WARRIORS OF HEAVEN AND EARTH (Tian di ying xiong)
Reviewed by Harvey S. Karten
Sony Pictures Classics
Grade: B+
Directed by: He Ping
Written by: He Ping
Cast: Jiang Wen, Nakai Kichi, Wang Xueqi, Vicki Zhao Wei,
Hasi Bagen, Ho Tao, Liu Linian, Wang Deshun, Li Haibin,
Yeerjiang Mahepushen
Screened at: Sony, NYC, 8/17/04
Move over Peter Jackson! You gave us some cool battle
scenes in all three versions of "Lord of the Rings," but to do this
you used advanced technology to generate computer images
and the fights were not even always between human beings. By
contrast, in "Warriors of Heaven and Earth," He Ping directs
some lavish battle scenes, all between human beings on horses,
camels and on foot, and does not even rely on the acrobatic
gimmicks utilized by Ang Lee in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden
Dragon." Though He Ping ("Red Firecracker, Green
Firecracker") keeps his film down to earth–to sand, really–what
results are some of the most stunning bits of swordplay to grace
the screen to date though, admittedly, He resorts to graphic
images twice to demonstrate the power of a mystical Buddhist
treasure. If the story is thin, Zhao Fei's gorgeous cinematography
and A.R. Rahman and Qu Lixin's musical score and sound are
the film's raison d'etre.
The action, which is photographed in and around China's
Xinjiang province, is rooted in the sort of brotherly love that forms
right up to the present day among men who face death daily in
battle. He Ping focuses principally on Lai Xi (Nakai Kiichi), an
emissary for the Tang Empire who was sent from his native
Japan to China to study Mandarin and now longs to return to his
mother back home. Before he is to be allowed to leave for
Japan–a land that few Chinese had heard of at the beginning of
the Eighth Century when the story takes place–he is ordered to
go on a final mission. He must seek out and kill a lieutenant
known as Butcher Li (Wen Jiang) as the latter, a man who chose
honor over loyalty, refuses to kill unarmed Turkish women and
children who are held captive. Li evades punishment at least
temporarily by hiring himself out together with his adversary to
guard caravans in the Gobi Desert, groups that need protection
from both bandits and Turkish raiding parties seeking to
dominate the famed Silk Road. Among the persons under
protection is a young Buddhist monk, who is conveying a pagoda
with mystical powers to the Chinese Emperor. When the
government agent confronts the lieutenant, they fight a duel to a
draw, joining forces against the Turks and bandits until the time
that Lai Xi is to fulfill his mandate and kills his ally.
Three basic battles take place, to be repeated several times,
each with more fervor than the last until a final struggle involving
the shooting of flaming arrows and some primitive missiles
climax the action. 1) The caravan guard vs. the Turks; 2) The
caravan guard vs. bandits, led by a ferocious fighter named An
(Wang Xueqi), whose principal hobby is to play an ancient
Chinese instrument, the erhu; 3) between Li and Lai.
For those who like to see historical events mirrored in current
turmoil, think of the Eighth Century bandits as terrorists, the
Turks as representatives of today's so-called Evil Empire, and
the caravan guard as the coalition forces such as they are. Far-
fetched? Probably. But one can't help thinking that the rocky
passes over which the battalions traverse are like the border
between Afghanistan and Pakistan where our arch enemy,
Osama bin Laden, is hanging out.
The actors draw 3-dimensional portraits for us. Zhao Wei in the
role of Wen Zhu is the daughter of a Chinese general, now dead,
entrusted to the care of the caravan guard. In a climactic battle
scene, she does not stay meekly on the side waiting for the men
to rescue her but takes part violently against those who'd upset
an orderly society such as might exist in the Gobi Desert. She
could conceivably take on romantic roles inhabited in the past by
Gong Li. Jiang Wen as Butcher Li conveys strength equal to that
of his comrade-adversary played by Kiichi.
"Tian di ying xiong" as the film is known in its original Chinese,
brings to mind such Western fare as Mel Gibson's "Braveheart,"
the booming, epic tale of 13th century Scottish rebel warrior
William Wallace, and Ridley Scott's "Gladiator," about a
dedicated Roman soldier who refuses to transfer his loyalty to the
new emperor. With its realistic action, booming sound, and
larger-than-life heroes, "Warriors of Heaven and Earth" was a
welcome, albeit overlooked, Chinese entry in the Oscar
competition for films opening in 2003.
Not Rated. 120 minutes. © 2004 by Harvey Karten
at harveycritic@cs.com
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