Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale I

An excellent movie: historical, good action, realistic, in the beautiful nature of the Republic of China, where one learns the raw violence of the eastern races, greater than that of the West.

then try to watch this 'Warriors of The Rainbow', and tell me if you could spot the similarities of these two movies. The invasion of the British soldiers to north America vs the Japanese soldiers invaded Taiwan; then there's a great fighter among the Mohicans warriors on par with a ferocious fighter among the Taiwanese aboriginal tribes; then again, the Mohicans got feudal sworn enemy of another tribe to the similar feud of two Taiwanese aboriginal tribes....Then when i watched this movie, i suddenly realized that the whole picture is more like when the American forces invaded Iraq, there were tribes to become the collaborators helping Americans and using them to help killed their own feudal enemies... But this is the first time that I felt this movie was a very mature production since I never found anything like it out of Taiwan. Because usually, all movies from Taiwan, the dialogs were disgustingly embarrassing feminine, males whining like females. Yet this movie is absolutely masculine and this is first time that I felt the male population in Taiwan sounded and acted more like man, not just whiners. Furthermore, this is also the first time that I consider this movie is at a higher international level with great acting, directing and cinematographic achievement. And this is very rare to me and totally win my respect back to the Taiwanese movie industry. Salute!

I agree too. I did some wiki research when I first learn about this film and it is really helpful to get a fuller sense of the theme given a basic historical context. Disclaimer: I have seen the first part only (the second part is in theaters today in HK).

Similar to previous comment, this movie reminds me of the situation in Tibet right now. How the "Han-ization" is happening when the culture and religion in Tibet is slowing disappearing. What would I do if I were one of the young men in the tribes in the movie?

And is this that much different to the change happening to our very own culture (both Eastern and Western) in the face of globalization and extreme consumerism? This is how much the film has provoked me into contemplating.

Also with all the head chopping and fighting scenes the director has successfully illustrates the values and beliefs of life of the tribes without a taint of violence. Yes it's bloody but not violent. Wonder how that is possible right? (This is refreshing in the midst of our media culture on big screens and on TV).

I would not use the word entertaining for this movie but nonetheless it is not as serious/"boring" as the topic and plot might sound. And 144 minutes just flew by without my notice and my 60+ years old parents were actually hoping to watch the second half right after the first.

Definitely a not-to-miss for this year!

well, for whom doesn't have time to read my full review, let's say that if you loved both LAST OF THE MOHICANS and APOCALYPTO,then i'm pretty sure you will love this movie. This is a great movie about war strategy, tribes, honor,hope.Off course there is a plenty scene of blood because it is war, but the bloody effect is not so over than Spartacus TV series. Points of view of several scene are great, many aerial, of camera-handed run... No doubt, it is a modern war movie. if you got boring during Narnia or Lord of Rings, then you will get what you want here. There is mass-fighting scene, uncut real fight, very captivating. i did not give the max evaluation because women in the movie, are very 'platonic', linear role and 'too much respected' (which was not during a real war). I guess the director wanted to keep a part of his audience (and not sexual scene either of course).

I walked out of the cinema with both surprise and worry. I'm worried because maybe this is not a very good film, especially not a good "commercial film" to make both ends meet, but I'm really glad to see that Te-Sheng Wei can still insist on his idea even in such a big production.

Before going to the theater, my first concern was whether it would become a stereotypical nationalism or humanism film, because The Wushe Incident had been represented so many times in our history class in Taiwan that it seemed to be too difficult to make this film without compromising on political correctness, but Te-Sheng Wei made it！

Sàidékè balái presented a mass of killing and death, not in a humanism or Han Chinese Nationalism way, but from the aspect of the Seediq. I have heard people arguing if it is necessary to have so much violence in this film, but I have to say that the value of peace or anti-war is the main stream nowadays but not so to the traditional Seediq that time. Therefore, I think the director is not a moral relativist, he just chose not to judge the past with today's value, and resisted the mainstream that drowned the voice of the minority.

It impressed me that there was little Chinese or Taiwanese through out this film. Instead, the film is composed of Seediq language and Japanese. We should cherish it that 80 years after the The Wushe Incident, we can finally see a film which represents historical event not based on the authority opinion but on people who didn't lead the history, i.e. the native.