Movie Synopsis
During the 16th century, Japanese pirates proliferate along the Chinese coastline. In 1557, the pirates take over Cengang in Zhejiang. After months of futile advances, Commander Yu (Sammo Hung) finally defeats them under the leadership of newly promoted General Qi (Vincent Zhao). The pirates, however, manage to escape.
No sooner has Qi identified the key weakness of the Chinese army than he starts remapping the coastal regions to eradicate the pirates. When he finds the villagers of Yiwu loyal and courageous, he drafts them into his own army which soon becomes a formidable force against the pirates, with tactics developed specifically against them. In 1561, the pirates regroup and once again attack the coastal cities of China. With both the cities of Xinhe and Taizhou under attack, Qi's army is caught between two fires.
Even though most family members of his soldiers are located in Xinhe, Qi makes the tough decision to go to Taizhou and leaves his wife in charge of the fight against the pirates in Xinhe, knowing that the defeat of the pirates’ elite team in Taizhou will
bring long lasting peace to the coastal cities.
But one month into the battle of Taizhou, there is still no clear winner and loser....
It is no secret that movie-goers generally have a lower expectation when it comes to Chinese movies. Sometimes it is bad acting, sometimes it is over exaggeration and at times bad CGI! However when I knew Sammo Hung is acting in this movie, it did up my expectations a little but I was still pleasantly surprised that the show was pretty decent, and the flow of the storyline and the battle strategies kept me engaged.
I initially thought that Sammo Hung (Yu Dayou) was the lead since he appeared in the center of the publicity poster but it ended that he was merely supporting the younger casts, who included his own son Jimmy Hung as well. Was really hoping for more fight scenes from the real lead Vincent Zhao (Qi Jiguang) and Sammo Hung against the enemies, but I guess we will have to make do with the one pole fight between the two.
As with most, if not, all war movies, emotions did run high at many points in the movie. I felt it especially at the scene when the men had to say goodbye to their families when they made their way to the battle ground and not knowing if they will make it back alive. I wonder why it is NC16, as I thought that the fight scenes were quite subdued and not as gory as I would have expected. Some cartoons shown on TV depicted worst. In any case, it is worth watching with your loved ones for sure!
Thank you having us over Clover Films!
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