Warriors of Heaven and Earth (2004)

Great Period Film

For those who like Chinese period films like Hero etc you will enjoy this.
Well shot with good action scenes by a cast of largely unkown actors in the West it is well worth a look. July 27, 2008

Overrated... Didn't hold my attention.

I very much enjoyed Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Hero was pretty darn good, in my opinion. Slightly less enjoyed House of Flying Daggers though it was still quite good. Jet Li's Fearless was okay.

Read several reviews of recent (post-1990) martial arts movies. The description of Warriors of Heaven and Earth sounded appealing.

Unfortunately, I was sadly disappointed. Far from the epic fantasy that I was expecting and hoping for (a la Crouching Tiger or Hero), this movie felt more like a Martial Arts version of a Spaghetti Western.

There wasn't much "heaven" or "magic" portrayed in the movie (barely toward the end) and what little of "Earth" was showed was mainly a few forest shots and then lots of drab Desert (pretty depressing).

In all, not the worst movie I've ever seen, some may like it. The fights, though few and far between, have their moments. Thus far, I'm enjoying Curse of the Golden Flower more (I also like the set design and costuming more). I'm also looking forward to watching The Legend of the Black Scorpion. I might pick up "Legend of the Shadowless Sword" once released too. Will let you guys know how those go.

For now, I'd label this one a "rental" unless you're a hardcore fan and have seen everything else. Crouching Tiger and Hero is is not (in terms of artistry, costuming, etc.). July 22, 2008

A Fantastic Movie - Entertaining and Touching...and Exciting!

I ran across the DVD of Warriors of Heaven and Earth and as the price was right I decided to give it a shot. Having already fallen in love with Japanese films I though I could give a Chinese film a try - and I am definitely glad that I did.

Warriors of Heaven and Earth is NOT just a swordfighting action movie, nor is it a martial arts, "Wire-Fu," movie. What Warriors IS is a dramatic story with well rounded characters that has some fantastic action/fight sequences. Actually, I'd say that this movie, in some respects, reminded me of a more dramatic Indiana Jones movie. All the visual splendor is there, all the adventure and excitement and peril is there as in an Indiana Jones movie, and there's even a bit of the supernatural like an Indiana Jones movie. Where it departs from Indiana Jones is in the drama department.

The script for Warriors of Heavan and Earth is very, very good. Many characters are fleshed out and well rounded, the plot makes sense, and the pacing is excellent throughout. This is a touching movie, as the two main characters who are supposed to fight to the death learn to respect and even like each other - but it's not done in a forced or unnatural way. It's done slowly, with their actions providing the foundation for the respect and admiration they develop for each other.

The Amazon.com review mentions Warriors being a bit of a Western, showing more than a little John Ford (particularly The Searchers), and that is absolutely true. Director He Ping (or Ping, He, if you prefer) definitely channeled both John Ford and Akira Kurosawa while he was making this movie. Sure, there are bits of Spielberg and Yimou Zhang (or Crouching Tiger era Ang Lee), but those bits are kept to a minimum, and work to great effect WITH the John Ford and Akira Kurosawa elements.

Now, maybe comparing ANY director to John Ford and/or Akira Kurosawa is unfair. I don't think any director is going to live up to those comparisons, but in this case you can see the clear inspiration for He Ping's work on Warriors of Heaven and Earth.

The DVD itself is very good, with excellent picture and sound quality, multiple language audio tracks, a nice, "Making Of," documentary, and several trailers for this and other films of interest.

If you haven't seen an Asian movie, but like Westerns or historical epics, this would be a great film to start with. If you are already a fan of Asian Cinema, then I think from reading my review and the others already here you've got a good idea of what this movie is like.

Definitely RECOMMENDED. December 31, 2007

"Warriors" Exposes Warlords Relations Between Cultures

Warriors of Heaven & Earth [Blu-ray]
"Warriors of Heaven and Earth" will excite audiences interested in Asian cinema. This is the story of Japanese soldiers in China during the Warlord period of history when the two cultures (Chinese and Japanese) clash. Japanese soldiers go AWOL (Absent Without Leave) in China and are hunted down by other Japanese soldiers sent to "bring them in" for the Japanese government officials. This film is a cinematic delight filled with action, adventure and superb fight scenes. December 12, 2007

Looks nice but really boring.

I can't fault the Bluray, the movie looks really nice. Too bad it is extremely boring - just rent this instead. August 5, 2007

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