Name of the Film: The Lost Bladesman
Starring: Donnie Yen, Wen Jiang
Having just started reading Romance of the Three Kingdoms and wanting to learn more about the four great classical novels of Chinese literature (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Great_Classical_Novels), I was excited to see this take on the very famous story of the legendary general Guan Yu.
I was expecting epic passions, complex characters having their motives questioned and their ambitions change, legendary fight scenes coupled with beautiful cinematography and set design.
And what did I get?
Well, I got a fairly average kung fu film with a permanently confused looking Donnie Yen. Let me be clear I didn’t hate this film but it is lacking in certain aspects.
The biggest tragedy is the lack of interesting characters. Having such a rich history to draw on this script should write itself and tragically the film makers clearly believed that too as there doesn’t seem to have been any attempt on their part to give us any sort of story arc or complex characters beyond very bland stereotypes, Guan Yu is noble, Qi Lan is pretty (kinda) and demure and beyond that most of the characters are 5 minute cameos sent in for Donnie Yen to beat up. That is with one very notable exception...
Wen Jiang playing the part of General Cao is fantastic. He is absolutely the man in this film. The dialogue he has been given could have meant that he was a straight talking warlord who believed in his cause and felt that everyone should join his army and think as he does. But the way he plays him gives him a much more manipulative streak giving us a blessed relief from the mediocrity surrounding him. He steals every scene that he is in with Donnie Yen. The result is that rather than a dueling of minds between the two legendary characters that matches the dueling of weapons between Guan Yu and General Cao’s men we get the impression that Guan Yu is a bit thick and is manipulated by General Cao into doing what he wants, certainly that is the impression given even if it isn’t, necessarily, the end result.
So while Wen Jiang’s performance elevates the film there is plenty to drag it back down.
The appalling make up job on Donnie Yen is one such example. The wig, beard and skin tone are all so obvious it becomes distracting and reminded me of Peter Ustinov as Hnup Wan in the film “One of Our Dinosaurs is Missing.” Some achievement and totally unnecessary!
Also the fight scenes are a little... Bland. They are slick but ultimately uninvolving and at times it feels like you can see the actors calling out the move number in the choreography. These battles are not as good as Donnie Yen was in the Ip Man films and, as fight choreographer, it is Donnie Yen that must take the brunt of the blame for that. Great fights tell a story in Kung Fu films, something Sammo Hung showed well in Ip Man, but these fights are just two people hitting each other, and no matter how high the balcony that the guy jumps off or how fast the sword play becomes it still becomes boring after a while.
The film makers rely too heavily on their audiences previous knowledge of the characters and what results is a lazy film which had so much potential but is found wanting in so many areas.
Did I enjoy the film? Not really but I can see some appeal.
Would I recommend it to my friends? Probably not.
Will I buy it on DVD/Blu Ray? No
If it was a mate would I let it date my Sister? No.
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