ANALYSIS: Whether you decide to call it a Chinese Western or a Chinese Sword Epic, director's He Ping's WARRIORS OF HEAVEN
AND EARTH is an entertaining movie with beautiful locations, fantastic action, and a score that combines eastern and western
music influences.
WARRIORS OF HEAVEN AND EARTH is about Lieutenant "Butcher" Li (Jiang Wen) who is bound to help protect a caravan that is
transporting a monk (played by a woman) and a special cargo. However his past catches up to him when Imperial Agent Lai Xi
(Nakai Kiichi) has been ordered to find Li and execute him for disobeying orders (LI and his men disobeyed orders to kill
some Turkish children who were prisoners). Lai Xi and Li have a sword fight that ends in a stalemate. They agree to fight
again when the caravan reaches the capital. The caravan faces many troubles including Lord An (Wang Xueqi) who has been hired
by the Turks to get the caravan's cargo. Lord An has no honor. He is ruthless and he will do anything to get the cargo.
The movie is a Chinese Western in ways. You have Turks and bandits instead of Indians. You have a band of Warriors guarding
a caravan against great odds like the Magnificent Seven or The Wild Bunch. The fight sequences are well staged and entertaining.
Lots of detail went into this movie including the history of the time that the movie is set in. The great locations adds to
the thrill of watching WARRIORS OF HEAVEN AND EARTH that even has a music score that doesn't suck. The score combines Eastern
and Western musical influences. It is one of the best music scores I have heard on any Asian movie.
VIDEO/AUDIO: The movie is presented in 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen. The picture has sharp detail, vibrant colors, and
good blacks. Overall, it isn't a bad transfer at all.
Several different language tracks are on this DVD in addition to the original Mandarin 5.1 Dolby Digital. As with any dub
into a different language, you will notice differences in the dialogue. I enjoyed the English 51 Dolby Digital track. It is
one of the better dubs I have heard. Other language tracks are Portuguese 5.1, Spanish 5.1, and French Dolby surround. You
can choose from English, French, Spanish, or Portuguese subtitles.
Dialogue can be heard clearly for the most part, but I think people will get a more out of this DVD if you listen to it
in 5.1 surround system. Music and sound effects are dynamic and pack quite a punch.
SPECIAL FEATURES: The Making of "Warriors of Heaven and Earth" is a 25 minute featurette that starts as standard promotional
fluff before turning into a great featurette on the making of the movie with interviews with the cast and director, behind
the scenes video, information on the film's production, cold weather they had to deal with for part of the production, and
a glimpse into the training of the actors for the fight scenes and riding horses.
The other extra besides previews is a pop music video (in the vein of a Chinese Celine Dion), "Warriors Of Peace" by Jolin
Tsai.
PREVIEWS: WARRIORS OF HEAVEN AND EARTH, LEGEND OF SURIYOTHAI, RIDING GIANTS, SHE HATE ME, STANDER, TAE GUK GI, TOUCH OF
PINK, ZHOU YU'S TRAIN
FINAL ANALYSIS: WARRIORS OF HEAVEN AND EARTH will thrill fans of Chinese action movies. People who are looking for a good
action drama (or an alternative to Westerns)
should also rent this DVD. Columbia/ Sony have done a great job with this DVD.
this DVD Review is (c)11-29-2004 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission. Send all comments to lord_pragmagtic@hotmail.com
and look for site updates (and additional content) at http://www.livejournal.com/users/enterlinemedia
