Warriors of Heaven and Earth
Warriors of Heaven and Earth (Otherwise known as Tian di ying xiong) is a 2004 action/adventure movie from China, and is directed by He Ping. The film is in Mandarin, with English subtitles. It was made in 2003, but it was released internationally in the following year.
Unlike most films of its ilk, Tian di ying xiong borrows heavily from Hollywood, with a very clear-cut battle between good and evil.
The most notable aspect of the film is the cinematography, showing the wide range of landscapes, all of which was filmed in the Xinjiang province.
There are numerous horse-riding sequences in the film, and these were played out by trained Kazakh horsemen from the Peoples Liberation Army.
The film is set in the Gobi Desert, 700 A.D, and centers around two protagonists, the first of which is Lieutenant Li (Played by Jiang Wen) of the Chinese army, who refuses to kill women and child prisoners. His actions causes a mutiny, and he becomes a fugitive, travelling through the desert, eventually coming across a caravan which carries a relic, which is accompanied by a Buddhist monk. Li protects the caravan from Turkish bandits as well as the overlord of the region, Master An (Played by Wang Xueqi). The other protagonist, an emissary of Japan, Lai Xi (Played by Nakai Kiichi), is ordered by the emperor of China to kill Li. In a twist of fate, Lai Xi realizes that the caravan is on an Imperial mission and helps Li to defend it, and ensures that it arrives at the capital safely. They promise to fight each other only after their duty is done.
External link
- Warriors of Heaven and Earth (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0374330/) at the Internet Movie Database
Categories: 2004 films | Chinese films