The Promise (無極, Wuji)
Jang Dong-Kun, Hiroyuki Sanada, Cecilia Cheung, Nicholas Tse, Liu Ye
Dir: Chen Kaige – China – 2005
For the official Chinese entry into the Oscars, there is a tremendous disappointment in that this film really didn’t live up to its billing.
Kunlun (Jang Don-Kung) is a slave who is taken in by the powerful General Guangming (Hiroyuki Sanada) after Kunlun helps him win a major battle. Meanwhile, Guangming is sent to save the king and his princess, Qingcheng (Cecilia Cheung) from the clasps of Wuhuan (Nic Tse). As he is hurt, he sends Kunlun in his place, who unfortunately kills the king and rescues the princess. But all three men have fallen for her and will fight for her, yet she is cursed with knowing whoever loves her will die.
This was, at the time, the most expensive Chinese film ever made, and it’s no wonder, given the amount of special effects and computer graphics used in the film, which is clearly the selling point of the film. But the superlatives stop there. For a film released in 2005, the special effects are heavily disappointing. They barely match the quality of films made a long time ago (I don’t think it even manages to equal even The Stormriders, made in 1998) and certainly has the production quality of an FMV in a video game a decade ago and not a high definition feature. In many places the visual sequences are clunky and the editing is poor. Which is a real shame, because a lot of effort has been put into creativity in the camera angles and the set.
As for the script, it isn’t particularly spectacular, although not atypical from a lot of fantasy films and novels in China. However, there is very little depth in the plot and there could have been a lot more.
I feel very sorry for the actors. Ultimately, I think they all gave a very good performance. Cecilia Cheung has once again demonstrated that she is a more versatile actor than we previously knew in this role and her recent films, One Nite In Mongkok and Lost In Time.
Nic Tse is believable as the villain and Jang and Sanada give some credible performances.
But the production outputs completely let the film down. Some of the effects fit in very well with Stephen Chow’s Kung Fu Hustle (running in fields, etc), but ultimately for a film looking for serious credibility as a drama like this one, this is film was a major disappointment.
One that could have been. 4/10
Links:
Official Site (China)
Buy this film at YesAsia
IMDb Entry