This film is the biggest blockbusters of 2007 in Hong Kong, China and almost in the other Asian countries too, it began with breaking the box office records on its debut in mainland and continuously run for the money through the theatrical release that always draw a large crowd of audiences. The budget for the movie that cost around US $40 million did proofing was gone to good use. Director Peter Chan successfully used the funds to illustrate the horrendous wartime in China with all of its realistic grit, even nearly half of the big budget went to the stellar cast that included the biggest paid Asian actor Jet Li who received 100 million yuan or $13 million for his appearance in “The Warlords”, Hong Kong famous heartthrob Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro, but they were the rightful actors for the characters and also have a big role in the success of the film. "Without Jet Li, we would not dare to invest $40 million in a Chinese-language film," Xinhua news agency quoted director Peter Chan as saying. Li was a "guarantee" for global sales, Chan said. Based on the actual event in the Qing Dynasty era of China (1644-1911) about the assassination of General Ma Xinyi which also inspired Chang Cheh’s “Blood Brothers” (1973), “The Warlords” offers very impressive, large-scale war scenes befitting of the big screen mixed with a decent dramatic story that fortunately was handed by Peter Chan, a very good storyteller who’s not fail us this time. Now, “The Warlord” is about to fitting your home cinema experience with its hugely pleasurable watch and the DVD version will be release in 2 Discs Special Edition that included 32-page photo booklet and over one hour of special features (behind the scenes, “The Warlords” blog and TV spot) on February 5, 2008.The Warlords story set in the mid-19th Century when China was ruled by deeply corrupted Qing Empire that was affect on its people suffering. The Taiping Rebellion (1851-1864) offered the people a hope of finishing their enduring, but The Taiping regime was equally corrupted and the clash between Qing Empire and the Taiping was only made the people suffered ever more. At one of their war, Pang Qingyun (Jet Li), an imperial general who led the soldiers of Qing suffered a big lose when his army was overpowered by their enemy. Qing army was all slaughtered and left nobody survive but Pang who feigned death. After the enemies left the battlefield, the general slowly climbs out of myriad corpses of soldiers and wanders without direction where all he can see are only starving villagers along the way. When he collapses on the road, a young woman (Xu Jinglei) saved him and taken him to an abandoned house where they spent their night together. By morning, the woman has gone and left alone Pang who has regained his strength and his will to live. In the village, Pang met with Jiang Wuyang (Takeshi Kaneshiro) who was amongst those distributing food to the poor, by any circumstances the two men soon get into a fight. Actually Jiang is testing on Pang’s skill which made him impressed with Pang and then brings him to see his “big brother” Zhao Erhu (Andy Lau). Zhao who is a bandit leader recruited Pang to join his gang and his first mission with the gang is attacking a food of the Taiping. The mission is a success even Jiang was almost killed but fortunately Pang was there and saved him, upon returning to the bandits’ village, Pang meets up with a woman who had saved him before and this time he knows that her name is Lian and she is in fact the wife of Zhao. When hundreds of imperial soldiers suddenly appears and confiscate the food they have, Zhao and Jiang have no other way but took Pang’s suggestion of joining the imperial force in order to make their men and family survive. These three men ended swear to be blood brothers for the rest of their lives and formed their own battalion to fight the Taiping. Later, soon the trio engages in many perilous battles and tasted every victory together. But as his regiment growing strong, Ma is getting obsessed with power and making him ruthless, other than that Pang is still not willing to give up on Lian. And when the chemistry is getting irresistible and the seed of betrayal started to plant, Ma begins to arrange another plan to remove one obstacle standing between him and his desire to the woman. Circumstances evolve as the time passes by, and the true brotherhood vow eventually will culminate into the terrible tragedies.Product Details: Product Title: The Warlords (DVD) (2-Disc Special Edition) (Hong Kong Version) Actors: Jet Li, Andy Lau, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Xu Jinglei. Directors: Peter Ho-Shun Chan Format: Widescreen (Anamorphic), Color, NTSC Language: Cantonese, Mandarin Subtitle: English, Chinese(Traditional/Simplified) Audio Specs: Digital Surround 5.1, Dolby Digital 2.0 Region: Region 3 South East Asia (including Hong Kong, S. Korea and Taiwan) Number of discs: 2 Country Made: Hong Kong Genre: Action War Drama Feature Film Running Time: 127 Minutes Distributor: Kam & Ronson Enterprises Co Ltd Release Date: February 5, 2008 (Order your copy now!)Story-Meter: 7/10 Ending-Meter: 7/10 Actors-Meter: 8/10 Video & Audio-Meter: 8/10 Overall-Meter: 8/10Review from the War Zone: (By John Li – Moviexclusive) Having helmed “Comrades: Almost a Love Story” (1996) and “Perhaps Love” (2005), which incidentally are what we think the two greatest Asian films of all time, director-producer is back with his latest work, and it is a war drama? Where is the romantic love story? Where are the long-suffering male and female protagonists? Where are the melancholically-colored shots of lovers pinning for their dreams to come true? Fans of the visionary filmmaker need not fear, because this movie successfully delivers the heart and soul of brotherhood amidst the adrenaline-driven storyline. During the war-plagued 19th century in the late Qing dynasty China, three men will become blood brothers and swear to be true to each other, despite all the political upheavals and unrest around them. Circumstances evolve as years pass, and the brotherhood eventually culminates in tragedy. Known for his well-produced films which are box office and critical successes, Chan’s signature is clear in the high production values of this 125-minute movie. The saga boasts of several big-scale war sequences which are exquisitely-choreographed and grittily-shot without losing pace. The thousands of soldiers, horses, bows and arrows will leave you in awe, thinking that the movie is executed as well as, if not better, than the many Hollywood productions you have seen before. Couple that with some breathtaking cinematography, tight editing and dramatic music score by a Pan-Asian production team: You’d be leaving the theatre with nothing but praise for the movie. The leading men’s charisma is also something that you won’t miss. Playing the eldest brother is action star Jet Li (War, Fearless, Hero) who portrays the fallen hero with the right amount of angst and anguish. Complemented by action coordinator Ching Siu-Tung’s (Curse of the Golden Flower, House of Flying Daggers) choreography, Li scores in this role. Heavenly king Andy Lau (Protégé, Battle of Wits) plays a tragic hero torn between different factions. The many emotional scenes definitely make this one of the best performances in Lau’s career. The charming Takeshi Kaneshiro (“Perhaps Love”, Turn Left Turn Right) may look somewhat too contemporary as the youngest brother, but his increasingly affective acting more than makes up for that. Rounding up the well-represented Asian cast is the talented Xu Jinglei (Confession of Pain), who plays the supporting role conflicted wife without being too overlooked. The very emotionally-charged plot will mean that it will take a capable director to make the movie work. And Chan has competently told the story to move the most cold-hearted audience. There will be at least two scenes where you may reach out for your hankie and reflect on the relevance on human nature some 150 years later in present day. Such is the skill of a good storyteller like Chan: It doesn’t matter when the tale is set in; a fine filmmaker will have the power to affect you emotionally amidst all the wham-bham action of things.Empire of the Battleship: Curse of the Golden Flowers, Battle of Wits, Hero, House of Flying Daggers, The Warrior, Once Upon A Time in China
Mad Detective is a supernatural police thriller from famous Hong Kong co-directors Johnny To (Fulltime Killer) and Wai Kar Fai, they were reunited again for the film, four years after working together on the 2003 Andy Lau muscle-suit drama “Running on Karma”. With the unique blend of suspense and quirkiness, “Mad Detective” once again proves To is currently Hong Kong's most creative and innovative director. The film also made its way to screened at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival's Special Presentations, a showcase for daring and artistic films with high-profile stars or directors and also premiered in Italy at the 2007 Venice Film Festival shortlisted for the top Golden Lion Prize. To fulfilling our thirst for another qualified Asian film, now, “Mad Detective” is ready to fancies your home cinema collection, the DVD version was expected to release on January 31, 2008.The Mad Synopsis: A missing police pistol is connected to a recent series of heists and murders. Its owner WONG (Lee Kwok Lun) vanished earlier while pursuing a suspect in the mountains. His partner CHI-WAI (Lam Ka Tung) miraculously returned unharmed. Hotshot Regional Crime Unit inspector HO (Andy On) is in charge if the serial murder investigation. He knows the only chance he has in cracking the case is to ask for help from his mentor/former boss BUN (Lau Ching Wan). Bun is recognized as a gifted criminal profiler until he went mad several years ago. At his superior’s farewell party, Bun sliced off his right ear and offered it as a present. Bun lives in seclusion with his beloved wife MAY (Kelly Lin) ever since. As a policeman Bun has the gift of second sight that able to see into a person’s inner personality. This is where the subconscious desires, emotion and mental state are laid bare. For Bun, they are the key to unlocking a killer’s identity. But for Ho, Bun’s unorthodox approach has put doubt in his mind. Bun comes to conclusion Chi-wai has a total of seven personalities. The cop’s alternate identities are responsible for his murderous behavior. However, Ho feels betrayed when Bun’s investigation went beyond his imagination. Chi-wai’s lies have managed to penetrate and corrupt his vulnerable self. What begins as a quest for answer has now taken a schizophrenic turn where truth and lies, reality and delusions intertwine.Product Details: Product Title: Mad Detective (DVD) (Hong Kong Version) Actors: Lau Ching-wan, Andy On, Lam Ka-tung, Kelly Lin, Lee Kwok-lun, Karen Lee, Flora Chan, Eddy Ko, Lam Suet. Directors: Johnnie To, Wai Kar Fai Format: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1, Color, NTSC Language: Cantonese, Mandarin Subtitle: English, Chinese(Traditional/Simplified) Audio Specs: Dolby Digital 5.1 Region: Region 3 South East Asia (including Hong Kong, S. Korea and Taiwan) Number of discs: 1 Genre: Suspense-Thriller Feature Film Running Time: 91 Minutes Distributor: Mei Ah (HK) Release Date: January 31, 2008 (Order your copy now!)Homecinemasia Pleasurable Test: 8 stars out of 10
Review for the Detective Investigation: (By Richard Lim Jr. from Moviexclusive) Since their last outing as co-directors for the thought provoking Running for Karma (2003), Directors Wai Ka Fai and Johnnie To had return to work together for another round of philosophical musing in their latest movie, Mad Detective. This time, they bravely utilize two medical conditions, Schizophrenia and Multiple split personalities and weaved them into an exciting and unusual “whodunit” movie. On one side of the law, there’s the loony ex police detective Bun (played by Lau Ching Wan, the recent Best Actor Winner for My Name is Fame) who’s strange behavior due to his “special” talent had left most friends and strangers keeping an arm length from him. In Bun’s case, the irony here being that a thin line separates his intelligence from madness and what other people sees as a mental condition was actually a rare unorthodox talent in solving tough crimes. But ultimately, after his “Vincent van Gogh gift” act, he was released from the police service. Fast forward to five years later, when he was pulled back into a criminal investigation when his ex subordinate Ho (Andy On) wasn’t able to solve a puzzling case involving one missing cop, one missing gun and one highly suspicious police officer Chi Wa (Gordon Lam Ka Tung). These events and character set up provided the directors and actors an opportunity to layer a story with complexity and delightful contradictions. For Bun, this movie offers an intriguing insight to the perspective of a person suffering from schizophrenia by providing a cinematic explanation on what could be possibly going on a person mind while that person is hallucinating. It’s also brought forth a tinge of sadness, invoke by seeing such desperate escapism from a delusion man who could have been on top of his game. There are very few actors in Hong Kong that could engage with a credible performance which requires a delicate balance of seriousness and zaniness like the Lau Ching Wan could. I wouldn’t be surprise if his performance here earns him another nomination at the Best Actor in Asian film awards. Every hero needs a strong villain to enhance the hero’s heroic deeds and Lau Ching Wan’s performance was well supported by Gordon Lam’s portrayal of the archenemy character Chi Wa. Gordon Lam character offers another juicy insight to how people with split personalities might function differently from us, such as the thinking process and how different voices could reason with each other before coming to a decision. It even went on to contrast how one could lose one true self to the different chain of thoughts and of course it was a blast watching Gordon Lam playing such an wicked and manipulative role (in the midst of some self doubting and confusing moments). While Bun and Chi Wa each represents the both side of the righteous and the corrupted, Ho’s character would represent the majority of the normal people. A personality trait that largely represent the righteous which could just as easily affected by the manipulation of others and in a way, it reveals the darkness of one man’s soul even among the most noble intention. While it has a fascinating in-depth look into multi-layered personalities, the quirky manner that the investigation was done would probably left some audience cold. The manner that the story unrevealed itself could prove rather frustrating as a lot of actions went unexplained and simply weird. For example, one would expect Bun’s investigation method was solely focusing on the criminal’s perspective but that not the case as we get to witness Bun’s tumbling down in a suitcase to get into the viewpoint of the victims. It’s hard to comprehend such unconventional method which doesn’t sound logical at all. However, it could very well be the directors’ intention to delve into the true essence of the mannerism of a madman’s action where things they do are really hard to fathom. While staying true to the essence of madness, it could really be a test of one’s patience to wait for the chain of events to be eventually played out. Beside the illogical detours, the jumpy manner that the story was told didn’t help much either as it would also requires their undivided concentration. Those are the few drawbacks that might derail viewers from enjoying this movie. If you are able to wait for the events to flow and their concept of insanity, it will be an intriguing ride to see how the mysterious characters with schizophrenia and multiple split personalities unveil themselves through fine acting and story telling.
The Warlords story set in the mid-19th Century when China was ruled by deeply corrupted Qing Empire that was affect on its people suffering. The Taiping Rebellion (1851-1864) offered the people a hope of finishing their enduring, but The Taiping regime was equally corrupted and the clash between Qing Empire and the Taiping was only made the people suffered ever more. At one of their war, Pang Qingyun (Jet Li), an imperial general who led the soldiers of Qing suffered a big lose when his army was overpowered by their enemy. Qing army was all slaughtered and left nobody survive but Pang who feigned death. After the enemies left the battlefield, the general slowly climbs out of myriad corpses of soldiers and wanders without direction where all he can see are only starving villagers along the way. When he collapses on the road, a young woman (Xu Jinglei) saved him and taken him to an abandoned house where they spent their night together. By morning, the woman has gone and left alone Pang who has regained his strength and his will to live.
The Warlords story set in the mid-19th Century when China was ruled by deeply corrupted Qing Empire that was affect on its people suffering. The Taiping Rebellion (1851-1864) offered the people a hope of finishing their enduring, but The Taiping regime was equally corrupted and the clash between Qing Empire and the Taiping was only made the people suffered ever more. At one of their war, Pang Qingyun (Jet Li), an imperial general who led the soldiers of Qing suffered a big lose when his army was overpowered by their enemy. Qing army was all slaughtered and left nobody survive but Pang who feigned death. After the enemies left the battlefield, the general slowly climbs out of myriad corpses of soldiers and wanders without direction where all he can see are only starving villagers along the way. When he collapses on the road, a young woman (Xu Jinglei) saved him and taken him to an abandoned house where they spent their night together. By morning, the woman has gone and left alone Pang who has regained his strength and his will to live.
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