159 avaliações
- darrenbjones
- 25 de ago. de 2019
- Link permanente
The story in the movie is a complete mess. I'm not going to go into details, but if you are considering watching this movie, you must have already accepted that legions of Romans in China is OK. It would be more plausible if they shifted the accent a bit more into fantasy (e.g. different kingdoms, one is more like Roman Empire and another like China, but not actual countries), so there are not so many complaints about historical inaccuracies, but it is what is and according to them, it's based on historical facts. There are also a bit too many secondary undeveloped characters.
So, as the title says, you would enjoy it if you just watch it for Jackie. The sword fights are pretty good; other fights, well some are not bad, some are meh. I watched it to the end, skipped only a few times, overall not his worst movie, but far from his best one.
Summary: Recommended only for true Jackie Chan's fans.
So, as the title says, you would enjoy it if you just watch it for Jackie. The sword fights are pretty good; other fights, well some are not bad, some are meh. I watched it to the end, skipped only a few times, overall not his worst movie, but far from his best one.
Summary: Recommended only for true Jackie Chan's fans.
- misha_kerogazov
- 30 de jul. de 2020
- Link permanente
I've read some of the reviews -- the bad reviews, I generally agree more, the good ones were often too exaggerated. Although I am not a master of the Chinese language, I'm able to understand both English and Chinese movies without subtitles, so I'd like to first address the title. I've no problem with the English title, whatsoever, but to the reviewer who said that it has something to do with lions? He's WRONG. If you want me to translate it, it's something along the lines of Top Gererals, Brave (Mightly) Armies (Troops).
Now, to my review. First, the good. The actors were good. The fight choreography was good. The cgi was good. That's pretty much it!
So, what was so wrong about the movie? The message of the movie is simple, to promote harmony among people despite the obvious differences in race, ethnicity, culture, creed, etc, etc. I get that! I have nothing against that either. The challenge however, is to incorporate that message seamlessly into the story without it feeling too forced or cliché -- and that was exactly how I felt when I watched some of those scenes.
But the bigger failure... is that the story makes absolutely no sense at all. It makes no sense to me how easily they could move and deploy their armies along the Silk Road from Rome to China or vice-versa. It makes no sense that they were all able to understand a common language, that is English. In ancient China, Chinese don't speak a common Chinese language, they speak different dialects. And if you add to the mix, the European languages, and the Middle Eastern languages, there is just no common ground in there for them to be able to understand each other.
It makes no sense that Jackie Chan is so trusty from the start (almost like a fool). It makes no sense that Adrien Brody would (for the sake of not spoiling) find himself eventually in that predicament. A lot of things that happened in between didn't make hell of a lot of sense either...
Now, to my review. First, the good. The actors were good. The fight choreography was good. The cgi was good. That's pretty much it!
So, what was so wrong about the movie? The message of the movie is simple, to promote harmony among people despite the obvious differences in race, ethnicity, culture, creed, etc, etc. I get that! I have nothing against that either. The challenge however, is to incorporate that message seamlessly into the story without it feeling too forced or cliché -- and that was exactly how I felt when I watched some of those scenes.
But the bigger failure... is that the story makes absolutely no sense at all. It makes no sense to me how easily they could move and deploy their armies along the Silk Road from Rome to China or vice-versa. It makes no sense that they were all able to understand a common language, that is English. In ancient China, Chinese don't speak a common Chinese language, they speak different dialects. And if you add to the mix, the European languages, and the Middle Eastern languages, there is just no common ground in there for them to be able to understand each other.
It makes no sense that Jackie Chan is so trusty from the start (almost like a fool). It makes no sense that Adrien Brody would (for the sake of not spoiling) find himself eventually in that predicament. A lot of things that happened in between didn't make hell of a lot of sense either...
- blueskyy_ng
- 9 de jun. de 2015
- Link permanente
If ever anyone in the history of cinema has earned 2 hours of my life, it's Jackie Chan. Unfortunately, I was repaid this sentiment with two of the most horrible hours of cinema made in recent years.
When I heard of Romans fighting it out in the Silk Road, I liked the idea. But instead the film starts out with two Chinese historians (who speak English, naturally, since this is aimed at an international audience) searching for a lost city that the Romans built. The beginning is bad... ominously bad, and it only gets worse from there.
Rewind 2,000 years and with the tone set for a serious affair, until Jackie Chan adopts his usual "stunt-fu" in a fight scene completely out of place, but hey, it's Jackie Chan, so carry on.
Enter the Romans... John Cusack is his usual self but he seems to be accompanied by two of the most horrendous actors I've seen, in the guise of a child would-be Emporor and his male nanny. Actually, aside from Brody, Cusack and one or two Centurians, pretty much everyone who speaks English will make you cringe with how god-awful their "talent" is.
Anyway, the script's a total mess and for long periods, is actually very boring. Brody turns up as some power-craved maniac Emporor who didn't need to do anything bad since he was always going to be the Emporor anyway, and then we have a battle and, thankfully, the film ends.
Only, it doesn't. Instead, it goes back to the historian couple who enjoy the romantic scenery of the few sand-blasted columns remaining upright before they illogically announce that they'll never share their discovery, even though it's the whole point of their very existence!
Sigh. This film is just bad, illogical and painful and unless you're a die-hard Jackie Chan fan, I implore you to avoid it. For those of you who are Jackie Chan fans, just know that this is one of - if not THE worst film he's ever made and ask yourself: "Do you really want to taint your opinion of the great man by sitting through this?"
When I heard of Romans fighting it out in the Silk Road, I liked the idea. But instead the film starts out with two Chinese historians (who speak English, naturally, since this is aimed at an international audience) searching for a lost city that the Romans built. The beginning is bad... ominously bad, and it only gets worse from there.
Rewind 2,000 years and with the tone set for a serious affair, until Jackie Chan adopts his usual "stunt-fu" in a fight scene completely out of place, but hey, it's Jackie Chan, so carry on.
Enter the Romans... John Cusack is his usual self but he seems to be accompanied by two of the most horrendous actors I've seen, in the guise of a child would-be Emporor and his male nanny. Actually, aside from Brody, Cusack and one or two Centurians, pretty much everyone who speaks English will make you cringe with how god-awful their "talent" is.
Anyway, the script's a total mess and for long periods, is actually very boring. Brody turns up as some power-craved maniac Emporor who didn't need to do anything bad since he was always going to be the Emporor anyway, and then we have a battle and, thankfully, the film ends.
Only, it doesn't. Instead, it goes back to the historian couple who enjoy the romantic scenery of the few sand-blasted columns remaining upright before they illogically announce that they'll never share their discovery, even though it's the whole point of their very existence!
Sigh. This film is just bad, illogical and painful and unless you're a die-hard Jackie Chan fan, I implore you to avoid it. For those of you who are Jackie Chan fans, just know that this is one of - if not THE worst film he's ever made and ask yourself: "Do you really want to taint your opinion of the great man by sitting through this?"
- grandmastersik
- 19 de nov. de 2015
- Link permanente
- michaeltime00
- 26 de fev. de 2015
- Link permanente
- nordrithal
- 18 de fev. de 2015
- Link permanente
Epic historical war movies are easily marketable, they have a certain hook to captivate audience, especially when big budget and A-list actors are involved. Dragon Blade couples together many aspects from similar movies. With its grand production some of these work fairly well. However, it tries too hard to please viewers with inept script and poor direction that the movie becomes unoriginal, even to the point of cringe-worthy.
Huo An (Jackie Chan) is an officer of Silk Road tasked to maintain peace in a land divided by many countries. Soon, he's drawn by the turmoil and political struggle as conspiracy of Roman Empire knocks on his door step. The story admittedly has merits, there are a few subplots that are decent enough, although the pacing drags on way too much on unity issue. The main message that it wants to push is how many tribes or Silk Road can exist, this could be a great if the movie doesn't consistently shove it in the most heavy-handed way.
Jackie Chan is a star in his own right. He's not that well versed in acting, but audience would know what to expect at this point. John Cusack holds his own, but frankly he's not very interesting. The choice for child actor isn't that great either, this is an obvious bait to draw audience sympathy. Still, some of the Chinese actors are pretty good as they look more natural. Props to Adrien Brody, he alone raises the acting level. A beastly antagonist, he delivers a menacing on-screen persona.
For setting and costumes, the movie puts a lot of effort. Design is flamboyant, it almost looks like a high profile video game set. Each character has their distinct look which is quite appealing to showcase diversity. Choreography is fine as well, this is a strong point of Chinese movie. The fights are engaging with many details in movement, meticulous array of gimmick and different fighting style. At least it got the warfare department covered.
Cinematography, on the other hand, is bad till the point of cringe-worthy. The scenes are badly paced and often recycled, some scenes are even needlessly repeated several times. There's no logic on flashback of events that just occurred, it doesn't add to emotional value, instead it makes the movie that much boring. It also spams slow motion in insufferable rate, not to mention with overly aggressive soundtracks that attempt to sell the scenes with cheesy tone. It's as if the movie is constantly yelling, "Intense! Emotion! Sadness!"
Dragon Blade is an odd endeavor in epic historical film, it copies too many aspects of already known formula in hope that the success can be transmitted here. It has choppy direction and all sorts of issues, but the movie sometimes brings some good elements, which might just be enough for light entertainment.
Huo An (Jackie Chan) is an officer of Silk Road tasked to maintain peace in a land divided by many countries. Soon, he's drawn by the turmoil and political struggle as conspiracy of Roman Empire knocks on his door step. The story admittedly has merits, there are a few subplots that are decent enough, although the pacing drags on way too much on unity issue. The main message that it wants to push is how many tribes or Silk Road can exist, this could be a great if the movie doesn't consistently shove it in the most heavy-handed way.
Jackie Chan is a star in his own right. He's not that well versed in acting, but audience would know what to expect at this point. John Cusack holds his own, but frankly he's not very interesting. The choice for child actor isn't that great either, this is an obvious bait to draw audience sympathy. Still, some of the Chinese actors are pretty good as they look more natural. Props to Adrien Brody, he alone raises the acting level. A beastly antagonist, he delivers a menacing on-screen persona.
For setting and costumes, the movie puts a lot of effort. Design is flamboyant, it almost looks like a high profile video game set. Each character has their distinct look which is quite appealing to showcase diversity. Choreography is fine as well, this is a strong point of Chinese movie. The fights are engaging with many details in movement, meticulous array of gimmick and different fighting style. At least it got the warfare department covered.
Cinematography, on the other hand, is bad till the point of cringe-worthy. The scenes are badly paced and often recycled, some scenes are even needlessly repeated several times. There's no logic on flashback of events that just occurred, it doesn't add to emotional value, instead it makes the movie that much boring. It also spams slow motion in insufferable rate, not to mention with overly aggressive soundtracks that attempt to sell the scenes with cheesy tone. It's as if the movie is constantly yelling, "Intense! Emotion! Sadness!"
Dragon Blade is an odd endeavor in epic historical film, it copies too many aspects of already known formula in hope that the success can be transmitted here. It has choppy direction and all sorts of issues, but the movie sometimes brings some good elements, which might just be enough for light entertainment.
- quincytheodore
- 19 de fev. de 2015
- Link permanente
While the main message of the movie was about multi-cultural peace (probably what the world needs now), choreography was good (nothing less than expected from a J.C. movie), side jokes to make you giggle from this otherwise boring plot, nothing else about the movie was able to redeem it from it's cliché story progression and bad script.
1) The message about multicultural peace was smacked right in audience faces left, right, up, down from the beginning of the show. To make things worst, coupled with cheesy lines, it made a profound and wise motif seem plain cheesy, overly-simplified and lacked the depth it should have had.
2) Despite the strong development of major characters, minor/side characters were not grounded enough. Fickle change in beliefs by side characters (people of the Wild Geese Gate), once again, made the story look superficial and badly developed.
Unfortunately, great choreography, scene shots and strong casts could not save it from its draggy, underdeveloped plot and horrible script.
1) The message about multicultural peace was smacked right in audience faces left, right, up, down from the beginning of the show. To make things worst, coupled with cheesy lines, it made a profound and wise motif seem plain cheesy, overly-simplified and lacked the depth it should have had.
2) Despite the strong development of major characters, minor/side characters were not grounded enough. Fickle change in beliefs by side characters (people of the Wild Geese Gate), once again, made the story look superficial and badly developed.
Unfortunately, great choreography, scene shots and strong casts could not save it from its draggy, underdeveloped plot and horrible script.
- joshuaxie1993
- 20 de fev. de 2015
- Link permanente
It caught me by surprise! Not really a favorable film for critics but I did really enjoyed this film! That was really surprising. Romans, Chinese, Arabs, and Indians in this one historical epic. I mean how cool is that? I really thought this is just one of those straight to DVD kind of crap were Chan, Cusack and Brody is teaming up for an Chinese Historical Epic just for pure marketing type of sh*t. At first, OK I see JC doing his own thing making this epic into comedy or whatever, but then the tone gets too serious dramatically. I love films with good bonds and brotherhood. This is one of those films even with the most cheesiest screenplay and awkward moments, I still enjoyed watching it. And the fight scenes are very well choreographed with less shaky cams which is a good thing to me ( I hate shaky cams ). Heard this is the most expensive film ever made in China, well I never doubt of that. I can see the high production value in this. And kill me but I love the performances on this one. Cusack is okay, I know he is a really good actor, but I was surprised how great Brody in here as a villain. He is really good in this film. And Chan, he still got it! I was thinking this is the best JC comeback film yet. Overall this is a great watch for all Jackie Chan fanatics and for everyone who loves action films and historical epics with great action sequences. The good thing is, I was not bored and the pacing keeps me into it. Overall I'm pretty satisfied with it, and a must watch guilty pleasure.
- johnericdoysabas
- 8 de jun. de 2015
- Link permanente
Read a review claiming Dragon Blade achieved "so bad it's good" status. Wow, did it ever! Imagine if Sharknado (the dethroned champion of "so bad it's good) had a $65 million budget.
This movie had a lot of good going for it. Jackie Chan is an amazing action star, made famous by his "stunt fighting" which he excels at in this movie. The production value was really top notch - sets, costumes, cinematography, special effects, all of it was quite impressive.
Where this movie fails on every level is the writing and the acting. I could go into great detail but I think the best comparison is the cheesy, campy entertainment that is the SyFy original movie.
Adrien Brody and John Cusack must have signed onto this movie like all the A-list celebrities back in the 80s making Japanese commercials for a quick buck, certain that no one in America would ever see them.
This movie had a lot of good going for it. Jackie Chan is an amazing action star, made famous by his "stunt fighting" which he excels at in this movie. The production value was really top notch - sets, costumes, cinematography, special effects, all of it was quite impressive.
Where this movie fails on every level is the writing and the acting. I could go into great detail but I think the best comparison is the cheesy, campy entertainment that is the SyFy original movie.
Adrien Brody and John Cusack must have signed onto this movie like all the A-list celebrities back in the 80s making Japanese commercials for a quick buck, certain that no one in America would ever see them.
- chasydmarich-647-882191
- 3 de set. de 2015
- Link permanente
I wont describe the actual movie here as you will be able to read other reviews already published. I will however will try to avoid you suffering the pain I have just gone through.
I was very disappointed in this movie, perhaps because I expected better from a movie with John Cusack, Adrien Brody, Jackie Chan. Perhaps I should have looked at who was directing the movie such as Daniel Lee and the typical movies he has made.... or maybe it was because the movie was just "really" bad.
I watched the movie on a quiet Wednesday night and I would estimate that a third of the audience left well before the end, some really early. When the credits came up it was like a fire evacuation alert had just came on. Please, Women and Children first.. We will all survive!
Jackie Chan fight scenes were well below par and I thought they were more like a "Charlie Chaplin/Harold Loyd" Silent movie style rather than a "Rush Hour" style.
John Cusack character was extremely boring and I could have fallen asleep in I was at home.
Adrien Brody was the only positive in the movie, but the movie was so bad that his acting was lost.
The child actor was badly filmed (always) like an old Asian hero film and I found the child annoying.
The production and cinematography of the film are cringe-worthy throughout. flashbacks are random and not in line with story. Slow motions are extensive and really annoying.
Recommendation - Go and see something else.
I was very disappointed in this movie, perhaps because I expected better from a movie with John Cusack, Adrien Brody, Jackie Chan. Perhaps I should have looked at who was directing the movie such as Daniel Lee and the typical movies he has made.... or maybe it was because the movie was just "really" bad.
I watched the movie on a quiet Wednesday night and I would estimate that a third of the audience left well before the end, some really early. When the credits came up it was like a fire evacuation alert had just came on. Please, Women and Children first.. We will all survive!
Jackie Chan fight scenes were well below par and I thought they were more like a "Charlie Chaplin/Harold Loyd" Silent movie style rather than a "Rush Hour" style.
John Cusack character was extremely boring and I could have fallen asleep in I was at home.
Adrien Brody was the only positive in the movie, but the movie was so bad that his acting was lost.
The child actor was badly filmed (always) like an old Asian hero film and I found the child annoying.
The production and cinematography of the film are cringe-worthy throughout. flashbacks are random and not in line with story. Slow motions are extensive and really annoying.
Recommendation - Go and see something else.
- sandy_mcnair
- 25 de fev. de 2015
- Link permanente
Allow me to start by saying if you are expecting a non stop action fight film....Don't. This film is one build on story not action. The fight scenes are good but not the best for modern day film goers.
The film depicts events on the Silk Road involving Chinese, Roman, and other countries who travel and protect this region.
I have read other reviews on here concerning this film and give it a low rating due to non-action scenes. This film is not a blow them up and add more dynamite type of film. It makes one think.
Jackie Chan has begun a long line of historical films, that have been ranked low on his career but its these films that he is most proud of. They show a history of China and its surrounding regions that most people in the west would never hear of.
The film depicts events on the Silk Road involving Chinese, Roman, and other countries who travel and protect this region.
I have read other reviews on here concerning this film and give it a low rating due to non-action scenes. This film is not a blow them up and add more dynamite type of film. It makes one think.
Jackie Chan has begun a long line of historical films, that have been ranked low on his career but its these films that he is most proud of. They show a history of China and its surrounding regions that most people in the west would never hear of.
- tigdrgn01
- 8 de mar. de 2015
- Link permanente
Let me set one thing straight before I begin this review, I am not here to defend this movie's honour, indeed I can see that it does have a great many flaws. However it is absolutely undeserving of many of the criticisms put forth in other reviews and I feel that someone has to put the record straight, and call out a worrying trend.
This movie was not perfect, it was mechanically sound, the acting while nowhere near award winning, was human enough I could enjoy it, and the choreography and special effects though they rarely came into play were even enjoyable. All this could be fairly pointed out to add to a product that is sub par, and yet what are almost all the most vehement protractors of this film gnashing their teeth about? The realism! Yes in a fantasy martial arts movie people are concerned with the plot, with geography, with trifling details.
Now look, I understand people having personal preferences for more grounded realistic movies. I also understand how some people cannot suspend their disbelief over such a mighty chasm, but to call this movie terrible, garbage, or any other pejorative for that is simply wrong. It is wrong, because it misses what this movie, and movies like it are supposed to be. Like many older films out of china, what this movie is striving to be is a throwback to idealized legends. To stories who's actors are idealistic people, who embody ideals and provide a moral message. This kind of storytelling is present in nearly all culture's legends and tales. This is what I like to term as a whimsical film. Now I admit it is not a shining example for all to follow, but it needs to be judged by other standards. Just as a romcom needs to be judged by different standards than that of true cinematic brilliance. A movie like this doesn't have to be realistic, it shouldn't be. Furthermore to see so many people demanding realism, expecting everything must play out like a well thought out novel frankly saddens me. It saddens me because I fear that this prevalent attitude is why we get so few movies these days that are willing to be silly, to be unrealistic, to give us idealistic and hopelessly unworkable moral lessons.
Maybe you disagree, maybe you think I'm a blithering idiot so full of sh*t it's pouring out my mouth. That's okay too, but please, next time you see a fantasy movie like this, please try to enjoy the flow and the essence of the movie, before resorting to cold literary analysis of it.
Anyways to wrap up this rant disguised as a review, my personal thoughts on the movie were that it was enjoyable, though I'd hesitate to recommend it to anyone but people who share my love of fantastic and improbable meetings of ancient cultures for a fantasy romp. 6/10 it's okay.
This movie was not perfect, it was mechanically sound, the acting while nowhere near award winning, was human enough I could enjoy it, and the choreography and special effects though they rarely came into play were even enjoyable. All this could be fairly pointed out to add to a product that is sub par, and yet what are almost all the most vehement protractors of this film gnashing their teeth about? The realism! Yes in a fantasy martial arts movie people are concerned with the plot, with geography, with trifling details.
Now look, I understand people having personal preferences for more grounded realistic movies. I also understand how some people cannot suspend their disbelief over such a mighty chasm, but to call this movie terrible, garbage, or any other pejorative for that is simply wrong. It is wrong, because it misses what this movie, and movies like it are supposed to be. Like many older films out of china, what this movie is striving to be is a throwback to idealized legends. To stories who's actors are idealistic people, who embody ideals and provide a moral message. This kind of storytelling is present in nearly all culture's legends and tales. This is what I like to term as a whimsical film. Now I admit it is not a shining example for all to follow, but it needs to be judged by other standards. Just as a romcom needs to be judged by different standards than that of true cinematic brilliance. A movie like this doesn't have to be realistic, it shouldn't be. Furthermore to see so many people demanding realism, expecting everything must play out like a well thought out novel frankly saddens me. It saddens me because I fear that this prevalent attitude is why we get so few movies these days that are willing to be silly, to be unrealistic, to give us idealistic and hopelessly unworkable moral lessons.
Maybe you disagree, maybe you think I'm a blithering idiot so full of sh*t it's pouring out my mouth. That's okay too, but please, next time you see a fantasy movie like this, please try to enjoy the flow and the essence of the movie, before resorting to cold literary analysis of it.
Anyways to wrap up this rant disguised as a review, my personal thoughts on the movie were that it was enjoyable, though I'd hesitate to recommend it to anyone but people who share my love of fantastic and improbable meetings of ancient cultures for a fantasy romp. 6/10 it's okay.
- rejecigurxabu
- 16 de jan. de 2016
- Link permanente
- gfrancis0
- 14 de fev. de 2016
- Link permanente
Colorful film with plenty of battles, emotion, fantasy, imaginaton, martial arts and sword-play.¨Dragon Blade¨ is a rich , enjoyable and romantic take on the Chinese Martial Arts genre with Roman battles, along with inventive choreography and it also belongs to ¨Wusia¨ theme, China's heroic swordsman subgenre. Huo An (Jackie Chan), leader of the ¨Silk Road¨ Guard, is unjustly condemned to slavery along with his fellow guards. Meanwhile, the Roman general Lucius (John Cusack) escapes to China, fleeing from the evil and ambitious Tiberius (Adrien Brody), after rescuing a blind little prince. Later, Huo An and Lucius' paths will cross. When the Eagle meets the Dragon !. When empires collide...legends are born !. Heroes will rise !. Armies will fall !.
This is a breathtaking movie full of noisy action , bloody combats , groundbreaking attacks , impressive battles and a lot of digital effects. It deals with two armies, both Chinese and Roman while confronting an unimaginable and seemingly invincible forcé. Lavishly produced, it was the most expensive Chinese film ever, with a budget of $65 million. The picture relies heavily on the really excessive special effects by means of 3D Computer Generator with extreme digitalization. The film contains breathtaking war battles , overwhelming struggles, spectacular images and a cast of thousands, due to the huge amount of actors and crew involved. The desert stage was provided by Gobi Desert, China, and other locations as Dunhuang, Gansu, and Studios: Hengdian World, Dongyang, Zhejiang, China. In the sunny desert actors and crew encountered hard shooting conditions due to the heat, sandstorms, thunders, their heavy costumes, and long filming hours.
This charming film is packed with fights in Jackie Chan-style, fantasy, humor, magic, betrayal, great entertainment and lots of fun. A fantastic film including a deadly confrontation and martial arts that satisfies on both accounts, concerning some heroes on a dangerous and long-awaited search for freedom. Director Daniel Lee puts the personal touch as just as deft even as he extends his grasp to show the timeless Chinese legends and historical facts, being based on his own enjoyable script. Action , adventure , romance , drama , heroes , heroines, tradition and martial arts blend in this attractive movie that belongs to Oriental genre. Providing overwhelming images, impressive production design, sense of style and revealing the breathtaking vistas of mythic China as well as the facinating Rome. The emotional impact of the fantastic adventure is as real and spectacular as the choreographed fight scenes are grateful and brilliant. Stars a stunning cast with notorious Chinese and American actors, such as Jackie Chan, John Cusack, Adrien Brody, Sharni Vinson, Choi Siwon, Peng Lin, Tin-Chiu Hung, Shaofeng Feng, among others.
Being inspired by true events about ¨The Silk Road¨: It is the name by which an extensive network of land and sea trade routes, opened by China since at least the 1st century BC, has been known since the 19th century1, which interconnected most of the Asian continent with terminals in the islands of Southeast Asia, the European Mediterranean and the east coast of Africa. Its various routes began in the city of Chang'an (now Xi'an), then capital of China, passing through, among others, Karakorum (Mongolia), the Khunjerab Pass (China / Pakistan), Susa (Persia), the Fergana Valley (Tajikistan), Samarkand (Uzbekistan), Taxila (Pakistan), Antioch (Turkey), Alexandria (Egypt), Kazan (Russia) and Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey).
The motion picture was professionally directed by Daniel Lee, but with some plot holes and too many flashbacks that break the ordinary action. Director Lee imbues every look, every gesture with grace and resonance, he has always been a filmmaker of finesse and fine feeling, directing acceptably this film. In his starts Lee became a director of television series. He also worked as an assistant for the famous film director Ann Hui when filming The Romance of Book and Sword (1987), which is based on Louis Cha's classic Wuxia novel. In early the 90s, Lee's talents in film-making was noticed by the master of Wuxia film, Cheh Chang, who later recognized that himself, Hark Tsui, and Daniel Lee are the "three generations of Wuxia film-making." Lee's film is characterized with the heavy black costumes and visual style, with the extreme emphases on masculinity as well as the bond of brotherhood, in which reflects the director's perspective of romanticism. Daniel Lee has made spectacular and hit films, such as: ¨Song of assassins¨, ¨The Climbers¨, ¨Time riders¨, ¨White Vengeance¨, ¨14 Blades¨, ¨Three Kingdoms¨, ¨Star Runner¨, ¨Dragon Squad¨,¨Master Swordsman Lu Xiaofeng¨, ¨Moonlight express¨, ¨A Fighter's Blues¨, ¨Black Mask¨, and several others.
This is a breathtaking movie full of noisy action , bloody combats , groundbreaking attacks , impressive battles and a lot of digital effects. It deals with two armies, both Chinese and Roman while confronting an unimaginable and seemingly invincible forcé. Lavishly produced, it was the most expensive Chinese film ever, with a budget of $65 million. The picture relies heavily on the really excessive special effects by means of 3D Computer Generator with extreme digitalization. The film contains breathtaking war battles , overwhelming struggles, spectacular images and a cast of thousands, due to the huge amount of actors and crew involved. The desert stage was provided by Gobi Desert, China, and other locations as Dunhuang, Gansu, and Studios: Hengdian World, Dongyang, Zhejiang, China. In the sunny desert actors and crew encountered hard shooting conditions due to the heat, sandstorms, thunders, their heavy costumes, and long filming hours.
This charming film is packed with fights in Jackie Chan-style, fantasy, humor, magic, betrayal, great entertainment and lots of fun. A fantastic film including a deadly confrontation and martial arts that satisfies on both accounts, concerning some heroes on a dangerous and long-awaited search for freedom. Director Daniel Lee puts the personal touch as just as deft even as he extends his grasp to show the timeless Chinese legends and historical facts, being based on his own enjoyable script. Action , adventure , romance , drama , heroes , heroines, tradition and martial arts blend in this attractive movie that belongs to Oriental genre. Providing overwhelming images, impressive production design, sense of style and revealing the breathtaking vistas of mythic China as well as the facinating Rome. The emotional impact of the fantastic adventure is as real and spectacular as the choreographed fight scenes are grateful and brilliant. Stars a stunning cast with notorious Chinese and American actors, such as Jackie Chan, John Cusack, Adrien Brody, Sharni Vinson, Choi Siwon, Peng Lin, Tin-Chiu Hung, Shaofeng Feng, among others.
Being inspired by true events about ¨The Silk Road¨: It is the name by which an extensive network of land and sea trade routes, opened by China since at least the 1st century BC, has been known since the 19th century1, which interconnected most of the Asian continent with terminals in the islands of Southeast Asia, the European Mediterranean and the east coast of Africa. Its various routes began in the city of Chang'an (now Xi'an), then capital of China, passing through, among others, Karakorum (Mongolia), the Khunjerab Pass (China / Pakistan), Susa (Persia), the Fergana Valley (Tajikistan), Samarkand (Uzbekistan), Taxila (Pakistan), Antioch (Turkey), Alexandria (Egypt), Kazan (Russia) and Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey).
The motion picture was professionally directed by Daniel Lee, but with some plot holes and too many flashbacks that break the ordinary action. Director Lee imbues every look, every gesture with grace and resonance, he has always been a filmmaker of finesse and fine feeling, directing acceptably this film. In his starts Lee became a director of television series. He also worked as an assistant for the famous film director Ann Hui when filming The Romance of Book and Sword (1987), which is based on Louis Cha's classic Wuxia novel. In early the 90s, Lee's talents in film-making was noticed by the master of Wuxia film, Cheh Chang, who later recognized that himself, Hark Tsui, and Daniel Lee are the "three generations of Wuxia film-making." Lee's film is characterized with the heavy black costumes and visual style, with the extreme emphases on masculinity as well as the bond of brotherhood, in which reflects the director's perspective of romanticism. Daniel Lee has made spectacular and hit films, such as: ¨Song of assassins¨, ¨The Climbers¨, ¨Time riders¨, ¨White Vengeance¨, ¨14 Blades¨, ¨Three Kingdoms¨, ¨Star Runner¨, ¨Dragon Squad¨,¨Master Swordsman Lu Xiaofeng¨, ¨Moonlight express¨, ¨A Fighter's Blues¨, ¨Black Mask¨, and several others.
- ma-cortes
- 2 de fev. de 2025
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- stuart_davies
- 29 de abr. de 2015
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- info-258-38485
- 7 de mar. de 2015
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I was excited to see this flick with such a solid cast and interesting story. This movie was terrible.
The story is poorly written and the dialogue is laughably bad. For the first half of the movie I had no idea what was going on, who was fighting or why, or how the Romans spoke American English! Within the first 15 minutes there are two drawn out fight sequences that make little to no sense and this is followed by a lot of fast cuts, bad dialogue, and things strung together so poorly I was like, "What the hell is going on?" And it never gets better. One reviewer said there is no shaky cam in the movie-- there is. Jackie acts like he always does to the point you know what's going to happen before it does. The humor falls flat and the acting is so poor form such talented actors that I got the feeling they were in this for the money.
Do not see this movie. If you want to see some good Chinese action there are much better options than this thing from everyone involved. I tried to enjoy it, but couldn't even make it through the film--I ended up stopping it about midway through.
Awful.
The story is poorly written and the dialogue is laughably bad. For the first half of the movie I had no idea what was going on, who was fighting or why, or how the Romans spoke American English! Within the first 15 minutes there are two drawn out fight sequences that make little to no sense and this is followed by a lot of fast cuts, bad dialogue, and things strung together so poorly I was like, "What the hell is going on?" And it never gets better. One reviewer said there is no shaky cam in the movie-- there is. Jackie acts like he always does to the point you know what's going to happen before it does. The humor falls flat and the acting is so poor form such talented actors that I got the feeling they were in this for the money.
Do not see this movie. If you want to see some good Chinese action there are much better options than this thing from everyone involved. I tried to enjoy it, but couldn't even make it through the film--I ended up stopping it about midway through.
Awful.
- jasonguinn789
- 8 de set. de 2015
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This kind of film truly reminds me why I enjoy Asian cinema. This take here...the mix of martial arts and Jackie Chan, Jet Li kind of sword play (typical Chinese which as awesome), mixed cast from various nations to throw in so many nations and trifles in just 2 hours and actually not make it feel rushed nor boring at ANY time whatsoever. Now that is something I find truly impressive and extremely refreshing.
Jackie Chan as this peaceful and helpful man who seeks to create peace and assist others. "Turn foes into friends" as the movie so eloquently states in the end. John Cusack as the Roman General on the run with the young brother of another roman general (adrien Brody who's the bad guy here which he does a wonderful job portraying) Various other people ending up to join the fray of power, greed, jealousy and so much more. It's all great, people! It's great entertainment and it keeps you interested and captivated through each step of the film. It makes you pumped up during the fight sequences which are very well done, effects, costumes and basically the visuals of this are astounding. Its a beautiful and yet raw looking film. Gritty...which really allows you to immersive yourself into this epic...and I stress that word...EPIC film.
I personally see this as a definitive 8 out of 10. Its more than good. Its more than great. It's in my opinion flat out fantastic and most of all so because it has GREAT replay value. Its entertaining, captivating, got great action, ambitious and passionate story, great cast and it is filmed very very well.
Definitely worth a watch AT LEAST once. Wonderful film. I'm very happy I decided to watch this one. There are so many big budget films nowadays that simply are so heavy and dragged out in their story telling and basically you'll watch it once...walk away without air in your lungs not because you're blown away...but because you are literally exhausted just watching the same...old...boring...cliché story.
THIS... strays from all of that! And thus I'm rating it 8. Damn good film, people. Another thing is also you never get the weird feeling that Jackie Chan who's quite the comedy actor is here as the action hero. Quite the contrary he makes it work extremely well. Sure he has some funny scenes and he makes the action super good like you'd expect. But overall...he's doing damn good in this kind of film.
Daniel Lee. Thank you so much for making this film. And thanks to all who helped and participated.
Jackie Chan as this peaceful and helpful man who seeks to create peace and assist others. "Turn foes into friends" as the movie so eloquently states in the end. John Cusack as the Roman General on the run with the young brother of another roman general (adrien Brody who's the bad guy here which he does a wonderful job portraying) Various other people ending up to join the fray of power, greed, jealousy and so much more. It's all great, people! It's great entertainment and it keeps you interested and captivated through each step of the film. It makes you pumped up during the fight sequences which are very well done, effects, costumes and basically the visuals of this are astounding. Its a beautiful and yet raw looking film. Gritty...which really allows you to immersive yourself into this epic...and I stress that word...EPIC film.
I personally see this as a definitive 8 out of 10. Its more than good. Its more than great. It's in my opinion flat out fantastic and most of all so because it has GREAT replay value. Its entertaining, captivating, got great action, ambitious and passionate story, great cast and it is filmed very very well.
Definitely worth a watch AT LEAST once. Wonderful film. I'm very happy I decided to watch this one. There are so many big budget films nowadays that simply are so heavy and dragged out in their story telling and basically you'll watch it once...walk away without air in your lungs not because you're blown away...but because you are literally exhausted just watching the same...old...boring...cliché story.
THIS... strays from all of that! And thus I'm rating it 8. Damn good film, people. Another thing is also you never get the weird feeling that Jackie Chan who's quite the comedy actor is here as the action hero. Quite the contrary he makes it work extremely well. Sure he has some funny scenes and he makes the action super good like you'd expect. But overall...he's doing damn good in this kind of film.
Daniel Lee. Thank you so much for making this film. And thanks to all who helped and participated.
- angiris
- 11 de mar. de 2015
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- chindysosmed
- 24 de fev. de 2015
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DRAGON BLADE isn't a great film at all, but given that the previous Jackie Chan film I watched was Chinese ZODIAC, it seems somewhat acceptable by comparison. Certainly it's a messy movie, which is typical of Jackie's more recent efforts, but it has some good stuff included alongside all of the tat. The story is supposedly based on historical fact and involves some Roman soldiers who traverse the Silk Road and find themselves in China. They're split into two factions, the small number of good guys and the overwhelming bad, and the good guys end up joining forces with Jackie and his men to fight the enemy. What DRAGON BLADE boils down to is a heady mix of laughable sentiment, Chinese comedy, war and battle sequences, and some very bad acting.
Jackie himself doesn't really seem to do much that's new in this film. The director throws in a few of his old-fashioned fight scenes to recall his glory days, and while the action is acceptable, it's never memorable. It's the western actors who do surprisingly well: Adrien Brody as the quietly menacing villain, and John Cusack as the likable ally. Some of the set-piece sequences are well-handled, like the building of the defences, and the large-scale action at the climax is quite a lot of fun. I was glad to see that director Daniel Lee has calmed down since the days of DRAGON SQUAD and can now direct reasonable fare like this and THREE KINGDOMS: RESURRECTION OF THE DRAGON. DRAGON BLADE isn't perfect by any means, but there's a good film hiding underneath the mish-mash of styles and ideas.
Jackie himself doesn't really seem to do much that's new in this film. The director throws in a few of his old-fashioned fight scenes to recall his glory days, and while the action is acceptable, it's never memorable. It's the western actors who do surprisingly well: Adrien Brody as the quietly menacing villain, and John Cusack as the likable ally. Some of the set-piece sequences are well-handled, like the building of the defences, and the large-scale action at the climax is quite a lot of fun. I was glad to see that director Daniel Lee has calmed down since the days of DRAGON SQUAD and can now direct reasonable fare like this and THREE KINGDOMS: RESURRECTION OF THE DRAGON. DRAGON BLADE isn't perfect by any means, but there's a good film hiding underneath the mish-mash of styles and ideas.
- Leofwine_draca
- 17 de jun. de 2016
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I manage to watch this on an airplane while I was on my way to Qatar, anyways I was a bit worried of what the outcome might be e.g. Flops like tuxedo, the medallion and the spy next door, but it turns out that it was so brilliant (guess the critics are wrong about this film. Here are some of my pros I manage to break down: *The most redeeming thingwas the fight scenes, as Jackie stated in behind the scenes promo (he wanted the fight scenes to be realistic instead of a wuxia-type fight scene) and he absolutely delivers it well, he's in his 60's so he's not a young lad anymore that can make fight scenes look fancy (or perform stunts) and tbh it fits well with his age, also it was great contrast with eastern vs western styles of fighting. *diverse location/cast-I was so surprised of how many groups were involved including Uighur, Huns, White Indians etc and also the Romans, also filmed in a beautiful desert and with no cgi what so ever. *Prop design-the scorpion sword (attaching wrist rope to sword) was pretty original and artistic at the same time, also the costume design was also artistic as well (as it wasn't very typical).
Here are my cons: *acting-it wasn't bad nor great, it was alright but could've done a bit better. *story dragging too long-my only complaint is when it tries to get into the action, there were some boring dialogue but nothing that puts me off from the film.
Verdict: It was very interesting to see Adrien Brody to play the antagonist as he seemed to always play protagonists in previous roles. As for Jackie, he did say he wants to be a better actor so I think he should make film like this in the future minus the historical era lol.
Here are my cons: *acting-it wasn't bad nor great, it was alright but could've done a bit better. *story dragging too long-my only complaint is when it tries to get into the action, there were some boring dialogue but nothing that puts me off from the film.
Verdict: It was very interesting to see Adrien Brody to play the antagonist as he seemed to always play protagonists in previous roles. As for Jackie, he did say he wants to be a better actor so I think he should make film like this in the future minus the historical era lol.
- www-afzala1
- 7 de dez. de 2015
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Anyone expecting Jackie to do his own stunts at this point is unrealistic and not been paying attention. He has already said he would be doing no more films the fact that we have Dragon Blade in 2015 is a blessing. I can barely wait to get this on DVD Original Language w/English Subs. I've been awaiting the release of this film for quite some time and I'm glad it's finally hit the screens. Happy New Year! What I would really like to see is more of the older original films released back in original language with English subtitles (I can't watched the English dubbed films its just too awful to do to any martial arts film). I would like to see Jackie and Jet Li in one more film before Jackie truly retires. The Forbidden Kingdom was Excellent.
- bononista
- 23 de fev. de 2015
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I have to admit the acting left a lot to be desired except for John Cusack. John Cusack elevated the whole film. If you love Jakie Chan fight scenes you'll likely find some enjoyment in the choreography that no one else does like him. I really liked the cinematography. The sweeping scenes, the architecture, the look of all the different tribes. There was also an idea that I found very redeeming in the movie. The possibility of what we could create if we all came together. I liked the friendship between the two leaders. I'll give a shout out to the warrior woman too!! To tell you the truth I have nothing left to add but regretfully I have to write ten lines of stuff to get this review accepted. So I'll just write whatever in the hopes that the main part of my review will be accepted. Thank you for reading!!!
- dinterpreting
- 22 de ago. de 2015
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Imagine a Chinese production of Flash Gordon, set in the ancient Orient, with a bit of gore and a musical set-piece. That's pretty much this film. Supposedly based on Chinese 'history', it's actually badly camouflaged propaganda (as are most of the 9 or 10 star reviews on here). I chuckled through most of it, which would have been a good thing if it was a comedy. The scale and the way it is beautifully shot are let down by the ridiculous plot, p*ss-poor dialogue and haphazard editing.
John Cusack looks like he just woke up on set and is going along with things until he can figure out how he got there.
Jackie Chan sings. He sings a song of peace. Then he cries. Don't worry though, his little tune is sandwiched by plenty of slapstick fighting.
Adrian Brody got so immersed in his 'bad guy' role that he didn't notice how out-of-place somebody acting looks in this film. Or that nobody could be that much of an utter, utter b*stard.
At the heart of it is a pretty simple, and noble, multicultural peace message. If you can figure out what the f**k is going on at any one time, or why anybody was fighting in the first place, then that may resonate with you.
All in all, it's a big sloppy mess of a film.
John Cusack looks like he just woke up on set and is going along with things until he can figure out how he got there.
Jackie Chan sings. He sings a song of peace. Then he cries. Don't worry though, his little tune is sandwiched by plenty of slapstick fighting.
Adrian Brody got so immersed in his 'bad guy' role that he didn't notice how out-of-place somebody acting looks in this film. Or that nobody could be that much of an utter, utter b*stard.
At the heart of it is a pretty simple, and noble, multicultural peace message. If you can figure out what the f**k is going on at any one time, or why anybody was fighting in the first place, then that may resonate with you.
All in all, it's a big sloppy mess of a film.
- TwoWardrobes
- 15 de jan. de 2016
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