WARRIORS
Directed & Written by: He Ping.
Director of Photography: Zhao Fei.
Music by: A. R. Rahman.
Released by: Sony Picture Classics.
Language: Mandarin with English subtitles.
Country of Origin: China/Hong Kong. 120 min. Rated: R.
With: Jiang Wen, Nakai Kiichi, Zhao Wei & Wang Xueqi.

Grand in scale and mythic in content, Warriors of Heaven and Earth is Star Wars meets Lord of the Rings, with a tint of The Matrix. Under the rule of the Chinese emperor in 700 A.D., Li, a lieutenant of the Chinese army, refuses against orders to kill women and children hostages. Taking blame for causing a mutiny, he cuts ties with his loyal soldiers and becomes a refugee from the imperial army. On the other hand, Lai Xi, a loyal imperial agent, is a Japanese swordsman taken under the wing of the Chinese emperor. Lai Xi requests to return to Japan, but is given a final task - to kill Li - before he can leave.

A fugitive on the run, Li guards a camel caravan carrying a precious Buddhist relic with mythical powers to the emperor. He protects the caravan against prowling Turkish bandits and the region's overlord, who mysteriously shows interest in the caravan's pagoda. A convoluted twist in fate brings Li and Lai Xi together. Realizing this caravan, which is on an imperial mission, cannot survive without Li's guidance, Lai Xi agrees to see Li safely arrive in the capital city. The two promise that only then and there they will turn their blades toward each other.

Blatantly borrowing from Hollywood, Warriors' clear-cut battle between good and evil owes a debt to Westerns (as does Star Wars). Yet, exciting swordplay and wired stunts compensate for the cheesy plot. Nakai Kiichi (as Lai Xi) gives a fine performance as the cool and stern swordsman, a style reminiscent of his previous samurai roles. Jiang Wen (Lieutenant Li) shows more flare in his character, which includes skillfully fighting on horseback (a very different turn from his clumsy cop in Missing Gun). Additionally, scenes of serene sand dunes and tranquil woodlands are part of the beautifully filmed backdrop. Hazuki Aikawa, journalist, director of the documentary Yancha
September 3, 2004