Sunday, December 30, 2007

The Warlords



I just reached home after watching 'The Warlords' with an university friend...

I must say that the movie is certainly another breakthrough for Peter Chan. The Hong Kong director has filmed different genres of movies such as 'Perhaps, Love", but this is the first time he did a war film based on a historical event. Watching this movie was considered quite amazing for me because I saw the director in person when he was here in Singapore few months ago.

'The Warlords' , a movie that revolves around brotherhood with many hidden meanings. The scene of a wretched war field not only reflects the complicated relations among the various characters, but it also brings out the significance of peace. The innocents did not choose to go into war. Nor did the soldiers choose to fight the war. They were told to be fighting for the greater good of their own people. The irony of a cross (which symbolises protection) but always associated with death. The "Shan" (mountain) that cannot contain "Er Hu" (second tiger). [It's a chinese phrase, which my friend reminded me about.] And many more meanings that reflect reality...

The movie is also great because of the visual effects, especially the bloody war scenes. Perhaps not all girls would like it. However, if you like Saving Private Ryan, you would simply like this show too. Peter Chan has really done a good directing job in depicting the cruelty of war with the killing, the blood etc. Interestingly, the horses' eyes were covered up in one of the scenes. This is something I don't remember seeing in many films. From my understanding of horses, the idea is to prevent the horses from being distracted. I guess it's even crucial especially in warfare because the horses will often get jittery when they see the swords coming their way.

Although the storyline varies from the original in a way, the plot of the story is laid out very nicely from the start, giving a clear picture of the characteristics of the three brothers and the inter-relationships of these characters. The story is a little sad though. The 4,000 innocent soldiers that were killed despite the fact that they have chosen to surrender. The eventual death of the three brothers.

Overall, I really like the movie a lot. It really makes you reflect that life is like a war scene in a way. There is always so much complexity in relationships at work or in our social life. How much is the friendship we established worth?

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