Pequeño gran guerrero

"Little Big Soldier" is actually an odd-couple road flick set during China's Warring States period. The war drama, spiced with the usual Jackie Chan comedy, has been Jackie's brainchild for 20 years before finally hitting the big screen. Chan had initially planned to play the role of the young general but having aged since, he has to settle for the role of the elderly soldier.

Well, having seen Jackie as the titular character, I have no complaints. He provides the role with its requisite charm and experience that it is so easy to root for him. A refreshing change from nonsensical comedies like "The Spy Next Door", I may add.

Jackie plays an unnamed soldier from the Liang State who survives an ambush by Qin forces that decimates the 2000-strong Liang army. The lowly soldier, who feigns death rather than fight, captures a young Wei general (Wang Leehom) and plans to 'trade' him for a plot of land as reward.

Along the way, however, captor and captive face a host of mishaps, misadventures and plot twists - and they have to team up in order to survive.

As Jackie's own project, you can be sure of the trademark Jackie stunts and image boosts. Playing a farmer forcibly conscripted into war, Jackie's message (or ego massage) is that war is bad for the people, birds and the environment. He throws in lots of slapstick and sometimes the comedy borders on the ridiculous.

Still, these are forgivable because it is easy to like Jackie's and LeeHom's characters. They have a sparkling screen chemistry that helps us overlook the plot-holes and lapses in logic. What's more important is that "Little Big Soldier" has a nostalgic feel, reminding us of Jackie's classics like "Drunken Master" and "Snake In The Eagle's Shadow". - By LIM CHANG MOH (limchangmoh.blogspot.com)

LITTLE BIG SOLDIER tells the story of a farmer forced into conscription, and has been looking to get out of the army ever since. His great chance arrives when he stumbles upon a wounded general from an enemy state, and he kidnaps him, intending to claim credit for the capture, which includes five "mu" of land, and most importantly, honorable discharge from the army.

Jackie's brainchild which had been stuck in development hell for 20 years, it was easy to see the amount of effort put into LBS over the years. The plot is simple but is one that is refreshing and original, and the story progresses through witty plot devices and hilarious situations. Chan's various gadgets used for feigning death showcases his trademark slapstick humor which we all have come to know and love.

His character alone stands out from the protagonist in most of his other movies. Jackie plays the Old Soldier, who is cowardly, ever optimistic, good natured, and only dreams(and sings) about getting home. He is a flawed yet lovable figure whose own interests and moral values seem to always come into conflict. He aspires but is never boldly ambitious. He'd hurt people but would never kill someone. Such dynamism in a seemingly simple-minded character is especially rare in an action movie, much less a Jackie Chan one, where he is so often the flawless good guy. And all this is topped by Chan's excellent performance, displaying mischief, kindliness, and a little bit of villainy all at once. And he doesn't forget to convey important messages about life, such as filial piety, loyalty, and the negative effects of war. Leehom Wang, on the other hand, delivers a competent performance as the young, patriotic, and upright general whose ambition and stern personality clashes with the Old Soldier's agenda in every possible way. The two share a remarkable chemistry here, and their exchanges a joy to behold.

But this film is not without it's weaknesses. While the plot's strength was in its simplicity, it threatened to throw the audience off by wearing too thin at times, and the lack of major turning points made the movie less engaging than it could have been. The humor was there but not hard-hitting enough, and too many of them die off very quickly without follow-ups. The action scenes are adequate, despite being slightly less ambitious than those in Jackie's other films, both in complexity and in quantity.

Despite these, fans of JC will not be disappointed by this outing of his. This is easily one of Jackie's best films in the past ten years, and carries an excellent, and most importantly, original storyline. Not a masterpiece, but like what the Old Soldier would say: "Ting Hao De".

That meant: "Pretty good."

As a big fan of Jackie's, its hard to stay subjective whenever it comes to the movies he makes. Sometimes the movies are great, other times they are quite terrible, and sometimes he just makes it land somewhere in between. I can say honestly that this movie is one of the movies you will want to place on the top shelf of your movie collection. Its old fashioned, wonderfully comical at times, and tells a story of a small part of a large history of China.

People say that Jackie Chan's acting is hollow. While I agree that this can sometimes be the case, its only because of the terrible "Hollywood" machine movies he is inclined to make versus the traditional Hong Kong action/drama/comedy flicks he is used to. Hollywood Jackie Chan can be quite terrible (The Tuxedo, The Medallion, Around the World in 80 Days, The Spy Next Door, etc). Traditional Jackie Chan is great (New Police Story, Rob-B-Hood, Who Am I?, along with all the Hong Kong classics Jackie Chan has under his belt like Drunken Master, Police Story, City Hunter) I'm rather frustrated at the implication that Jackie Chan cannot act, and that this or The Karate Kid are trumpeting his newfound skills as an actor, when in my opinion he has been a superb actor far before that. Just watch New Police Story.

In any case, this was an excellent watch, and has earned itself a spot on the top shelf of my collection. Hopefully, there will be an English dub sometime in the future so that more people will be able to watch this fine film.

In ancient China, after a big ambush in a war, a soldier having faked his death (Jackie Chan) takes captive a general of the opposing camp and tries to get him back to his homeland for a reward. Little Big Soldier is kinda like a buddy movie, or more accurately an odd-couple road trip, except that the characters are really enemies. Jackie Chan is virtually unrecognizable (I mean that I didn't think Jackie Chan all the time while watching) except for his bumbling yet effective fighting style (or avoiding hits non-fighting style) and ingenious battle choreography. Despite what the somewhat lame title might imply, do not expect epic battles between armies, you'll get one-on-one fights and skirmishes between small groups focusing on individual battles. Jackie plays a more complex character than usual and even has some choice quiet and dramatic moments. The soldier is also quite likable made more endearing by Chan's charismatic performance. Plus, it turns out that he sings so good I thought it was someone else, but it wasn't! The general was stoic and honorable : a good straight man.

The funny moments were amusing and the audience laughed a lot (was a full crowd at the Montreal Fantasia Festival that focuses on genre films). Humor is mostly of the absurd situation or physical slapstick type. The fight scenes were exciting and fast yet easy to follow (American action directors take note). There were a few shifts in tones between comedy and drama (especially one near the end) that worked surprisingly well. I didn't like the kind of washed-out pale colors throughout but as a few vivid sequences with brighter colors suggest, it was a stylistic choice. I found that underneath the hope for a better future theme, there was a sense of melancholy and sadness. I think this contributed, along with the historical background, to make Little Big Soldier deeper than the usual Jackie Chan comedy. I can understand after watching it why this project was so dear to his heart.

Rating : 7.5 out of 10

We all know Jackie Chan and his physical comedy, but in this it was even more, with his freedom as a writer of this movie he brought some really funny quotes in which made the movie even more fun to watch. Also he puts a great twist in where the plot jumps between comedy and drama.

Jackie Chan did a great job in this movie as the Producer, Screenwriter, Actor and Action Director.

Lee-Hom Wang with a weak performance in Ang Lee's Lust, Caution did a really good job here. Playing a young general Lee had a great chemistry with Jackie and his character. They made even a ridiculous fight between them by the river fun and enjoyable to watch.

Little Big Solider with the combination of action/adventure and the specific comedy of Jackie Chan is Great,Fun and Enjoyable movie.