MovieChat Forums > Tau ming chong (2007) Discussion > This movie was SO bad on SO many levels.

This movie was SO bad on SO many levels.

posted 16 years ago by hahainyourface
92 replies | jump to latest

Don't you think?

I thought this movie was utterly disappointing. I was expecting something extraordinary due to the amazing cast...but this? This was such a letdown.

First of all, what's with the 'Lian' character? I don't think she was on-screen enough to be a subplot. But then she keeps popping up now and then so you can't ignore her. She gave such a stone-cold performance I was cringing every time she spoke. It was just...Urgh.

When I was leaving the cinema, I was thinking about her role in the movie. She did say she only wanted to act in this movie because of Andy Lau and etc etc...but now that I think about it, if all her scenes were cut, it would've not made any impact on the outcome of the movie. She was just an insignificant little pebble amongst the HUGE boulders surrounding her.

Secondly, the characters were a bit 'off'. Something was missing. I kept thinking that Jet Li was double-crossing his 'brothers' in some way, because he had chosen the cowardly way out of war by 'pretending' to die...and it made me think that he was a liar and a cheat. He should've died honourably within the first few minutes of the film so we would be spared of his 'heroic' dialogue for the rest of movie. Then there's Andy Lau. Oh dear. The only scene I liked was when he was chained and screaming for justice. That was pretty emotional. Other than that, oh dear he was such an embarassment to watch. OH and I've forgotten about Takeshi Kaneshiro. The little teenybopper who was screaming at an obviously-fake head. Sure it was mean to be an act of courage and a display of heroism but I don't think that he really pulled it off. Whenever he laughed/cried it all seemed the same to me. When there were those horrid close-ups, he would smile and cry at the same time. Normally when people do that, they resolve to either smile to cry, not both at the same time. He is a pretty boy, but he needs substance.

Finally, the plot was a mess. My mum loved the whole historic feel to it but later I told her that, "Yes, it has some sort of historic feel to it, but they could've explained it better, rather than skipping here and skipping there with the different armies and such." I think the script for this movie was a little on the skimpy side. I've got a feeling that chunks of dialogue had been taken out to make sure the movie was short and (probably) concise. A mess. A terrible mess. It was hard to keep up with what was happening.

But on the nicer (XD) side of things, the war strategies were great to watch. The men sacrificing themselves, the archers, the action shots. They were great. Oh and my mum LOVES those Steven-Seagul movies where 'justice is served' so she enjoyed it.

It just didn't meet my expectations. I was waiting for an epic, not this pile of ill-conceived crap.

My rating: 2.5/5 stars.

Let's burn it and SAY we dumped it in the sewer!

[–] fakemew 16 years ago

I only thought Takeshi Kaneshiro wasnt that great. Jet Li & Andy Lau were ok weren't they.

And yes the chain part was too much for me to take.

[–] yangz 16 years ago

couldn't agree more. this movie was so boring & silly acting from a great actors. The one that I hate so much is the Andy Lau's fake beard ha3. I just wondering how much is the budget for the make up stuff.

[–] qslx 16 years ago

i agree about kaneshiro and for some part jet li~ i didn't think their acting was very convincing- i also question the necessity of that girl Lian in the movie- but i would talk differently about the war scenes... i loved the realistic way of filming war in a realistic- non-romantic way which breaks away from the traditional chinese war/martial art films of only showing war as noble and romantic which it is definately not~ compared to all that crouching tiger hidden dragon, hero..etc etc... its refreshing and the film should be given more credit

[–] lpaul01 14 years ago

I thoroughly enjoyed this film. Are you aware that it is based on a true story? As for the character Lian being in the movie, to my mind, and I saw it some time ago, she was the leavening in the bread. A lovely subtle performance and congratulations to the woman who played her.

Jet Li was convincing as a man who didn't believe in what he was fighting for or against, but was drawn into it by his loyalty to the other two. Often we will do something out of friendship and loyalty which goes against our commonsense and best interests. This is one of the basic qualities which make us human.

When one thinks of the pap being dished up in 'Hollywood' films nowadays, thank goodness for Hong Kong, Chinese and European cinema...and, of course, Australia and New Zealand. <s> Even on its lowest level, Warlords walks all over what is usually called 'adventure films'.

As far as I am concerned all three actors, Lau, Li and Tanakeshiro <sp> never let their audience down, no matter the film. They are consummate performers. The only thing wrong with this film is that BOTH Tony Leungs were not in it.

I should mention that I am 63yo, so beat that kids!

[–] bekkeh_18 14 years ago

Jet Li was not drawn into it by the other two, it was the other way around. How did you miss that?

[–] dont_b_so_BBC 16 years ago

It just didn't meet my expectations. I was waiting for an epic, not this pile of ill-conceived crap.
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Sounds like you actually understand the real reason why this movie was so bad for you on so many levels-- so if you ever come across it again, you should avoid watching it unless you actually want to try and understand the movie and director's vision.

[–] hahainyourface 16 years ago

I know. I will avoid movies like these in the future. I live in South East Asia and I was indeed expecting alot from all this hype from papers/magazines/the internet. But yes, it was a letdown.

Let's burn it and SAY we dumped it in the sewer!

[–] the_dark_spectre_lives 14 years ago

"I was indeed expecting alot from all this hype from papers/magazines/the internet. But yes, it was a letdown."

Read that and pretend I'm saying it, then tell me why I'm finding it a letdown.

If you go into a movie, video game, listen to a song, etc, etc, and all you've heard is how fanstastically awesome it is, then your mind will have made it too good. Most movies just aren't that great. There's a few I enthuse about to friends who are like yea, yea, then watch it and the movie actually lives up to what I've told them. But I can count the amount of movies I can do with that on one hand.

3 fingers to be honest. :P

Try to let everything be a blank slate, no prior assumptions. Otherwise it really will ruin everything for you.

[–] GreekGods 16 years ago

1) The girl acting as Lian was poor, but it was an essential character contrary to what you say. That's because women often come between male friendships, and is a source of betrayl. The betrayl in the movie is essential to it.

2) It would be friggin stupid if Jet Li died in the beginning of the movie. Then there would be no movie and you would complain more. That's the whole point, Jet Li was the double crossing brother, why even have a movie if they all lived happily ever after, or Jet li was stabbed in the chest in the first 2 min?

3) Takeshi is too pretty boy and the acting was crap. But his character was meant to be naive and innocent so that can be forgiven.

4) I followed the plot quite easily, what couldn't you follow? Historically it wasn't accurate though. For one thing the size of the armies were much bigger, not a mere few thousand.

So basically you didn't get the movie so it must be bad. That sucks for you because there are movies with much more complicated plots.

[–] hahainyourface 16 years ago

I was being sarcastic about the death of Jet Li in the first two minutes. (-_-)"

Let's burn it and SAY we dumped it in the sewer!

[–] randombum2 14 years ago

i totally disagree with what the first guy said, acting was top notch, story was top notch, maybe it could do with a little more action but other than that this is one of the best epic movies ive ever seen, certainly the best from china.

it seems like all the negative comments for this movie come from people who had been expecting alot before it was released and got over hyped about it, i never heard the hype or anything surrounding this movie and i just watched it in 2010 when it came out in 2007 AND IT IS AWESOME !!!

ignore the hype and just watch ! this movie should have at least a 8.5 overall mark

[–] superdio5918 16 years ago

This movie wasnt intend to be epic, and never will be. How come some of u expect it to be epic? It's old story retelling, the story itself is based on the ppl, not the war or battle. Plus, if you watched the Mainland version, many scenes have been cut. Like how Jet and Andy and Takeshi sworn to be brothers and many more.

Personally I think this movie is great even with so many cuts. Andy is great as well as Takeshi, then Jet second, Then Jinglei(although many ppl dont like her acting in this movie but I think she did her best). Can't wait for the uncut version.

[–] Galnicia 16 years ago

Well, I can see why you're disappointed, as the posters and the title both point toward an action-packed war movie. I thought the movie overall was alright, but nothing spectacular. The main problem I had with it was that the story was sort of predictable. The whole pact of friendship, betrayal, killing each other thing has been done numerous times, and I don't think the movie really adds anything to this basic plot.

Also, the Nanking part where some words just saying that the battle was won was quite anticlimatic. While it is true that if it showed Nanking too, the runtime would have been way longer and there would be repeated scenes, but I thought that it was significant and the biggest battle in the movie, and all we get are words on the screen? It was a bit disappointing.

About the acting, I think the four leads did servicable jobs. Andy Lau and Jet Li, being the veterans, were of course better. Though I'd just wish that Andy Lau would stop yelling for once. It fits his character, but it got sort of annoying. Jet Li does a good job overall, but I don't think he had any chemistry with the female lead. And the female lead was fine but couldn't really be dramatic enough in the scene where Takeshi killed her. Takeshi seemed confused and naive for most of the movie, which is OK due to his character. But I think the bit where he ordered the archers to keep firing the arrows at the hapless people of Suzhou was quite well-acted for all three of the main male leads.

Well, there were some high points for me. That Suzhou bit, the first battle with the cannons blowing apart a person (XD I'm violent) and the end when Takeshi yells to Jet Li that he didn't have to kill Andy Lau any more, because Lian was dead. Jet Li's crying was sort of weird, but I just find Takeshi yelling that comment hilarious (I guess I have a twisted sense of humour).

Two words Donkey. SHUT. UP. -Shrek

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] 16 years ago

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[–] Warhol_Superstar_no_5 16 years ago

"I'm a chinese person... "

WHOA WHOA WHOA slow down

Does your being a chinese person entitle you to have an opinion? So being Chinese gives you some sort of authority over a chinese movie?

Sorry, I respect everyone's opinions and all, but by saying this but you sound like a race-provoking douchebag.

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] dont_b_so_BBC 16 years ago

Seems odd to react so strongly to a guy simply saying he's Chinese.
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Not really. Lots of people bring up race without reason, as if it should automatically win them some points. This practice should be deplored-- if you don't have a point (about race/ nationality/ etc.), then why bring it up?

It's not as if he said "I'm Chinese so pardon my bad English", or even "I'm Chinese so I didn't need to read the subtitles". He simply brought up "I'm Chinese" and "I don't like it", which are two unrelated points, as if one explains the other.

[–] Warhol_Superstar_no_5 16 years ago

"Not really. Lots of people bring up race without reason, as if it should automatically win them some points. This practice should be deplored-- if you don't have a point (about race/ nationality/ etc.), then why bring it up? It's not as if he said "I'm Chinese so pardon my bad English", or even "I'm Chinese so I didn't need to read the subtitles". He simply brought up "I'm Chinese" and "I don't like it", which are two unrelated points, as if one explains the other."

Exactly. I'm Chinese myself, and I don't consdier myself an authority on Wuxia or John Woo films just because of my race. It's extremely childish and obnoxious, not to mention shallow, to use race as a gauge for authority over subject matter.

By his elitist logic American film reviews of Tarantino films would hold more weight than an European or an Asian one. I find this sort of blanket statements incredibly offensive.

[–] leviosa_cho 16 years ago

Ya, I am Chinese too, so?

[–] hahainyourface 16 years ago

Hi. I'm a 'she' by the way. =)

Let's burn it and SAY we dumped it in the sewer!

[–] hfz-2 16 years ago

Ah! You're a SHE! That explains A LOT! I found the strong "brotherhood" bond that is portrayed (especially by Andy Lau and Takeshi) very touching. And yes, I think Jet Li is supposed to be not as honest as the other two brothers. He doesn't even believe in the pact. He seems to be taking action mostly for himself from beginning to the end. While Andy and Takeshi were always ready to protect the pact with their lives..

[–] bekkeh_18 14 years ago

lol! completely agree. seriously, what was up w/ that.

[–] hahainyourface 16 years ago

I'm just stating that I'm a chinese person and this is MY view of a chinese movie. In case other posters say stuff about 'another ignorant American' like so many posters on IMDB.

And no I'm not a race-provoking douchebag. My point is that not all chinese people LOVE movies about chinese history.

Let's burn it and SAY we dumped it in the sewer!

[–] bsnjjhead 16 years ago

hahainyourface, please do not ever use "i'm a chinese person" in any sorts of movie reviews especially for Chinese movies, seriously, your nationality has nothing to do with this movie and it makes ppl think using ur nationality as an authority for any movie reviews is a joke.

Btw, peter chan did notice lots of details and those lead actor/actress performed well, you need to put yourself into the situation/context to understand.

[–] hahainyourface 16 years ago

Sorry. I think I did it absent-minded. I apologise.

I'm just trying to banish the stereotype that all chinese people LOVE movies about their history. (-_-)"

Let's burn it and SAY we dumped it in the sewer!

[–] bekkeh_18 14 years ago

"My point is that not all chinese people LOVE movies about chinese history."

Wow! And here I thought all Chinese people were obligated to love movies about Chinese history! Oh man, you have enlightened me so much!

[–] Jaymorris_06 12 years ago

I loved this movie, it made me want to watch more foreign films from Asia. (English here)

[–] spookyrat1 10 years ago

OP says it was So bad on SO many levels, yet gives it a pass mark. Strange!

BTW I thought it was a pretty fair sort of effort as a piece of dramatic historical fiction.

[–] lyehuat1973 16 years ago

I actually liked the movie. I disagree with your opinions on so many levels. But everyone is entitled to their viewpoints.