Warriors of Heaven and Earth

views updated

Warriors of Heaven and Earth ★★½ Tian di ying xiong 2003 (R)

Grand epic Chinese western has two men of honor face off against one another in frontier Asia circa 700 A.D., but soon join forces to protect an ancient relic and its bearer from marauding bandits. Beautifully filmed and rousing adventure that is frequently confusing and corny, but always a terrific ride. Particularly fun is Wang Xueqi as a flamboyant villain who looks strangely like Harvey Keitel's Sport in “Taxi Driver.” 114m/C DVD, Blu-ray Disc . CH Jiang Wen, Kiichi Nakai, Wang Xueqi, Harrison Liu, Zhao Wei, Hasi Bagen, He Tao, Zhou Yun, Zhou Yun; D: He Ping; W: He Ping, Zhang Rui; C: Fei Zhao; M: A.R. Rahman.