The Warlords 投名狀

[skylee]

Takeshi Kaneshiro , Andy Lau, Jet Li. In this order. (Strange, I would have thought that Jet Li should come first; but perhaps the names are arranged in alphabetical order.) Big names, which are why it has become my most anticipated film (well Lust Caution will be shown this month).

The film is directed by Peter Chan, a HK director, and will be released in December.

I wonder if Kaneshiro had shaved his hair for the film.

Trailer 1 -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txyBNd25JmA

Trailer 2 ->

Website -> http://www.warlordsthemovie.com/

[Luobot]

Looks exciting! That was a rather short retirement for Jet Li. I guess he still hasn't found the film that satisfies his acting urge.

Thanks also for the link to the website, which has higher quality trailers than Youtube's.

[skylee]

Yes it looks exciting.

Strange thing - in trailer 2 when Jet Li is supposed to be saying 患難相扶, what I hear is 串難相扶. [perhaps an indicator that the role has already lost his heart, haha.]

And I think I'd never heard Jet Li speak in Cantonese until I saw that making of.

[muyongshi]

Looks exciting! That was a rather short retirement for Jet Li. I guess he still hasn't found the film that satisfies his acting urge.

Did anyone really believe he would stay in retirement??

Strange thing - in trailer 2 when Jet Li is supposed to be saying 患難相扶, what I hear is 串難相扶

I heard that too...i think it might be code...

It looks interesting but I'm hoping there is more to the story line that what the previews showed. I was a bit disappointed with "Fearless" so I hope this one is better in terms of how Jet Li is.

[Myriam]

Strange thing - in trailer 2 when Jet Li is supposed to be saying 患難相扶, what I hear is 串難相扶. [perhaps an indicator that the role has already lost his heart, haha.]

I still don't get it : the role has already lost his heart, haha.

[Myriam]

No, my HK friends don't have a clue either, it's not a spoiler obviously.

[OracleBone]

Strange thing - in trailer 2 when Jet Li is supposed to be saying 患難相扶, what I hear is 串難相扶

I heard that too...i think it might be code...

Maybe he says "舛难相扶", or maybe he just makes a mistake, haha.

I also expect this film, which is about the Taiping Rebels of the late Qing Dynasty, I'm very eager for the scene of battlefields, as I'm reading historical books about this period.I wonder if some popular weapons of that time like 抬枪, 劈山炮，开花炮 etc. will show in this movie.

[skylee]

I saw a new trailer in a cinema today (the version at the official website is much clearer). And what Jet Li says has become 患難相扶. Very good.

BTW, Eastern Promises is quite good imo.

[skylee]

I've just seen the film. Generally I think it is quite good, though I am not a big fan of war scenes. The film is well made and the story is complete and well told. Jet Li's character is fully developed and he has acted really well. Andy Lau's character is weaker and Kaneshiro's is even more so. IMHO the film flows better after Suzhou is conquered (that is after most of the war scenes) and the conflicts among the characters make the story much more engaging.

I like the way the Taiping warlord surrenders Suzhou. I also like the way Jet Li cries when Kaneshiro tells him what has happened to the woman he loves (hey there is a complete love story for Jet Li's character). And I find the way Jet Li keeps fighting in a superhuman manner with a spear in his left shoulder or a stab in his chest very interesting.

It is the late Qing Dynasty so of course everything goes very wrong and everyone has his/her share of sad ending. Very sad ending IMHO.

I think they've dubbed Andy Lau's dialogue. It just doesn't sound like him. But maybe I am wrong.

The film will open on 13 December.

[laolee]

I think they've dubbed Andy Lau's dialogue. It just doesn't sound like him. But maybe I am wrong

You are correct, as usual. In a recent interview, Andy said,

“All the promotional material features my real voice, although most of what you hear in the movie is a voiceover by someone whose voice closely resembles mine."

[OracleBone]

It is the late Qing Dynasty so of course everything goes very wrong and everyone has his/her share of sad ending. Very sad ending IMHO.

It's a great era. You can see many heroes acting on that stage, and many of them made great achievements at a very young age.

[skylee]

I saw the film a second time today. Yeah it is a good film. I like all four main actors. Jet Li is particularly good.

Oh they have raised the ticket price (not just for this film). How I hate inflation.

[Luobot]

Oh they have raised the ticket price (not just for this film). How I hate inflation.

But it's good for the rental and bootleg industry!

[skylee]

陈可辛拍过中国最好的爱情文艺片《甜蜜蜜》，现在他又拍出了最好的古装战争片，《如果爱》我还没看，说它是中国最好的歌舞片可不可以？我想不出中国还有其他的歌舞片了。还有，我认为他的老婆吴君如是中国最好的喜剧女艺人。

I read this comment on douban and I like it. (source)

[geek_frappa]

It's a great era. You can see many heroes acting on that stage, and many of them made great achievements at a very young age.

Yes, yes.

One of the greatest achievements in Qing Dynasty was perseverance, patience and leadership with outstanding promise. You can see some of this personified in the exhibit at Chinese U's art museum. If you can see the exhibit, go see it.

The detail and innovation in the porcelain and hardwood furniture is truly amazing. The firing techniques for the porcelain are remarkable ... makes me misty-eyed thinking about how many hours it took for the Imperial craftsman to get it just right, mistake-free. We cannot even approach this level of quality today.

Excited to see this movie!! ~~~

[rezaf]

i saw the dvd today with low quality and i think some of the scenes were missing, so my judgment can be wrong. i don't like too many war scenes. the characters don't develop properly and i think that this kind of story is suitable for tv series not a movie.btw i am now watching 色，戒(actually 看不懂 most of it ) 。anyway it is a good movie.

[skylee]

Go to the cinema then. Or watch a copyright DVD.

[rezaf]

i bought a better dvd. you are right, it's a good movie but i still think that the story is too long for a movie.

[OracleBone]

I recommend another movie Assembly 集结号 to your guys.

I think it's a good movie and deserves the ticket.

[Outofin]

My thoughts. Click here.

三个人里面金城武的表现最多。他是第一人称，以故事讲述者的身份出现。最打动我的表现是午阳看到二哥的尸体。踉跄的跑过去，却不敢近前，反而趴在地上退回去，伏地恸哭。我看着很有感觉。

好的表演就是几个动作就把观众震撼住了。我回忆一下，再举两个例子。一个是《千里走单骑》里高仓健在录像里讲自己儿子的事情，中间语不成声，举起锦旗遮住自己的脸。很令人动容！在《拯救大兵瑞恩》里，老母亲看到一辆车由远至近，当她看到车里走出将军和牧师，两腿立刻颤抖得站立不住。她慢慢的就坐到地上，安静的等待噩耗的来临。注意这是一个“瘫倒”和“坐倒”之间的状态，体现了巨大的悲痛和自制。这就是杰出的表演！