An Empress and the Warriors

Directed by: Siu Tung Ching

Starring: Kelly Chen, Donnie Yen, Leon Lai

Synopsis:

After her emperor father dies in battle, Yen Feier (Chen) finds herself thrust to the throne. Vowing to become a military leader so she may command her troops in battle, Feier relies heavily on the general most trusted by her deceased father, General Muyong (Yen). However, after she is attacked and poisoned by the minions of her cousin, Hu Ba, she is rescued and cared for by a mysterious woodsman called Duan (Leon Lai). Her heart torn between passion and duty, Feier abdicates the throne, leaving the fate of her country in the hands of General Muyong.



Review:Things get off to a bumpy start with An Empress and the Warriors, as it opens with what is supposed to be a big battle scene. Unfortunately, compared to the likes of Warlords , or even The Curse of the Golden Flower, this initial battle feels like a minor skirmish. Luckily, things pick up immensely once the focus shifts to the bickering generals and their conflicting loyalties as to who should succeed their emperor. Thanks to a bit of quick-thinking by Muyong, Feier proves to be the most popular choice, if not unanimous. Next we have the training sequences, as we observe Feier learning the ropes to become a warrior under the stern gaze of Muyong, who ensures that she doesn’t have an easy time of it.

Due to the nature of the story however, things slow down a lot during the mid-section as Feier meets Duan and falls in love, leading her to abdicate the throne. These scenes are a bit twee and only really show that Feier was a bit of a spoilt brat even within the confines of her military status. The trouble with the romance sub-plot is that it is all kept very chaste that you really don’t believe in it – unlike Muyong’s unrequited love for Feier, which has been burning within him since they were children playing together.

Kelly Chen does a good job as Feier, whilst Leon Lai is okay as the woodsman Duan. It is Donnie Yen though who is the reason to watch this. He doesn’t get a lot to do overall, but he brings his character to life in every scene and has a classic, heroic battle at the end.

The movie that this most resembles, both in theme and pacing, is the Richard Gere/Sean Connery King Arthur tale, First Knight. Fans of that movie are the ones likely to glean the most satisfaction out of this.

Verdict:

Although An Empress and the Warriors is an uneven film which would have benefited from more passion and action, this is still worth a viewing, and would probably be more palatable to girlfriends and wives who wouldn’t normally watch a martial arts movie.

6 out of 10 (MikeOutWest)