Much like they were in the early to mid-2000s here in the U.S., giant costumed battle epics are currently all the rage in Chinese cinema. Lead at the forefront by the success of John Woo’s masterpiece, Red Cliff, Eastern studios have filled theater screens in recent years with ancient war films of varying qualities, such as The Empress and the Warriors, The Battle of the Warriors, The Warlords, and Confucius. Another recent film which shares very similar subject matter and inevitable comparison to Woo’s picture is Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon, a movie based on the same book, but presented in a much different fashion than the much larger budgeted Red Cliff.
Based on the 14th century novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong, both films try to do justice to the classical text which has been the basis for dozens of adaptations in the past, from television series to video games. Both films have many of the same characters and try to relay the same sense of grandeur and importance, but where Red Cliff focuses on one climactic battle from the original manuscript, Three Kingdoms attempts to take on the story by giving us an intimate portrait of one major character from the tale, but over a longer period of time. Unfortunately, the results are mixed, as the film is able to present us with some terrific performances, but in terms of spectacle and narrative the movie isn’t on the level of some of its other big screen brethren.
Thankfully though, the movie is still worth watching due to terrific performances at its center from two Hong Kong cinema superstars that are still doing amazing work after decades in front of the camera. Andy Lau (Infernal Affairs) and Sammo Hung (Eastern Condors) are each standouts in this picture, which tells the story of their brotherhood over the course of decades while they wage battle against the kingdom of Cao. You can feel the weight of their lives, as Zhao Zilong (Lau) rises through the ranks to become the most important general in all of China, while Luo Ping-An (Hung) watches his friend’s ascent from the wayside, hoping for his own glory.
Their tale is actually told with a lot of subtlety, and their bond in the film is a strong, but contentious one at times. Lau does outstanding work as the movie’s lead, providing us with a hero that is easy to both identify with and get behind. He’s no slouch in the movie’s action scenes either, showing the same kind of strong action charisma and skill he has demonstrated before in films such as House of Flying Daggers and Fulltime Killer. Hung also gives a terrific turn, especially considering this is a much more dramatic role that we’re used to seeing him in. His struggle of wanting glory while being sidelined into obscurity is one that is easy to sympathize with, and Hung does the most he can with the material.
Most of the problems with the movie come from a screenplay that tries too hard to compress such an epic story into a two and a half hour film. Woo’s picture feels so much more fleshed out in comparison, because his vision is so attentive to just one specific section of the novel its based. Red Cliff takes five hours to completely explore everything its director wanted to, plus present you with incredible action on top of such an interesting narrative. Three Kingdoms tries to stay intimate with its focus on Zhao Zilong, but because there are so many points in history it has to get to, it feels like a highlight reel. The movie has characters enter and exit the film without warning, and then presents you with their “glorious” deaths in battle, which too often the film hasn’t really earned.
Also, while director Daniel Lee does try to present us with a grand scope for his movie, it’s tough to say that he completely succeeds. He offers us shots of large armies of extras, but more often than not we’re given a series of one-on-one duels in lieu of actual battles or we’re simply given the results of those clashes after the fact. This might not even be so bad, especially when considering that Sammo Hung pulled double duty in this picture as both actor and fight choreographer, but the cinematography and editing are so inconsistent that this ends up being a bit of a liability for the movie.
Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon is a good movie, but one that ultimately has a hard time overcoming its problems. Nearly able to get by on the strength of a really good cast with terrific performances from its two leads, the movie’s script and editing problems bog the whole production down, allowing the seams to show a bit when it comes to budgetary constraints. If you’re into this type of movie, it’s worth seeing for Andy Lau and Sammo Hung, but it’s just not on the same level as some the higher profile movies that have been released around it.
The image on this disc is quite good. The color levels and image detail of the disc are all acceptable, without really being outstanding. Audio is also good and perhaps even better than the video quality here.
Interviews – You get interviews with the director and the lead cast which add up to about 30 minutes of extras and cover a wide variety of subjects on the making of the film. Director Daniel Lee gets the most time in front of the camera and discusses a number of facets of production, including the preparation it took to prepare the movie’s focus and screenplay during the adaptation, which was a long process considering the movie is based on such a long novel. Andy Lau goes into detail about how the film can relate to people’s everyday problems. Sammo Hung speaks about his character in the movie and his background with this epic story, and Maggie Q talks about how difficult it was to do so many stunts and choreography compared to the movies she’s worked on in the past.
Of all the interviews I liked Sammo’s the best, as you can see his energy for the project and what he was trying to accomplish in the film’s combat. In many respects his fight scenes, which combined Kung fu and regular combat, were trying to do what Red Cliff was able to pull off onscreen, and again I lament just how effective these sequences could have been with a better crew to help him.
Trailers
Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon gets a mild recommendation, especially if you like this type of material. Unfortunately, there have been so many stronger examples of this subgenre lately that it hardly seems worth your time. Still, there are good performances here, and I can appreciate the effort Sammo Hung put into the film’s action. The disc itself has a good print and there are some extras to keep to occupied if you want to learn more about the film’s production.
Lionsgate presents Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon. Directed by: Daniel Lee. Starring: Andy Lau, Sammo Hung, and Maggie Q. Written by: Ho Leung Lau and Daniel Lee. Running time: 102 min. Rating: R. Released on DVD: Apr. 13, 2010. Available at Amazon.com.
