Well Go continues to bring Asian films to the U.S. with some amazing offerings. For the majority of people out there films from China and Japan bring back memories of scratched and faded copies of old kung fu films or giant man-in-suit monster movies. But the history of film in Asia consist of far more than that. And the quality of films being made there rivals those being made in the U.S.
Case in point THE EMPEROR’S SWORD. The story opens with war in China and one emperor winning over all. To do so he possessed a special sword. It was considered so powerful that it was determined to divide the sword into two halves to insure peace would last, one half staying with the emperor and the other with General Meng. With the two halves separate it was felt that no one could usurp those now ruling.
As with most plans of this nature it only lasts for a decade. The emperor dies and a member of his staff has the rest of his family killed, then sending his men out to recover the second sword from General Meng. Mend and his family are killed but not before his daughter escapes with the sword before it can be captured. She then heads out to seek the aid of the General’s staff from a decade earlier in the hope that they can help protect the sword and defeat those who would use its power for personal gain.
But these warriors have grown old in the past decade. Some of them no longer have the will to fight once more. Some begrudgingly do so. And a lone young archer takes it upon himself to help in the battle for the young daughter. Not all will survive and the sword might be lost to this new hopeful ruler. But no one will allow honor to be ignored nor the fight for what it right to continue.
The film is a perfect example of how Asian made films have changed over the years. This film is beautiful in many aspects when it comes to the cinematography, the set designs and costuming. The colors burst from the screen and the subtle dirt poor villages look realistic. The acting is fantastic and loses nothing in translation. The fight sequences rival anything coming out of Hollywood these days.
For me the film was a hit on so many levels. Not only did it look amazing the story involving honor and tradition stand the test of time even if the number of films coming out of Asia that use this as their theme is numerous. They may not wear black and white hats but you know who the good and bad guys are here.
If you haven’t given Asian cinema a try this might be a good starting point. You may find yourself seeking out more films from Well Go. That’s a good thing. They are one of the best at this and it shows. Give this one a watch, it will be worth your time.
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