Once Pang delivers the good news to his superiors, he is given greater responsibility, and his true aspirations become more clear.Over time Pang gets harder, Wu-Yang grows up and realises that War is heck, and Er-Hu rethinks the sheer scope of the situation, and all the while Lian is caught in the middle.What ensues is a running 5 year battle between the Pang lead forces and the Ho army, with minimal assistance from Pang's leaders. The Ho's actively resist their advances, while the leaders, wary of Pang's growing power and influence, plan his downfall for fear that he may soon turn on them.So in true Major League fashion, Pand decides "Let's just win the whole f*ckin' thing!" This is a historical drama that you can watch without fear that you might learn something (though you might), it is entertaining, has great fight scenes, solid acting and moves along at a pace that allows you to remain interested without just treading water between fight scenes.Jet Li proves that he is a commanding presence, and although I didn't remember the names the guys who play Wu-Yang and Er-Hu are both good too. There is one particular scene in which tension runs high, which ultimately creates a rift in the brotherhood and may cause you to seriously consider which side you would align with.Final Rating – 7.5 / 10. Ignore the subtitles, this is better than most in the genre, and the (admittedly CGI assisted) fight scenes are huge in scope and in realism.If you liked this review (or even if you didn't) check out oneguyrambling.com

jfcthejock Recently we have been hit by a surge of Asian Cinema and historical war epics, The Warlords is one of them and with Jet Li you get some amazing action. Some of the greatest action war scenes i've ever seen were in this film, capturing the raw battle of swords and spears it really hits you.Jet Li puts in an amazing action performance, but also an emotional one also as he plays the role in this film with passion. Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro put in powerhouse performances also, even clashing swords themselves in some amazing set-pieces. The epic scale of the film is evident, in some amazing scenes as you can see thousands of extras as warriors fill the screen.To me The Warlords is just as good as Saving Private Ryan or any other big Hollywood war epics, because it captures the same raw passion of the period of time as well as the amazing fighting styles then. Even the gore and violence is realistic of the time, due to the brutality of the era of warfare. All in all The Warlords is worth seeing for all epic war fans, who want to see some amazing battle scenes.The only issues I had was that it was too short for my liking, and something on such a big epic scale should have been longer.