THE WARRING STATES (战国 Zhan Guo) DVD (2011)

SYNOPSIS: Set during China’s Warring States Period (475 BC – 221 BC), "The Warring States" centers on the rivalry between military strategists Sun Bin (Honglei Sun) and Pang Juan (Francis Ng).

MOVIE REVIEW:

The deluge of made in China period war epics continues with director Chen Jin’s “The Warring States”, set during the Warring States period (circa 475-221 B.C.) and loosely based on the rivalry between the Qi and Wei states. But amidst the sound and fury of war, Chen’s film finds its focus instead from the complex relationship between two military strategists on opposite sides- one the naïve goofball Sun Bin (Sun Honglei), and the other the scheming Pang Jun (Francis Ng).

And thanks to writer Shen Jian’s character-driven narrative, the film stands out from its ilk by being an intriguing study of the lengths by which war and its intricate machinery of politics can lead a person to forgo his closest friends. Yes, we are referring here to Pang Jun, a trusted brother and best friend of Sun Bin, both of them students of the great Gui Guzhi. Sun is also a descendant of Sun Tsu, and is rumoured to have knowledge of the Art of War, a manual on which Pang and the Wei King he is under are desperate to get their hands on.

So when Sun writes them some generic words of wisdom, they resort to barbaric methods to force his hand- torturing, jailing him and finally turning him into a cripple- with director Chen making the horror of every one of their actions felt keenly. Just as captivating to watch is Sun’s transformation in the latter half of the movie, from carefree scholar to wiser and yet jaded tactician aiding the Qi kingdom to defeat the onslaught of the Wei army led by General Pang himself.

Fortunately for the audience, director Chen has found two wonderful leading actors in Sun Honglei and Francis Ng to portray the complexities of his two protagonists. Sun’s dopey performance may ingratiate at first, especially in his single-minded infatuation of a beautiful Qi warrior princess (Jing Tian), but contrasts nicely with his more stately portrayal in the second half of the movie. The standout however is Francis Ng, this among one of his meatier roles of late with which the Hong Kong actor turns in a bravura performance that doesn’t demonise his character but balances his character’s deep friendship and jealousy brilliantly.

Aside from these two characters, Shen Jian also weaves in two other subplots which cast a multifaceted look on both Sun and Pang. The romance between Sun and Jing Tian’s Tian Xi turns especially poignant towards the end of the movie, while Korean actress Kim Hee-Seon has a smaller supporting role as Pang Jun’s younger sister Wan-er devastated at the ambition and ruthlessness of the men around her. While essentially second fiddle to the male characters, Jing Tian and Hee-Seon give the movie a softer, gentler but no less powerful side by injecting some much-needed humanity amidst the inhumanity of war.

Of course, to justify its weight in budget (around 150mil RMB), Chen fills the screen with requisite battles choreographed by Hong Kong’s Yuen Bun and Xiong Xinxin (who has a bit role as an assassin). Nonetheless, in the charge of China’s period war epics, this strong character-driven study of two brilliant men and their divergent paths in the face of politics and war will likely be more interesting than the sight of more swords, more arrows and more charging soldiers. 

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The Making Of gives you a peek into the sets on which Chen's epic film finds its canvas, as well as provides some background into the inspiration behind writer Shen Jian's story. Other extras include a trailer and a music video.

AUDIO/VISUAL:

The Dolby Digital 5.1 audio gives a robust surround mix during the action scenes. Visuals are clear and contrast is good. Non-English speaking viewers may however want to take note that there are no English subtitles offered in this Code 3 DVD.

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Gabriel Chong

Posted on 24 June 2011