Warlords

Warlords Synopsis (from Wikipedia):
The film is set in the 1860s, during the Taiping Rebellion in the late Qing Dynasty in China. The story, based on an unresolved crime in 1870, tells of three sworn brothers (played by Andy Lau, Jet Li and Takeshi Kaneshiro) who are forced to turn against one another due to the harsh realities of war and political intrigue.


My comments:
Period epic movie packaged with a mega cast, grand scenes, lots of blood, battles and flying limbs is usually not my type of movie but I must say that Warlords is pretty spectacular. I’ve seen a lot of brotherhood movies in which the brothers turn against one another for personal gain/selfishness but this time, I find it hard to blame Jet Li’s character. In their situations, Andy is right but so is Jet, so we’re facing a big dilemma. Technically, the three main guys are not evils but they are not heroes as well, they are just pawns. Therefore, when I finished the movie, I find it suffocating, dramatic and depressing. A movie like this, you cannot expect a bright ending…

I have to admit that it bothered me a bit that they guys are screaming/shouting hysterically a little too much during the battle scenes. The romance element was bleh because it's too restrained and there is also a lack of chemistry. Not only that, I also felt a lack of chemistry between the three sworn brothers but the overall acting is fine and effective.