The Warring States
5 /10 1 Votes
Director Chen Jin Music director S.E.N.S. Duration Language Mandarin | 4.8/10 IMDb Genre Drama, War Screenplay Shen Jie Country China | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Release date April 12, 2011 (2011-04-12) Cast Zige Fang (Emperor of Han), Enhe Feng (Emperor of Wei), Degang Guo , Huang Haibing Similar movies A Battle of Wits (2006) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sworn brothers and military strategists (Honglei Sun, Francis Ng) are at odds over a woman.
Contents
The Warring States is a 2011 Chinese film directed by Chen Jin. The story takes place during the Warring States period, but is only very loosely based on the actual history. The plot focuses on the rivalry between military generals Pang Juan and Sun Bin, both disciples of Guiguzi.
The film has the leaders of the Qi and Wei states playing a complicated and bloody game of military chess sometime between 476 and 221 B.C. Caught in the middle is Sun Bin, who has supposedly been taught everything there is to know about war by the mythical strategist Sun Wu.
Cast
Production
Production for The Warring States began in March 2010.
Critical reception
The Warring States has been described as "sweeping" and "melodramatic". It has received mixed reviews from critics, with Rotten Tomatoes giving the movie a 40% rating (with an average score of 5.9/10), based on reviews from 5 critics.
Mike Hale of The New York Times found it difficult to follow the "compressed, chaotic narrative" without a "familiarity with the byzantine history of China". Hale noted that the film included "huge numbers of arrows, soldiers, dead bodies and palace steps".
Robert Abele of the Los Angeles Times described the film as "mildly confusing" and "unremarkable" overall, though he praised the "nifty fight sequences, clever bits of wartime subterfuge, scenic outdoor photography and Hongleis quirky charm".
Similarly, Brent Simon of Screen International said the "historical epic" displayed "impressive costume design and much natural scenic beauty", but called it not "particularly persuasive or enrapturing".
Nick Schager of The Village Voice described the films opening as "invigorating", but overall "tedious" and "a morass of melodramatic romance, torture, and suicide". Schager praised Sun Hongleis performance as the "films only truly epic element".
Avi Offer of NYC Movie Guru gave The Warring States a very positive review. Offer praised the "thrilling war film" for its "exhilarating action sequences", "compelling dramatic scenes", and "exquisite set design, cinematography, musical score and costume design".
Similar Movies
A Battle of Wits (2006). Hero (2002). Sun Honglei appears in The Warring States and Forever Enthralled. The Emperor and the Assassin (1998). City of Life and Death (2009).
Box office
The Warring States earned $11.8 million worldwide. After six days of release, the film reached first place in Chinas box office chart.
References
The Warring States WikipediaThe Warring States IMDb The Warring States themoviedb.org