Movie Mania: Warriors of Heaven and Earth Review

I admit, I wasn't intending to watch WoHaE, although I did have it slotted for a later viewing. I wanted to go for the Tale of The Two Sisters. But as it happened, my sis lost her phone in college and to cheer her up, I bought her a new starter pack (since thankfully she was using my old phone and thus has a spare) and decided to take her for a good ol' Chinese yarn with action and drama. I walked into the theatre with no expections whatsoever, and was very pleasantly surprised. If stories of fighting, honour and comradeship are your cup of tea, then WoHaE is for you.

The story begins simply enough. Set during the time of the Tang Dynasty, a special agent on behalf of the emperor plies his deadly trade. An emissary from Japan, Lai Xi (played here by Nakai Kiichi) is forbidden by the Tang Emperor to return to his country of origin until he has tracked every last outlaw in the western plains of China. In the process, he is also entrusted with the safety of Wen Zhu (Zhao Wei, looking oh so delightful) the daughter of a former general. Lai Xi systematically cleans up every itinerant, outlaw, bandit and the odd Mongol, making the Plains a better place to live in. We also find out that he is tired of his voluntary exile, and wishes to return to his mother. As the agent is preparing to leave, he receives one final assignment: to capture the man known as Butcher Li (Jiang Wen in a shining role, IMHO). Butcher Li was once a famed Liutenant in the emperor's army, whose skill, courage and loyalty were legendary. He disobeyed a direct command to kill some civilians, however, which resulted in his fall from grace. Hunted and despised, Li hides away in the great Gobi desert while the other members of his unit also deserted their posts to live peacefully.

All that ends when a caravan of Buddhist scriptures is attacked by a freak storm, leaving only one survivor. Stumbling upon the remnants of the caravan, Li promises to escort it, picking up his old friends along the way, and inevitably, bumping into Lai Xi, the enigmatic Master An, an enemy who just won't quit and a relic that might save China. I can't say anymore without giving the story away, so I'll proceed with the rest of the review.

Thematically, the whole film reminds me of a spaghetti western (with dashes of Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai). I'm unsure if the director's vision was to create an epic, sweeping story ala Crouching Tiger or Hero, but the finished product is more of a Musa. The story is holey in parts, sometimes asking the viewer to fill in their own explanations and plot devices (for instance, how does an abandoned outpost store so many NEW looking weapons, how the remains of Sakyamuni- oops!). Where the magic really shines through is in the characterisations. Jiang Wen is absolutely believable as a distinguished warrior, and he pulls it off so effortlessly. The commanding tone, the way he carries his responsibility, the little tap of sword against helm as he prepares to battle. It is easy to see how his comrades would follow him into battle and beyond. Kiichi is the slick, suave Imperial officer, whose swordsmanship is of equal measure to Li. Mostly silent but deadly, he learns in the movie that true honour is not always found in serving the court. As for Zhao Wei, for some reason she's vastly underutilised until the final act, when she dons armour to join the fray. I only wish her character had been sketched in deeper (although, as my sister pointed out, being a general's daughter she must have been very sheltered).

As for villains, Master An (Wang Xue Qi) is an Ernst Blofeld in the Silk Road. Charming but lethal, he is at once someone you HAVE to hate, but hope he doesn't know. Additionally, the supporting cast (mostly playing Li's former unit members) play their parts with gusto, tinging the whole film with a slight aura of nostalgia and making it even more believable. Perhaps the stark desert locale also helped flesh out what could have been a simple hack and slash flick.

In short, WoHaE is a good film in the vein of Musa and Hero. It doesn't aspire to much, and the effects are serviceable, but it provides some good action and acting, making it a perfect way to wind up a Friday (besides, it'll make you feel way better than My Boss's Daughter). Recommended.

Ash.ox gives Warriors of Heaven and Earth a 3.5 out of 5.

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