Actor : Li, Jet Lau, Tak Wah Andy Takeshi
Kaneshiro Xu, Jing Lei
Director : Chan, Ho San Peter
演員: 李連杰 劉德華 金城武 徐靜蕾
導演: 陳可辛
China in the mid-19th century: the suffering of
430 million Chinese under the corrupt rule of the Qing dynasty set the
stage for the Taiping Rebellion. During the chaos of the decade long
civil war, 50 million people died in battle or from starvation...
In the autumn of 1870, General Pang (played by Jet Li) stands high atop
the city walls attired in official governor's robes. Peering down upon
the site of his inauguration, he is filled with ambition and dreams.
Pang has taken a path of no return; had he chosen differently, he might
have been one of the heroes to later overthrow the corrupt Qing imperial
regime and establish a new China. He could have changed the course of
history....
But two bandits and a woman are responsible for changing the course of
his life - they help him achieven his goals, but will ultimately be the
cause of his demise. The two bandits are his sworn blood brothers: Zhao
Er-Hu (played by Andy Lau) and Jiang Wu-Yang (played by Takeshi
Kaneshiro). The woman who comes between them is Zhao's wife Lian (played
by Xu Jingle). A born leader, Zhao Er-Hu is a man of honor. To ensure
the survival of his village during the war, he leads a band of marauding
bandits. They raid other impoverished villages, but leave theri victims
with enough to sustain themselves. Zhao maintains a code of honor,
displaying compassion for the poor. Sharing the spoils with his
villagers, he has earned their loyalty and respect. The two loves of his
life are his wife Lian, and his little brother Jiang Wu-Yang who he
adopted when Jiang was orphaned at the age 13.
Jiang Wu-Yang is a charismatic outlaw, a cold-blooded killer filled with
romantic idealism. He possesses both the callousness and the innocence
of youth. He is like an animal operating on instinct but also values the
ties of brotherhood. When Pang risks his life to save him, taking an
arrow for him in a battle against the Taiping rebels, Jiang is indebted
to Pang and develops an intense attachment. He worships Pang, putting
him above all others - even Zhao the brother who adopted him.
After Qing troops pillage Zhao's village, Pang convinces Zhao and his
bandits to join the Qing army. Jiang agrees to the proposal under the
condition that Pang joins their brotherhood. With the future interests
of the village in mind, Zhao also agrees to make Pang his blood brother,
and relinquishes his role as leader and "big brother." Pang's initial
motive is to end war and restore peace to the land - to do so he must
first rise to power. With the help of Zhao, Jiang and their bandits,
Pang establishes the Shan Regiment under the Qing army to counter the
Taiping Rebels.
As his forces grow more powerful over the years so does his ambition.
Corrupted by his hunger for power, Pang soon stops at nothing to
eliminate his enemies and achieve his goal, including the massacre of
4,000 prisoners of war who Zhao vowed to protect. As a result, the
brotherhood collapses. Zhao severs his ties with Pang while Jiang
remains devoted to Pang, and his promise of a better future. But Pang's
ruthlessness and his desire for Lian, Inevitably leads him to murder
Zhao. Poised to become governor, Pang is about to ascend the platform
for his inauguration, literally just a step away from the seat of power.
But his past betrayals, including the murder of his brother Zhao Er-Hu,
catch up with him. At his moment of glory, his life ends at the hands of
an assassin - his beloved brother Jiang.
Rating:
II -
"May be Inappropriate For Children" (Broad
rating may be roughly equal to an MPPA rating of
"PG-13" to "R". In the late 1980s
this rating splintered in two ratings: IIA and IIB) Films
rated Category II may contain mild to strong violence,
nudity that is usually not sexually oriented, explicit
language and adult situations.
