We all know that martial arts movies have a tendency to not be good when it comes to story lines and acting, but every once in a while, we get a film that is both fun to watch as well as technically executed well. This is one of those films. I have read other reviews for the film and they were all rather negative and dissed the film just because of the excessive use of violence (more on that a bit later) and lack of entertainment value. Now, I'm not saying this film should be winning any Oscars, but I think it deserves more credit than it's getting.
First off, the film is a visual masterpiece. It is filmed extremely well with great camera work and lighting through out the film. It has a bit of a gritty feel to it, but not to the level that, say, Tarantino would add to a film. It's just enough to fit the edginess of the film. The use of sound is incredible! The sounds that are added to the myriad of weapons is stellar and just adds to the ambiance of the movie.
It's been a long time since we've seen a martial arts film that isn't overly saturated with CGI fighting, a la "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." While there is some of that style here, it looks as though most of the fighting sequences are true to life and are done in an amazing fashion. Definitely one of the better films involving martial arts in a long time in my opinion.
As I mentioned earlier, the film has been getting a lot of flack about the amount of violence and gore that is featured. Maybe I am desensitized to all of it, but it did not seem any worse than either of the "Kill Bill" films or even the critically acclaimed "Inglorious Basterds" from earlier this year. The violence is very "stylized" (as Hollywood likes to say) and can bit a bit much at times; meaning that it is almost silly. I don't think a person loses 3 pints of blood by being hit in the face, but then again, I'm no fighting expert.
As can be expected with a film of this ilk, the acting was anything but superb. Not the worst I've seen, but that's not why I went to see this movie. I think that had the acting been better, the film could be amazing. It just wasn't enough to pull it up to the next level.
I thought the film was quite entertaining, with awesome fighting sequences. If you are a fan of the martial arts style of film, then I believe you will like this one. Keep an open mind and know it's OK to laugh at violence every now and then, and you'll enjoy this film.
On a side note, I'd love to see what James McTeigue would/could do with the Superman franchise. After seeing this film and knowing how much I enjoyed "V for Vendetta," I say let him at it, because it would be an amazing film and could really give the franchise the kick in the butt it needs.
Grade: B
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