Fighting for the Motherland

Out of nowhere, a historical big movie from China came out and it's surprisingly solid. I didn't really believe in it. The director is a newcomer, there aren’t any well-known actors, and China releases 50 similarly-tuned films a year, but you have to admit this one is a decent job. The story is set in the 12th century with a classic dynastic struggle between emperors, but the film focuses more on a young hero who rises up against the emperor with a few villagers. The plot didn’t blow me away much, it's the kind of historical film that will please history fans. On the other hand the spectacular visuals are a delight, the money really goes to show, and when it came to the battles they were both bloody and superbly shot. The main character runs in there almost alone against everyone and his fighting skills are superb. So the visuals, the costumes and the action are all very good, the downside is the slightly unbalanced pacing, where the film has a few deaf passages, but once they start fighting it's all forgiven. 7/10. (03/06/2021)