Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this pageThe Valiant Ones (1974)
Director: King Hu
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
It comes as no surprise that a movie which reunites the director/writer and the three stars of A Touch of Zen should offer so many hitherto untasted pleasures. The Valiant Ones delivers riches aplenty as an exemplary piece of Ming Dynasty Chinese historiography, and at the same time as a daringly innovative action adventure story, quite different in its tone and visual style from the pyrotechnics that characterised A Touch of Zen. An enfeebled emperor appoints a loyal official to tackle the problem of Sino-Japanese pirate bands who are pillaging the south coast of China; the official assembles a team of peasants and intellectuals, and plans a war of strategies, not confrontations. Plot developments, however, occur between scenes rather than in them. The film dreams a series of martial set pieces, with increasingly abstract action once again derived from the Peking Opera tradition. The glittering images include a chess game that suddenly becomes a battle plan, a silent woman with heightened sight and hearing, and a rumbustious zen archer.Author: TR
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Has David Cronenberg turned tame?
Has director David Cronenberg veered too far from his radical and bloody roots with new film 'A Dangerous Method'?
The 10 worst date movies
Just in time for Valentine's Day, we present ten of the least romantic films ever made
Where to watch this year's Oscar-nominated films
Find out where to watch 2012's Oscar-nominated films in London cinemas
10 unlikely badboy biopics
Featuring Phil Collins, Jeremy Clarkson, Nick Clegg, David Starkey and a host of other unlikely subjects
Interview: Sean Durkin on 'Martha Marcy May Marlene'
The first-time director of the brilliant new thriller discusses religious cults and robot boxing
Pop-up cinema for Valentine's Day
Side-step romantic clichés with some alternative Valentine’s viewing
What do you think?
Post your review now