The plot...really?

What struck me when reading the plot of this film was the use of the Japanese and the English as the villains. I think the Chinese are capable of writing much better stories than the usual 'China vs foreigners' plot which is really being overused.
Don't get me wrong, i loved those Chinese war/martial art films set in ancient/medieval times and their beautiful portrayal of Chinese culture and traditions. But other than that, almost all the popular Chinese films I've watched so far had a plot or sub-plot of the Chinese fighting off foreigners.
If you compare that to Hong Kong, the latter produces films with a much greater variety of storytelling and genres. I was rather disappointed to see Andy Lau in this after watching him in 'a simple life' which turned out to be one of my favourites.