I was fairly certain that this is an average movie. I mean the acting was OK, the sets and props were OK, but bottom line, it was one of those "everybody cries everybody dies" movies with the characteristic fast-forward feeling of a Chinese epic script that has to fit a motion picture length. However, a lot of comments here praise it as a great film.
I have but one explanation: somewhere between the bad translation, my mood and my ignorance of Chinese history I didn't quite get the idea. But still, this is my comment, therefore I will sum up my own impressions: the femme fatale wasn't even pretty, Jet Li looks old (because he is, not his fault) and one brilliant general cannot be ignorant of politics. But most of all, what was the point of the blood oath? I mean, from then on Jet Li is the elder brother and everyone else listens to him. Was that the point? Then Jet Li was a cold calculated bastard from the start.
I have but one explanation: somewhere between the bad translation, my mood and my ignorance of Chinese history I didn't quite get the idea. But still, this is my comment, therefore I will sum up my own impressions: the femme fatale wasn't even pretty, Jet Li looks old (because he is, not his fault) and one brilliant general cannot be ignorant of politics. But most of all, what was the point of the blood oath? I mean, from then on Jet Li is the elder brother and everyone else listens to him. Was that the point? Then Jet Li was a cold calculated bastard from the start.