Warriors of Heaven and Earth
by Ping He
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DVD details
Actor: Bagen Hasi, Kiichi Nakai, Wei Zhao, Wen Jiang, Xueqi WangDirector: Ping He
Brand: Sony
Writer: Ping He
Producer: Huaiqiang Zhang
Producer: Jia Fu
Producer: Kuo-fu Chen
Producer: Shirley Kao
Producer: Song Bai
Writer: Rui Zhang
DVD: Region Code 99
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Portuguese (Subtitled); Cantonese (Original Language); English (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Dubbed); Portuguese (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen, 2.40:1
Running Time: 120 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-12-07
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
DVD Reviews of Warriors of Heaven and Earth
DVD Review: A Chinese "western" with illusions of grandeur
Summary: 4 Stars
The idea of a Chinese "western" is appealing at face value and I certainly appreciated the fact that the warriors in "Tian di ying xiong" ("Warriors of Heaven and Earth") were of a mature age. I could easily see this being the sort of story where you had the likes of John Wayne, Henry Fonda, and Jimmy Stewart in the main roles. It was just when I though of any of those stalwarts dealing with mystical blue light that I found myself wishing this story had been a bit more straight foward. Then I remembered this was a Chinese film, which is why it is in Mandarin with English subtitles.
"Tian di ying xiong" is set during the Tang dynasty, when ancient China covered most of Asia. Lieutenant Li Zai (Wen Jiang) was a honored soldier in the Emperor's service until he refused an order to slaughter a group of Turkish women and children who had been taken captive. After escaping, the Emperor put a bounty on the head of "Butcher Li," hiring the Japanese assassin, Lai Qi (Kiichi Nakai) to finish the job before he will be allowed to return home. Li has disguised himself as a Turkish mercenary, protecting camel caravans traveling the Silk Road from attacks by bandits. While traveling through the Gobi desert, a terrible sand storm buries the caravan. The only ones who survive is a single solider, a young Buddhist monk ((Yun Zhou), and Li. Because the soldier saved his life, Li vows to protect the caravan until it reaches the capital. This is when Lai Qi catches up with Li and challenges him to a fight.
Appealing to the honor of the assassin, Li proposes a deal: Lai will make three attacks on Li, and it Li loses then they will fight there and then. But if Li wins he will be allowed to keep his vow and escort the caravan and then they can have their big sword fight. Li wins the wager, and Lai follows the caravan from a distance. When a local warlord, Master An (Xueqi Wang), starts attacking the caravan, Li and Lai become temporary allies. Then they learn the truth of what it is the young monk is carrying and the stakes become even higher.
This is one of those movies where what is arguably the best action sequence comes at the start, even though all we are talking about is a sword fight that takes place in (and through) a cabin. The key visual attraction becomes not the sword fights, but the vistas of the Gobi desert shot by cinematographer Zhao Fei ("Raise the Red Lantern," "Small Time Crooks"), accompanied by the music of A.R. Rahman and Qu Lixin. Most of the characters reflect well-established types, which explains why "Old Diehard" (Wang Dehun), ends up stealing a lot of the scenes. The main female character, Wen Zhu (Vicki Zhao), seems like she is going to be Li's love interest or perhaps another sword by his side, but neither pans out significantly.
He Ping ("Pao Da Shuang Deng") directed the film and co-wrote the script with Zhang Rui ("Dao ma zei") and he is clearly trying for something big. That is commendable, but there are just too many moments where he associates taking things slowly with making things great. Ultimately "Tian di ying xiong" relates better to the works of George Lucas than John Ford. Given the characters, the situation, and the locations, the net effect really should have been a lot more impressive.
Description of Warriors of Heaven and Earth
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