Tuesday December 11, 2007
War epic
Director Peter Chan Ho Sun talks about his foray into his first-ever war movie.
Stories by SETO KIT YAN
SEASONED international director Peter Chan Ho Sun insists The Warlords is not a wu xia pian (martial arts movie), but a tale of brotherhood and betrayal.
The historical war epic revolves around three men who swear an oath of brotherhood in blood and a woman who is the catalyst behind the unravelling of their friendship. The three lead characters in the US$40mil (RM134mil) production are played by Jet Li (as General Pang Qing Yun), Andy Lau (Zhao Er Hu) and Takeshi Kaneshiro (Jiang Wu Yang).
“I think all the ying xiong pian (heroic films) are very romanticised versions, like A Better Tomorrow. But the truth is that it is really an antithesis of that. Because it is about friendship and brotherhood; it’s what all of us wanting to be, but cannot.
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In the forefront: From left, Andy Lau, Jet Li and Takeshi Kaneshiro in a scene where they take the oath of brotherhood in The Warlords. |
Chan says the scripting for The Warlords had begun four years ago, although the movie itself took two years to make.
He was already working on the story even as he was making his critically-acclaimed romantic musical Perhaps Love (2005).
“After making so many movies about love and romance, I looked forward to making an action movie for a change.”
The movie has an anti-war message that the director wanted to convey in the battle scenes. He wanted them to be realistic, hence he dispensed with the fancy wire-acts so often seen in Chinese action movies.
“This movie has two pivotal battle scenes. The first one is the big battle which is a 13- to 14-minute sequence. I had people on foot engaging in close combat, as opposed to most Chinese period films which have people flying around the place. People were doing things that were humanly possible for a change.
“The film was taking that approach to reflect the grim reality and cruelty of war. It’s a bit like what Saving Private Ryan was trying to achieve with modern warfare.
“Here, we’re doing it with daggers, swords and axes, which is even more cruel. You have to stab the guy and look him in the eye, and probably not be able to sleep well after that. Unlike now, where you can kill someone with the pull of a trigger and they might not even see you.
“The second battle had the soldiers all in trenches, very much like All Quiet on the Western Front. It is all about the integrity ripped away from the soldiers. There’s no fighting, and they’re all just waiting to die. Everybody is just in a state of mental anguish and despair.
“That is my favourite part in the film because it is when everything unravels. The brothers turn against each other. The wife, Lian (played by Xu Jinglei) comes to the battleground to see Pang, but Zhao thinks she’s there to see him.
“And, Pang has gone off to make, probably, the worst deal in his life with his arch-nemesis. And, Zhao climbs over the fortress wall to negotiate with the opposing forces. So, that is actually the climax of the movie.”
Chan was inspired by Ci Ma (The Blood Brothers) (1973) directed by the late Chang Cheh, of One-Armed Swordsman fame.
Chinese action hero Li perfectly fleshes out the lead character, General Pang.
“Jet agreed to come aboard after reading the script. He is a man who has been through a lot in life and he is a very experienced actor. Therefore, in playing this complicated character, he knows about the man’s internal complexities more than anyone else.”
Hong Kong star Lau portrays bandit leader Zhao Er Hu.
“I was watching TV at home with Andy one day and we were discussing director Chang Cheh’s movies. Both of us agreed said that our favourite production of his was Ci Ma. Andy said he actually modelled his character after Samo Hung, except he’s not as big all round or as loud.”
Taiwanese-Japanese heartthrob Takeshi Kaneshiro plays the charismatic outlaw Jiang.
“Although he plays a cold-blooded killer, Takeshi projects the innocence it takes. It took me almost two months to persuade him to accept the role and work with two major stars.”
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