I cheered when he copped it. How in the name of Samson's formidable mane did he get a gig like this? Fantastic cinematography, Michelle Yeoh selling opium and Chow Yun-friggin'-Fat as a resistance fighter. WHY DID THEY CAST HIM? He is atrocious. Words can not describe how much I hated the character. Quite a shame really...
shareI agree - watching this I felt he had carried the same authority and charisma as Orlando Bland in Kingdom of Heaven. Come one there must be more actors other than Russell Crowe who can carry roles like this off?
shareUm, I don't think that Meyers' character was supposed to be authoritative & charismatic, at least not as something that would define him. However, I agree that he was totally miscast. Definitely the weakest actor in the movie. I'd say JRM is a hit and miss actor...
shareI usually don't like JRM, but surprisingly didn't mind him at all in this movie. His acting, I thought, was very appropriate. The character was supposed to be young and inexperienced, and so I found if he had been authoritative, it wouldn't have fit the role. And I'd say he was charismatic enough, instead of trying to be over the top and arrogant as he sometimes is.
shareagree with you.. well I just wonder..did he really converse in Mandarin in this movie? sounded impressive better than my Mandarin..any info?
*I see dead people,I cut them open and I learn the truth*
I thought he was rather touching in this role. I loved him with the children. As one poster above said he was supposed to be a young inexperienced guy doing the best he could under unique circumstances -- a gentle hero, not a larger than life one. I thought all the actors were good. But there was something wrong with the film. Another case of very bad script and ultimately the blame is with the director in this case.
As for Mandarin, yes he spoke it. But that doesn't mean he knows it. I assume they had dialogue coaches and memorized their lines. I wouldn't know if it sounds authentic or not.
I can tell you JRM's Mandarin accent sounds pretty good,
with very slightly foreigner's accent it really surprised me.
And he even speaks some Japanese it made me wonder did he actually knows some
Asian languages in real life? Look for his IMDB bio there's no trace of it.
So he's done a pretty good job memorized Chinese lines within short term,
he's a hard-working and marvellous actor.
When he dressed like a Chinese countryman he almost look like one,
barely no royalty characteristic in him except for keen eyes.
JRM speaks Japanese fairly well
Chinese he only memorized.
He speaks fluent Italian.
He is learning Spanish.
He admits his French is terrible.
His IMDB page needs to be updated
He's very, very talented as an actor.
Be nice to each other, you may be speaking with an angel.
Thanks for your info about JRM.
A man left school at age 16 not highly educated,
and his filmography indicates he's got a busy schedule,
my personal thought did he found extra time and urge to learn foreign languages?
Mandarin is my native language so I know he's only memorized it,
pronunciation very accurate for a fresh learner, however it's very impressive.
and I've got a feeling his Japanese sounds even better? can't believe it's true.
And he also spoke Japanese... I think he did quite a good job, despite most of the reviewers find him not suited for his role...
sharei agree. not a good actor for this film. he brought the film down and brought the other good actors down with him, like Radha. the director could be to blame for not delivering a well story. i also think Michelle and Chow speaking english brings their acting down to average. the boys actings was amateur also. photography was great though. just an average film.
shareI usually try to watch movies like this. I saw JRM's name and thought I'd give it a shot but it just didn't grab and hold my attention. I'm not sure if JRM killed the movie or if it was just not a good movie. I'll give it a second look cause the story is intriguing.
shareWatching this, I almost forgot he is also the king of England (Showtime's The Tudors).
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I liked him. I wasn't sure how authentic his accent was, but otherwise I thought he did a good job.
How people can praise Radha Mitchell, I don't know. She was supposed to be American, and apparently was trying to have an American accent, but at least half the time it was completely British. It drove me crazy and completely distracted me from her character's emotions and personality.