Linbeymusol Wonderful character development!

Platicsco Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Plustown A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

blackmamba99971 Chow Yun Fat gives a great performance as the sage adviser to his kingdom. Confuciusism, is based upon the teachings of Confucius himself with his literal way of explaining peace through politics, and philosophy as well as many forms of poetry and mathematics. Yet he was exiled out of Lu, because of his idealism of tearing down three major walls which house both nobles and commoners became a dangerous reality. His own king realized the implications of leaving themselves vulnerable to enemies which in turn got Confucius exiled to wander for years in the vast open lands. Leaving behind his wife and family at least to keep them from the dangers of the plains. Yet in the frustrations back home in Lu, the king then comes to his own realization that sending his only true adviser was a mistake. So, he sends out many patrols and reconnaissance teams to bring back Confucius to the turbulent times. I like this movie for its brilliant history about the only man other than Ghandi to stop the killing without using violence. Although Confucius himself accepted the invitation to come back home, he did however refuse to be involved in any politics what so ever. His teachings became a mainstay to future students who believe that pacifism is more powerful than using brute chaos. The old adage is, the pen is mightier than the sword. Chow Yun Fat gives his most powerful performance to date with this film, and I would like to see him in another of such great leaders, and scholars of the times. The music was top notch, as well as the CGI battle scenes using thousands of soldiers which engaged in battle. Forgivness is the breath of life, and seeing two friends make up is worth more to see it rather than reading it. Excellent movie. I highly recommend this to anyone who still believes that peace is the ultimate winner.

nextlife Here in America Confucius is known mostly for all the sayings he was attributed for, and they mostly begin with " Confucius say..." I was really looking forward to seeing this movie and although I am now kind of shaking my head and wondering what actually happened in this movie I can't say that it was a total loss to have seen it. (Actually I own it) I could say that the best thing about this movie is the Faye Wong song at the end and the bonus video with her singing but that would not entirely be true.If I knew nothing about Confucius and had seen this movie I would never know that all his sayings that are attributed to him ever existed. Sure he has a truckload of writings by the time he died but did the movie ever go into what he actually had written? Sadly, no.It was a joy for me as an American to see the beautiful countryside, the scenery is magnificent.There is no love story in this movie except the love his disciples have for him (and vice versa) and the love he and his disciples have for their country. Xun Xhou is gorgeous and mysterious but she is only in this film for mere minutes and then she is gone.I don't even know how factual the events in this movie are. Do they follow a true history? I don't know, I was expecting to see more about his philosophy and all his writings and how they were so influential they still survive to this day.I will watch it again because I probably missed something. I always watch the movie with the original spoken language and English subtitles, so sometimes maybe I was watching too much the subtitles and missing some subtle interactions between the characters.I was not disappointed with the acting at all, I thought is was excellent.And yes for Faye Wong fans the ending song is just as beautiful as she is.

chrisemmins Many people that write on here about films such of this almost have too 'expert' a view. As has been said elsewhere, it is a real epic and the performance by Chow Yun Fat is exceptional. Whilst there is always going to be debate about accuracy, style and even politics about such a film, for lovers of sumptuously shot cinema and outstanding acting, it will be a joy to watch and will open up Confucius the man to many more people. It is actually being widely released in the UK on DVD and Blu Ray on Monday 4th October on the Cine-Asia label, so will be really interesting to see what a much wider audience makes of it. Personally, I think that people will appreciate its quality and see it for what it is - a very well made historical epic movie.

BronzeKeilani26 I came inches close to missing this gorgeous epic tale & cannot understand how few posters could feel negative. Unless they're not fans of Asian films or fake posters with motives against the film's makers? But I am so glad I decided not to believe their reviews. First of all, Yun Fat Chow is not going to turn down a major role in Red Cliff to be in another bio-story type film not just as amazing. And this film was far from long & drawn out. If you're a fan of most popular Chinese epic films than you'll love this! Every camera shot was gorgeous as with the costumes. It's rare to find present epic Asian films that aren't tastefully shot anyway. The color was stunning, and the interpretation of the classic tale was unique with plots that never disappoint. Xun Zhou was as beautiful & cunning as she was in Painted Skin which I watched 4 x's, lol. With all the characters, the actors each held such a powerful presence. It's very tough to develop any character singularly while you have so many important characters with their own mythos and chronicles, but each actor really held up professionally! The amazing battle sequences & periods of war were not drawn out(thank God). And formations, strategies & clever weapons take centerstage in the first major confrontation with Confucius advising the King.Confucious is a solid film that is both a mega blockbuster and quality film-making--------One of the best films ever...epic, complex, realistic, emotionally engaging and unforgettable