The Lost Bladesman

Starring: Donnie Yen, Alex Fong, jiang Wen, Sun Li

Synopsis:

Yen stars as the legendary warrior Guan Yun Chang, sworn brother of the great warlord Liu Bei, who, on becoming separated from his friend during the tumultuous warring period of the Three Kingdoms, is taken prisoner by and agrees to fight temporarily alongside Liu Bei’s enemy and rival warlord, Cao Cao.

Guan’s heroism on the battlefield is rewarded with the title of Marquis of Hanshou and promotion to the rank of lieutenant general in Cao Cao’s army. The position allows him the freedom to escort Liu Bei’s concubine, Qi Lan, who is being held hostage by Cao Cao, back to her lord and master. But the journey is fraught with danger as Guan and Qi Lan must make their way through a number of mountain passes, all of which are occupied by enemy generals and their armies.

Review:

The Lost Bladesman is the third film of recent years to be based upon the legends contained within The Three Kingdoms – following Resurrection of the Dragon and John Woo’s Red Cliff, this film adds more depth to the character of Cao Cao – the main bad-guy of the previous films. Here he is portrayed as a man of the people, striving to maintain this Emperor’s kingdom, rather than a power-greedy usurper.

The early scenes see Cao Cao (an excellent Weng Jiang, star of Warriors of Heaven and Earth) try to convince Guan Yun to fight for his armies, engaging in philosophical and political arguments with the general. However, Guan Yun refuses, wanting to return to his homelands. When he decides to leave Cao Cao orders his men to let him, but unfortunately they have other ideas.

The Lost Bladesman looks fantastic, with sumptuous cinematography and sterling acting. The action is edited in a clear fashion and is quite varied, taking place in such diverse settings as a steel mill, a courtyard (twice, although in order not to repeat itself, one of them takes place behind closed doors, the audience only getting to see the beginning and end of the melee) and a misty forest (my particular favourite).

Whilst all the action belongs to Donnie Yen, Weng Jiang actually gets the more multi-faceted role, showing the keen sense for humour that he shows in the upcoming Let the Bullet’s Fly. It’s an enigmatic performance and you find yourself sympathising with the position he finds himself in. It’s interesting to note that Guan Yun is seen as something of a rampaging monster, even though his actions are righteous and honourable, all that the local citizens see is a mass murderer cutting a bloody swathe through their country!

The Lost Bladesman is top and tailed by scenes of his funeral, and you might be led to believe that the film was heading for a sombre climax. You’d be right, but not in the way you assumed at the beginning of the film. After an exhilarating action scene, the moment of catharsis arrives in a rather refreshing manner.

Verdict:

The Lost Bladesman delivers scene after scene of exilerating action tinged with perspectives you wouldn’t expect, and portrays familiar characters in a very different light to what we’ve seen before. Donnie Yen rules as usual, but is in danger here of having the limelight stolen from him by Jiang Weng.

8 out of 10 (MikeOutWest)

New! Comments