Product Description

It's a heroic tale of three blood brothers and their struggle in the midst of war and political upheaval. It is based on "The Assassination of Ma," a Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) story about the killing of general Ma Xinyi. The story was filmed by Zhang Che in 1973 as The Blood Brothers.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1507 in DVD
• Released on: 2009-03-02
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 126 minutes

Synopsis
From the acclaimed action director of HERO and HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS, comes THE WARLORDS: an electrifying saga that unites the talents of Jet Li (ROMEO MUST DIE, ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA) and Andy Lau (INFERNAL AFFAIRS, THE DUEL). Set in mid-19th Century China: a time in which the population live under a dark, oppressive regime orchestrated by the Qing Dynasty; a time when the people fought back; the era of the Taiping Rebellion.

As the newly-instated official governor, General Pang (Jet Li) finds himself in the most compromising of situations: at the centre of a love triangle with his sworn blood brother Zhao Er-Hu (Andy Lay) and his wife Lian (Xu Jinglei),

Review
Epic ... unrelenting ... supreme entertainment --Time Out

Review
Jet Lie is stunning ... the performance of his career --Radio 5 Live

Customer Reviews

Blood brothers at arms
The Warlords is a thin slice of Chinas turbulant history , on an epic scale. Set during the Taiping Rebellion, it focuses on the famine and war that engulfed the country for many years, during the Qing Dynasty. It is also based on the true story of an unsolved crime.
The film revolves around three men, bonded together by a blood oath, that is stretched to breaking point by the tragedy and desparation of war. Jet Li is Pang, a general whose troops have been slaughtered in a massacre, and is then taken in by a bandit village. Their leader, Zhao (Andy Lau), with his right hand man, Jiang (Takeshi Kaneshiro) lead their small bandit army on raids to steal food for the villagers, in order to survive. Pang manages to convince them to join the army with him, using the incentive of regular money and food for all, so they can bring the war to a quicker end, and regain some of his dignity in the process.
The film is spread over a few years (the passing of time only evident by the varying degrees of our heroes facial hair) and pulls no punches in its portrayal of war and the harrowing effects on both sides. The battle scenes are spectacular when on a large scale, and wince inducing when focusing on close up combat.
The blood brothers are played magnificently by three of Asias' finest. Jet Li proves just how powerful an actor he can be, effortlessly demonstrating a blinkered obsession with his need to rid his country of oppression, at any cost. Andy Lau (Infernal Affairs, Battle of Wits) gives a scene stealing performance as the bandit leader, loved by his followers, and respected by his enemies. The taking of Suzhou and his pleas for the prisoners, is all the more heartbreaking, knowing it is based on truth. The youngest of the three, Jiang (House of Flying Daggers, Takeshi Kaneshiro) is possibly the most tormented, frequently having to choose between loyalty to Zhao, his life long friend, and following Pang as he does what is best for their country.
A sub plot is the love triangle between Pang and Lian, ( Xu Jinglei) wife of Zhao. It in no way distracts from the story, but is pivotal in its development.
The Warlords was released across China in 2007 and won eight of its twelve nominations in the Hong Kong Film awards. They included Best Actor (Jet Li), Best Film and Best Director (Peter Chan). I was fortunate enough to see this film at the cinema. It had only a limited release, and consequently did not do that well. Yes, it is subtitled, and yes, you will probably only know Jet Li, but it is well worth watching. A hugely enjoyable film, amazing performances, and not a wire in sight.

an ambitious yet flawed intimate epic
Warlords is a film trying to be something it clearly is not...and that something is an epic. Essentially taking a piece of China's turbulent history and turning it into a movie that tries to be both epic and intimate at the same time, the film ultimately falls short on both counts.
Set during the Qing dynasty in the late 19th Century, it deals with the Taiping rebellion, when the people rose up and attempted to throw of the shackles off their oppressive rulers. Jet Li takes the central role as Pang, a general who's troops are slaughtered in the films opening few minutes by the rebel army after treachery from his own side at the hands of the villainous General Ho. Pang is the only survivor, and is taken in by the inhabitants of a small village. The men of the village have formed into a group of bandits who use the upheavals and confusion of the country at this time to conduct raids during which they get what they need for the survival of their village. The leader of these bandits is Zhao (Andy Lau), a charismatic man who is loved by his men (they refer to him as Big Brother), in particular his second in command Zhang (Takeshi Kaneshiro of House of Flying Daggers fame), and the pair are more like brothers than friends. Both Zhang and Zhao find much to like in Pang, but Zhao is trying to keep his village out of the current civil war, and tells Pang that he must leave as soon as possible. However, Pang convinces Zhao and the bandits to join him and become soldiers in the imperial army, convincing them with promises of money and regular food, whilst Pang secretly hopes to use this opportunity to erase some of the shame he feels at the death of his troops. The three men swear an oath to remain loyal to each other come what may, and it is the testing of this oath that forms the core of the film, as military expediency and political back stabbing stretches the oath and the three men's friendship to breaking point.
The three leads are all good, with Andy Lau particularly effective as the noble Zhao, unwilling to compromise his code of personal honour, and finding himself trapped by decisions he cannot make. Jet Li is good as the driven and pragmatic Pang, prepared to do what he must in order to lead his country out of the dreadful civil war that is tearing it apart, and willing to make some hard decisions as he accepts the fact that peace comes at a price. Only Kaneshiro really fails to hit the mark, playing as he does the more passive character of Zhang, torn between his love and respect for Zhao and his acceptance of Pangs heartless but pragmatic attitude. A sub-plot involving the love triangle between Pang, Zhao and Lian (Jinglei Xu), Zhao's wife is somewhat distracting but ultimately becomes central to the direction of the film.
Don't get me wrong, this is not a bad film by any means. Directed by Peter Chan, it never looks anything less than impressive, and Chan has managed to avoid the pitfalls that plagued Zhang Yimous Curse of the Golden Flower by giving this historical epic depth and plot, something that Yimou simply failed to do with his so called historical epic. And the battle scenes are nothing short of spectacular, in particular when Pang's soldiers assault a Taiping stronghold early in the film. Unfortunately, by being epic in scale yet intimate in character, the film fails to be either.

Jet Li at his best!
Another Chinese film martial arts film? No! A war film, based on true events, bloody, gritty, and brilliant. Once again in Chinese with subtitles, but it works. Jet Li is superb, perhaps at his best. Andy Lau is a stunning actor, and none more so than here. The action is good, not a flying anything in sight, which is good, and the blood flows thick and fast, but happily not gratuitously. Good story, good acting and good action, highly recommended.