Not
Rated
Running
Time: 1 Hour & 49 Minutes
Cast-
Donnie
Yen-Guan Yun-Chang
Jiang
Wen-Cao Cao
Betty
Sun-Qi Lan
Alex
Fong-Liu Bei
Wang
Po-Chieh-Emperor Liu Xie of Han
Chin
Siu-Ho-General Yan Liang
Shao
Bing-Zhang Liao
Andy
On-Kong Xiu
Nie
Yuan-Han Fu
Yu
Ailei-Bian Xi
Wang
Xue-Bing as Wang Zhi
Calvin
Li-Qin Qi
Zhou
Bo-Pujing
Dong
Yong-Xun You
Sang
Ping-Xu Chu
Chen
Hong-Lady Gan/Liu Bei's First Wife
Zhao
Ke-Lady Mi/Liu Bei's Second Wife
Directed
by Alan Mak and Felix Chong
 |
| Donnie Yen as the legendary historical figure Guan Yun-Chang in "The Lost Bladesman," which takes place some years before the Three Kingdoms era in China. |
Note: In Mandarin with English subtitles.
If
you're Chinese like me, you've often heard the phrase that 'China has 5000
years of history.' However, that statement is nothing more than a misnomer as
the earliest ancient writings only date back to approximately 3300 years. One
time period that has received considerable attention in folk stories, novels,
films and even video games is the Three Kingdoms period, which lasted roughly
sixty years from 220 AD to 280 AD. One of the bloodiest chapters in Chinese
history, the Three Kingdoms era was part of a long period of disunity that
began with the collapse of the Han dynasty and lasted for over 300 years, until
589 AD when the Sui dynasty briefly took control. Among the dynasties that
formed during this turbulent era were three competing states: Cao Wei, Shu Han,
and Eastern Wu, each led by an emperor claiming to be the legitimate successor
of the Han dynasty. Hundreds of years later in the fourteenth century, author
Luo Guan-Zhong released his historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, one
of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese Literature (a list that includes
Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en from the sixteenth century), which greatly
romanticized the Three Kingdoms period by mixing facts with legend. Not only is
it one of the most beloved works of literature in East Asia whose influence has
been compared to that of Shakespeare, it is also the most widely read historical
novel in late imperial and modern China. Romance of the Three Kingdoms has
inspired numerous adaptations that include John Woo's "Red Cliff,"
which was released in two parts in 2008 and 2009 with a total running time of
four hours and forty-eight minutes to a series of action video games titled
"Dynasty Warriors," published by Tecmo Koei. The latest film to
explore the Three Kingdoms period is Alan Mak and Felix Chong's "關雲長," known as
"The Lost Bladesman" in North America and starring Donnie Yen, who is
currently one of the most popular and highest paid actors in Asia. Despite
Yen's star-power and his brilliant action choreography, "The Lost
Bladesman" represents one of the actor's lesser efforts due to a plodding,
emotionally hollow storyline whose nuance will be lost on those not familiar
with Chinese history.
Beginning
in medias res at the funeral of Guan Yun-Chang (Donnie Yen), the film
flashbacks to twenty years ago to 200 AD during the Battle of Baima (the first
of a series of battles that preceded the Three Kingdoms era), where Guan Yu was
a prisoner of Cao Cao (Jiang Wen), a warlord and chancellor to Emperor Liu Xie
(Wang Po-Chieh) of Han. In the name of peace, Guan Yu agrees to fight under Cao
Cao's banner and leads thirty cavalry men against Yuan Shao's general, Yan
Liang (Chin Siu-Ho), and kills him with his Guan Dao. For his decisive part in
lifting the siege on Baima, Emperor Liu Xie grants Guan Yu the title of
'Marquis of Han Shou' and promotes him to the rank of lieutenant general.
During this time, Liu Bei's (Alex Fong) family and his concubine/soon-to-be
third wife Qi Lan (Betty Sun) were staying in Cao Cao's territory with Guan Yu.
Cao Cao constantly presented Guan Yu with gifts in the hopes that he would
remain by his side but the general refused to renounce his loyalty to Liu Bei,
who is his sworn brother. Guan Yu negotiates the release of Liu Bei's family
when he learns that the warlord had sought refuge under Yuan Shao. Qi Lan stays
with Guan Yu (who is secretly in love with her) but upon receiving the
whereabouts of Liu Bei from a messenger, he leaves the service of Cao Cao. The
decision is strongly opposed by Cao Cao's advisors, who fear that by letting
him go, Guan Yu would become a threat to their lord in the future. Despite
their concerns, Cao Cao is adamant that no one is to stop him from leaving.
However, the advisors secretly inform the six generals guarding the five passes
to apprehend and slay Guan Yu, forcing the great warrior to shed more blood in
order to protect Qi Lan.
A
popular figure in Chinese folk religion, Guan Yu's true life stories have
largely been replaced with heavily fictionalized ones, mostly found in Luo
Guan-Zhong's Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Many Chinese shops and restaurants
have a small shrine dedicated to Guan Yu as he is revered for his loyalty and
righteousness. "Infernal Affairs" trilogy writers Alan Mak and Felix
Chong adapts chapters 25 and 26 of Luo Guan-Zhong's historical novel in
"The Lost Bladesman," where Guan Yu set out on his famous journey
known as 'Crossing Five Passes and Slaying Six Generals.' Unfortunately, the
restrictions of the source material lead to a hamstrung narrative that saps
much of the drama in the film, making for an emotionally hollow experience.
While the opening Battle of Baima is suitably exciting, that momentum isn't
carried through and leads to a rather plodding first half as Cao Cao
unsuccessfully tries to manipulate Guan Yu into fighting for his side. Numerous
names are dropped by the characters but those unfamiliar with the Three
Kingdoms period or Luo Guan-Zhong's novel will be left scratching their heads
as to who they are and what role they play in the context of the film's story.
The love triangle between Guan Yu, Liu Bei, and Qi Lan is also underdeveloped
because Bei himself only makes a cursory appearance in a flashback scene. Guan
Yu frequently refers to Liu Bei as his sworn brother but there is no attempt to
provide any background on their relationship or explain why he is so fiercely
loyal to him. Part of the problem is that the film assumes audiences will be
familiar with the source material and while this may be true for viewers living
in China, those in the U.S. won't be. The overall plot in "The Lost
Bladesman" can still be followed but the deeper motivations of the
characters, the 'why,' are sadly lost in translation.
Not
helping matters is the fact that Guan Yu is a relatively bland character since
the script makes him out to be this heroic figure that can do no wrong. If
you're flawless, there's no drama. Thankfully, Jiang Wen's Cao Cao makes up for
this issue. Presenting a friendly exterior, Cao Cao is extremely manipulative
and employs unethical means to get what he wants, such as drugging Guan Yu's
food with an aphrodisiac so that he will rape a paralyzed Qi Lan but the
general manages to keep his composure through sheer force of will. However, Cao
Cao is ironically a man of his word who orders his subordinates to let Guan Yu
leave despite the threat he poses to them. Cao Cao is a pragmatist and therein
lies the main theme of the film—idealism vs. pragmatism. Guan Yu is so bound by
honor and duty that he is unable to do what it takes to reunite China while Cao
Cao understands that it will take bloodshed to bring the other two factions
under control. This is all well and good but "The Lost Bladesman" never
gives you a reason to care about what's happening, leaving the action scenes to
pick up the slack. As Yen serves as the film's action director, you can expect
a number of rousing sword battles that get the blood pumping. The standout (and
most ambitious) is during a horseback chase between Guan Yu and Andy On's Kong
Xiu in a narrow, circular alleyway. The two end up engaging in a furious
one-on-one battle that will leave action fans on the edge of their seats.
There's also an extended sequence at a water mill that has Guan Yu taking on
numerous opponents despite being poisoned. A major battle also takes place
behind closed doors, which is a bold move but it ends with a wonderfully
executed moment as a stoic Guan Yu slowly walks away from a pile of bodies. The
second half definitely proves to be more exciting thanks to its heavy emphasis
on action and elevates what would've been a mediocre film to a passable one.
Donnie
Yen may be one of the highest paid actors in Asia but he gives a rather cold
and emotionally distant performance as Guan Yu. His excellent action
choreography makes up for his lack of nuance and limited emotional range. Jiang
Wen fares better with his charismatic turn as Cao Cao but his dialogue is often
reduced to waxing political treatises. Playing Guan Yu's love interest Qi Lan,
Betty Sun unfortunately has little to do besides scream and bat her pretty eyes
at Yen. The rest of the supporting cast are little more than cannon fodder
under Guan Yu's Green Dragon Crescent Blade.
"The
Lost Bladesman" was released on April 28, 2011 in China and Hong Kong but
it wasn't until this year's New York Asian Film Festival that it was finally
shown theatrically in North America. Reviews have been mixed with 57% on Rotten
Tomatoes but the film managed to become a box office hit in China with a total
gross of ¥158.5 million or $24.4 million. Audience response at NYAFF 2012 was
largely enthusiastic and Donnie Yen himself even made a special guest
appearance to talk about his role as Guan Yun-Chang. Surprisingly, he admitted
that he wasn't all that familiar with the Three Kingdoms era before signing on
and had to do some initial research. Yen also revealed that he ate five meals a
day, putting on some extra body weight to portray the famous historical and
legendary figure. Currently out on Blu-Ray in Hong Kong, "The Lost
Bladesman" offers up some rousing action scenes but the script from Alan
Mak and Felix Chong proves to be too obtuse for those unfamiliar with Luo
Guan-Zhong's novel or the Three Kingdoms period in Chinese history.
Nevertheless, it remains a passable film thanks to Donnie Yen's presence and
his top-notch action choreography.
Final
Rating: 3 out of 5
"As
transient as dreams and shadows, as erratic as dew and lightning, such is
life."
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