Matcollis This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.

StunnaKrypto Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

Spoonatects Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

Ketrivie It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

Leofwine_draca THE WARLORDS is a typically overblown historical epic, full of pomposity and grandeur, a film of heroism, murder and larger than life characters. Such films have been very popular in Asia in recent years, with notable highlights including wushu flick HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS and the quite wonderful CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER. THE WARLORDS never equals the heights of those two films, but it is a good effort, a fine display of historical spectacle mixed with a three-hander character drama.My main complaint with the film is that it doesn't really know what it wants to be. It starts off as an action flick, but there's only really one notable fight scene in the whole movie. This involves a ferocious battle between two armies, with Jet Li taking to the field and cutting down swathes of the enemy. Extremely tight editing and a refreshing emphasis on the nastiness of warfare makes this scene one of the highlights of the year, but the rest of the film doesn't match it. Soon we move into a more thoughtful, character-led drama that somehow doesn't ring quite true to me. The acting is very good, and the scenes are all well shot with great proficiency in the technical details, but there's a hollowness here that just left me detached from what was going on. It may be that the story is overly familiar, or that some elements – the character of Lian and her relationships with the leads – are glossed over and feel false.I'd say that this is a film that could have been so much more. It marks an admirable move away from the outrageous 'flying' and gravity-defying situations found in the wushu genre, moving towards gritty realism and grimy authenticity. There are a handful of truly great moments, involving some wonderful acting, like the situation with the four thousand prisoners. But the way the film gradually moves away from greatness down to the climax between two individuals is disappointing and feels rushed. Jet Li shines with some of his best acting ever in a couple of places, and Takeshi Kaneshiro is the kind of amiable guy the crowd loves: good looking, fair and just. Andy Lau is also great, but used too little. Overall, it's a case of 'what could have been' rather than 'what is'; nice film, but no classic.

oneguyrambling Been a while since I have seen a so-called "serious" movie and been able to recommend it as worth watching without disclaimers or reservations.Finally The Warlords is here. While it is not an all-time classic it finally blends the right amount of serious info, historical accuracy, quality acting and plot lines in with some worthwhile action scenes.The Warlords starts off with a battle more bloody, graphic and realistic than any Kingdom of Heaven, Alexander, Gladiator, even the LOTR films. In fact anything since Braveheart, Jet Li is the only survivor of the carnage, and he looks a lot worse for wear.We find his name is Pang, and he comes across a kindly stranger and tells his story, he was a member of the army built to put down the rebel forces, only at the time most needed the "parent" army called the Ho army, sold them out and decided not to fight, leaving them to be slaughtered.As a result a disillusioned Pang has deserted the army once and for all.After he recovers Pang is in town looking for food when a rebel named Wu-Yang tries to steal his army issued boots, after Pang (of course) rolls him, the guy says "tag along with me and I'll introduce you to my boss, he'll love ya." In subtitles at least.Once Pang meets the boss named Er-Hu, he is told "We don't need you thanks, but stay the night, party with us and you can leave in the morning." But over that one night two things happen: Pang finds out that Er-Hu's missus Lian actually shares an intimate past with him, and the rebels are attacked by the Ho army.After the attack Pang urges Er-Hu to join the army for protection, food and safety, as rebels and thieves are the lowest form of life to the public, and their deaths would be welcomed by society. Before agreeing to sign up, Er-Hu and Wu-Yang demand that Pang take a brotherhood oath, they must protect one another at any cost, and any brother that does not or harms another brother is to be killed.He agrees and they enter the army, starting by attacking the Ho's as a sign of loyalty. This initial success leads the army leaders to bestow greater power and responsibility to Pang and friends, and they form a unit to take on a Ho-held city stronghold. This leads to the centrepiece of the film, a major battle that develops and unfolds in dramatic and effective fashion, while also showing the bond building between the three "brothers".Once Pang delivers the good news to his superiors, he is given greater responsibility, and his true aspirations become more clear.Over time Pang gets harder, Wu-Yang grows up and realises that War is heck, and Er-Hu rethinks the sheer scope of the situation, and all the while Lian is caught in the middle.What ensues is a running 5 year battle between the Pang lead forces and the Ho army, with minimal assistance from Pang's leaders. The Ho's actively resist their advances, while the leaders, wary of Pang's growing power and influence, plan his downfall for fear that he may soon turn on them.So in true Major League fashion, Pand decides "Let's just win the whole f*ckin' thing!" This is a historical drama that you can watch without fear that you might learn something (though you might), it is entertaining, has great fight scenes, solid acting and moves along at a pace that allows you to remain interested without just treading water between fight scenes.Jet Li proves that he is a commanding presence, and although I didn't remember the names the guys who play Wu-Yang and Er-Hu are both good too. There is one particular scene in which tension runs high, which ultimately creates a rift in the brotherhood and may cause you to seriously consider which side you would align with.Final Rating – 7.5 / 10. Ignore the subtitles, this is better than most in the genre, and the (admittedly CGI assisted) fight scenes are huge in scope and in realism.If you liked this review (or even if you didn't) check out oneguyrambling.com

mergatroid-1 I know some of the actors in this movie speak English. I hate watching movies with sub titles. I will not be caught reading a subtitle when the scene charges and I miss seeing someone's expression, or some piece of action, all because I had to read the sub title.OK, I admit I'm not the fastest reader in the world, but any way you want to cut it, I hate sub titles.So, when I put the audio on English, I was surprised to hear some guys voice in place of Jet Li's voice. I have never had any problems with his acting and I was looking forward to this movie, however hearing someone else's voice coming out of Jet Li is just disturbing. I know he has an Asian accent, however I have never been one to fault an actor just because he has an accent. And, IMHO, an actor from another country SHOULD have an accent.The movie itself is pretty good. Fairly epic. The story was pretty good, and over all the budget was great. No problems suspending disbelief here. It was even a little gory (cool).Worth the $15 I payed for it. It's just too bad Jet Li didn't provide the voice for his character. I have seen a few movies where Jackie Chan did his own dubbing, and they were much better in that respect.However, even with my one beef, this is still a good movie and I enjoyed watching it.

mistabobdobolina Ever since Hollywood fumbled several golden opportunities to capitalize on the success of Gladiator and revive the fortunes of the historical epic in the West, it's good to see Asian cinema taking up the ball and running with it so effectively. And it's a testament to the scope of what's on offer these days that a film like The Warlords is in the middle of the pack.There are several things The Warlords does right: 1. It restricts the scope of its story, keeping a tight focus on the three heroes, their struggles with circumstance and with enemies that include the conniving Mandarins of the Qing court and the soldiers-of-fortune they favor. The Warlords doesn't try to deliver a history lesson on the incredibly complex topic of the Taiping Rebellion, and establishes the Taipings themselves in subtle, minimal strokes; it's nice if you know the history behind their long locks and crucifixes, but you don't need to know it to understand the flow of the film. What's in frame is what we need to know: the desperation that drove many to take up arms in the China of the day, the shocking straits the Imperial forces had been reduced to, and the kind of inspiration, improvisation and daring it took on the battlefield to bring the Dynasty back from the brink of oblivion.2. It keeps the action varied. No wire-work, thank God, and the battle scenes are gritty, dirty and bloody. We do get treated to some awe-inspiring set pieces, a couple of classic Jet Li throwdowns, and a surprisingly vivid and memorable death scene by a Taiping general that sets the stage for a fatal breach among the trio of sworn brothers. War can become mind-numbing and repetitive, but the film doesn't.3. It doesn't get schmaltzy. There's a romantic subplot, but the filmmakers resist the temptation to let it take over the proceedings and play it out subtly in a succession of guilty glances and stolen moments. The focus is, as it should be, on the the three brothers and especially General Pang as they struggle to adapt to chaotic events and stay afloat in the stormy waters of war and court politics. And when the love triangle does come into play, it does so in an unexpected way.The Warlord's plot is serviceable and engaging, if nothing fancy. That the three brothers are headed for a falling-out is obvious even before they take their blood oath, but the path of that falling-out isn't predictable. In terms of dialogue, there's nothing mind-blowing and nothing intolerably bad. Performances are excellent, and in particular all three of the leading actors deliver in spades. It makes for worthwhile and enjoyable viewing.