Plantiana Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

Lovesusti The Worst Film Ever

ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Logan By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

ipkevin Wu Xia is the best film in Donnie Yen's filmography. It may not have the most fights or be the most rah-rah crowd pleasing, but it's easily the best directed & most complete movie he's ever made. Huge credit has to go to director Peter Chan. He gives the film a remarkable sense of style that reminded me of early 1990s Luc Besson (when Besson was one of the most stylish directors in the world). Gorgeous visuals, weird yet perfect music, and a quirky rhythm all come together with an interesting story to form a highly compelling film that feels like no other kung fu movie out there.Don't get me wrong: It's not empty style. Every scene successfully conveys the emotion/feeling it's supposed to convey. There's no moment that rings false or feels like it could've been done better. Frankly, director Chan tells the story so effectively that it makes most of Yen's other films feel amateurish in comparison. The incredible style applies to the fights as well. Frankly, the film's fights set a new standard: They manage to combine the intricate choreography of old school wushu kung fu scenes with the hard hitting MTV style of modern Hollywood action without losing what makes either of them good. You can see all of the choreography clearly, but you also get that awesome hard hitting, kinetic MTV sense of style, yet there is no shaky cam or seizure-inducing editing! There is a big chase & fight scene about half way through this film that would be entertaining for most people, but for a student of kung fu cinema, it should be recognized as game changing filmmaking. Bottomline: Donnie Yen's best made film and a new high watermark for the wushu genre.

badajoz-1 This is a Chinese martial arts film but aspires to something more meaningful - the cost of redemption from an awful crime. The main character is pretty familiar - ordinary peasant in two horse village, who somehow manages to overcome a merciless bandit in a one on one fight! Premise is familiar, but this takes some working out because it is brilliantly filmed so that the peasant does not look very capable, just lucky. But a brilliant detective is on his heels, and desperately searching for the truth. Of course, the peasant turns out to be a brilliant martial arts exponent (played by Donny Yen what would you expect?) who has committed horrific murders. Cue his old gang (with ruthlessly violent old father/leader in the van) find out and the scene is set for the final battle between father and son/ evil and maybe good.It is a film that takes its time, with beautiful photography, fine acting, and an interesting plot that takes its time to unravel. The direction and action work very well. But it could do with a bit of 'go' at times.

luke After seeing Warlords and reading the reviews I was expecting something new and interesting to the Wu xia/martial arts genre. What I should have expected was the normal clichéd, over the top characters. (Minor spoilers) Killer assumes new identity and tries to live peacefully with his new family, detective cuts off his own empathy using acupuncture. Nothing new, likely or realistic here but the parts are played seriously by the actors and who is ever disappointed by a martial arts movie lacking in an original story line.Then we have the fight scenes, over the top trash, Donnie Yen makes another guy punch himself in the face so hard his teeth fall out, this probably happened before he flew into the air and attached his feet to the ceiling. Crouching Tiger had wire work but it also managed to have some amazing, realistic fight choreography alongside it. In Wu xia we have the standard rubbish you would see in Hero and House of daggers where wire and other special effects are used to make the unreal look real and failing in the attempt. (Another Spoiler) man has his heart stopped with acupuncture, cuts off his own arm then goes home to have a long boring drawn out fight scene with a fat bald man. Someone gets struck by lightning. This is exactly what I have come to expect from Chinese cinema of late not to mention the hit and miss (mostly miss) master Donnie Yen. Because I had paid for the movie I kept watching and waiting for it to get better or show the reasoning behind its many shining reviews but of course it proved to be nothing more than something which could have been dreamed up by the 4 yr old character in the movie playing Yen's son. The only positives are the settings and look of the movie, don't waste your money!

rgblakey Donnie Yen has been the go to guy for great martial arts films for the last few years. He is one of the few in the industry that delivers great acting performances alongside some remarkable action. His latest film Dragon aka Wu xia looks to continue his tradition of great epic films, but with a bit of a drama suspense aspect, but will this new direction hurt the film or just deliver another great addition to his already brilliant resume? Dragon follows a martial arts expert trying to live in peace, but after a couple of criminals attempt to rob a store and are killed, a determined detective sets out on a hunt to solve the case and reveal the secret he has been trying to leave behind. This is a bit of a different type of film than Yen's previous endeavors. Make no mistake, there is plenty of action here, but it's separated by mystery story that is simple yet cleverly crafted. The film plays as a homage to the classic martial arts film One Armed Swordsman in both story as well as having the legendary star of the film Jimmy Wang in a major role in the film. In addition it almost feels like an Asian remake of History of Violence with the story being the exact same direction. There is some brilliantly clever layout to the way this film is crafted taking out of the realm of average to something a bit more special. Seeing the events unfold in numerous ways throughout this film adds a new dimension that keeps you guessing and wondering where things are going and how it will be revealed. Yen gives another great performance with one of the widest ranges he has had to deliver in some time. Jimmy Wang, while not in the movie a lot, delivers some great moments of pure evil as well as an epic fight scene that any hardcore martial arts fan will surely get sucked right into.Dragon is a great entry into the martial arts genre and one that shows you can deliver the awesome action with a great story and performances. If you are a fan of Yen or the classic One Arm Swordsman then this is a must see film. Understand though, this is not a remake of that film, but does pay homage in a big unexpected way that you will not want to miss.