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Hawaiian International Film Fest: He Ping's WARRIORS OF HEAVEN AND EARTH
SPOILER ALERT !!
Father Geek here with another of Moon Yun Choi's editorial submissions from HIFF... this one by our man on the scene opening night, Albert Lanier...
CHINESE EPIC SCREENED DURING SPRING FILM FESTIVAL IN HAWAII
by Albert Lanier
by Albert Lanier
Director He Ping's WARRIORS OF HEAVEN AND EARTH--an action/
adventure film set in the Western desert regions of China--was shown
during the opening night of the Hawaii International Film Festival's
Spring Fling on April 2nd.
WARRIORS was screened to a packed house in
the 300 plus seat auditoriums at Signature Dole Cannery theaters in
Honolulu where the Spring Fling had its home during the week.
The film was reportedly China's official Oscar entry for Best
Foreign Film at this year's Academy Awards.
WARRIORS begins with portentous voice-over narration over a map of
China. It is now, we are told, the Tang Dynasty era.
We will soon be introduced to the film's two main protagonists: Lai
Xi, a Japanese emissary and agent for the Emperor, and Li, a former
Lieutenant in the Imperial Army who has been outlaw for a decade.
Both men have mildly interesting backgrounds. Lai Xi has lived in
China since he was 13 studying various disciplines within the Emperor's
court and yearns to go home to Japan while ex-Lieutenant Li became a
wanted man due to his refusal to kill Turkish women and children
refugees and prisoners captured in battle which precipitated a mutiny
amongst his unit.
Now, Lai Xi has finally been given his chance to go home but he
must perform one task before he can return to Nihongo -- hunt down and
kill Li.
Li himself has been somewhat elusive, roaming Western China. After
a fierce sandstorm almost completely decimates a traveling caravan while
trying to travel through a desert, a soldier guarding the caravan and
looking for survivors--a young monk being the other survivor-- spies Li
tumbling down a sand dune and ends up saving his life.
Grateful for his lifesaving aid, Li is told by the soldier that he
is delivering Buddhist scrolls to the Imperial Court. To repay the
soldier, Li vows to escort the diminutive caravan to the Capital.
Li, the soldier and the monk then take a detour to see Li's former
army comrades at their lush homestead (which looks more like Idaho or
Washington State than some spread in China, truth be told).
Li tells his friends he intends to accompany the soldier and the
monk to the Imperial Court. His brothers in arms perk up. They
want to go with him despite the fact the many of them are married and
at least! one of the wives is pregnant.
No, replies Li but he tells the men to build him a house. He
obviously intends to return.
This reunion doesn't remain relaxed for very long though. Lai Xi
has tracked Li down to this lush, green retreat and the two draw their
swords and fight.
However, the sword fight ends in a draw (Lai Xi has a dagger to his
throat while Li has been maneuvered into a position where the blade of a
sword stuck between a couple of the logs of a log cabin is at the back
of his head).
Lai Xi pledges Li that he will allow him to escort him to the
capital but will kill him once the caravan and its cargo has been safely
delivered. The Imperial Agent will thus tag along.
So, it turns out, will Li's old army buddies who suit up and move
out much to his displeasure.
The rest of the film then charts the journey of this small band
(which includes Lai Xi's female charge, the daughter of a fallen
General) as they try to stay out of the clutches of the Desert Warlord
Master An who sends his army of bandits after the group.
In fact, Li and Lai Xi and their fellow travelers end up fighting
off An's bandits on more than one occasion, leading to half the caravan
of camels and material being lost.
This gets a couple of Li's comrades thinking
out loud while the party wait it out for a while in a secret cave
hideout. Bandits don't usually attack persistently. If they just wanted
money, they could have attacked once and rode off. Therefore, there must
be something far more valuable in the caravan that they want.
It is at this point that the film's major plot twist and reveal
occurs. I won't write about it here other to say it underwhelming to me.
Actually, a good portion of WARRIORS OF HEAVEN AND EARTH was
underwhelming.
That's a shame because the film has two interesting characters in
Lai Xi and Li--two modestly thoughtful men making the best of what fate
and choice has brought to their lives.
Unfortunately, these characters are stuck in a barely watchable film
with a timid plot and pedestrian story that swipes a plot point or two
from RAIDERS OF THE LAST ARK.
That's not to say that WARRIORS is a horrible film. It's not.
Director He Ping overall does a workmanlike job in directing this film.
He makes nice of wide overhanging overhead shots and swoops his camera
up and down on cranes nicely.
The film's cinematography by Zhao Fei is quite good here especially
in covering the sweep and expanse of the flat desert vistas and sand
dunes and rocky locales filled with mountains and isolated fortresses.
Even some of the performances contain their own rewards. Kiichi
Nakai does a fine job portraying Lai XI, imbuing the character with a
relaxed confidence and easy grace. The film's second lead Jiang Wen is
especially good as Li and does a convincing job of illustrating Li's
decency and honor as well as his reliability as a person.
Even actor Wang Xueqi has some fun here as the villain An. He adds
just a touch of the dandy to the character though Master An clearly
demonstrates his tough-guy cr! edentials (such as a scene where he
practices his sword fighting skills with a handful of his goons).
Still, the acting, photography and overall directorial skills are
in service to a lackluster script (co-written by He Ping) that takes a
simple enough plot and story and adds nothing more of merit and value to
it.
Actually, WARRIORS is an Eastern Western with all the standard
archetypes (green-leafy ponderosa-type home, two evenly matched
adversaries, a wagon-train like journey, a disgraced past and
evil-enough bad guy who hold sway over a town, settlement or region in
the desert) you might find in your average oater except this film is set
in Asia not North America.
Too bad, the filmmakers of WARRIORS failed to grasp what a
potentially interesting story they might have had had they focused more
on Lai Xi and Li's lives and not fixated solely on the swordplay.
I'll guess I'll have to ride off in sunset now.
See you later buckaroos.
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+ Expand All
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I'm sure I must have missed this sites' tribute to him, can anyone tell me where it appeared.
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..or whatever.
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I went to the Dole Cannery theaters last night (Tuesdays are dollar hotdog days) and the hawaii film festival films were completely empty. I don't think anyone would go even if the films were free - which they weren't, they were $8.00. Not to sound like a boor (too late) but does anyone even care about this?
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ha ha ha ha
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Harry, maybe you should take a break from Producership if you can't even give the heads up, or even comment on the new KILL BILL trailer...
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He doesnt tell us about the new trailer, cos he's seen the film, and so we're not important. I for one think it ROCKS!!!!
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Ummm was adding the word 'nihongo' on purpose? If you meant Japanese, as in the language, kool. But if you meant Japan, its either Nihon or Nippon....
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is that a complete Musa the Warrior rip off
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Apr 08, 2004 8:52:21 AM CDT
Robert Rodriguez's days as director of PRINCESS OF MARS may be n
by denki
What's Harry going to do now?
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I'm sure there are Peter U tributes & Kill Bill 2 reviews at other sites. Go to them. Go away.
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Apr 08, 2004 9:39:35 AM CDT
How is it that ObscureReference is still allowed to post here?
by vikingkitty
Can't we all agree this guy is an idiot, and work towards getting him banned? Has he EVER talked about a movie?
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SSSSSLLLLLLOOOOOOWWWWWW NEWS DAY ?
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I'm sorry to be an asshole about this...but wasn't this fest running several months ago when it went on and on about Whale Rider? Or has it been a year already...and my drinking is out of control?....And thus, I think I'll have another cocktail! - - - George, The 7th Chicken!!!!
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But this has been buggin me for a while and I just happened to choose now to say something. I really displike reviews that go on and on about the plot of the film. We don't need a scene by scen descriptin and several paragraphs telling us all of the plot points. This isn't coverage. You want to be a good reviewer? Sum up the plot in a few succinct sentences and then proceed to discuss the film on it merits or lack thereof. Writing out every single plot point not only ruins a film, but its boring as hell to read. M
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The Hawaii International Film Festival ("HIFF") in this article is the "HIFF Spring Fling," which takes place in April.
The other boring HIFF that you are probably thinking of is the "regular" one that takes place in November.
Or, maybe you were thinking of the Maui International Film Festival, which takes place in June. They are all equally boring, so it's understandable that someone could get them mixed up.
The problem with the HIFF is that they try to out-do themselves each year with the number of foreign countries that are represented (this time, there are 20 films from 12 countries). That's great in theory - gives us a chance to see non-Hollywood films. BUT there's no-one in the HIFF who is able to separate the wheat from the chaff. So we end up with crap from some third-world country nobody heard of. Just because it's an obscure film from a destitute country, doesn't mean it's art. No wonder the theaters were completely empty. -
fuk this movie...(kneeling and praying) please god gimme zu warriors...oh and geaorge bush for president..i wanna feel safe...amen
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