jose_moscardo

It is not so bad, folks. Obviously it's not a good movie but not so terrible either. The Cambodian scenery is gorgeous and the CGI effects are fine considering the budget (in my opinion the monkeys in "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" are much worse than the giant komodo dragons, spiders and other creatures here, especially because producers of Spielberg's film spent a hundred times more money. Also we have some decent fights and a cool Bai Ling playing the role of a warrior woman (definitely this is not her best performance from far but she is still very sexy and cool).

I watched it with my sons, seven and eleven years old, and we enjoyed it. Despite its moderate violence, I think that is not a bad film for watching with your children, it has enough elements for that: exotic adventures, a touch of fantasy and a subtle message of friendship and loyalty. It is not good, I repeat, but not so bad. Italian filmmakers made a lot of movies like this in seventies and eighties (usually more violent and less familiar), some of them have become cult movies only for nostalgic reasons. "Clash of the Empires" makes me remember those films and, being honest, maybe because I miss them I don't dislike this one.

For me this movie is very close to a masterpiece. It combines different genres (horror, suspense and drama) with superb results and it is a piece of art in many senses: the magnificent work of photography and lighting, the fascinating and very solid script, the beautiful and melancholic soundtrack, the strong performances (especially from the trio of actresses), the smart and sensible film directing, and so on... However, some persons close to me (like my wife or friends) don't share my enthusiasm. Their reason is always the same: they consider that the story is too much complex and confusing. Certainly, it's not an easy one, I have watched it four times and I always discover something new, some detail that before I didn't notice. To ignore that kind of clue didn't help me to get a full understanding of this horror and sad tale. But, is this a shortcoming of the movie? Of course not!

It's just that the way of making movies has changed during last two decades and now we are very lazy as spectators. In some way this film is like a puzzle, but all the pieces fit together with an undeniable accuracy. So we can't complain if we don't get it in a first attempt. Very possibly we din't pay enough attention on the details, because this is a movie where every detail matters. From the very beginning to the very end. And this, of course, requires some intellectual effort or basic concentration. But we are lazy, folks, and we refuse to confess it. It's easier for us to say that the director failed.

Be sure that the director had his mind very clear when he made his movie. He had very clear what he wanted to express and how he wanted to express it. This film is like a Swiss clock: a perfect mechanism of technical precision. But also an unbeatable work of cinematographic art and poetry. And yes, some points will be always open to interpretations even after watching the movie one hundred times. Is that bad? I believe that is one of the virtues that makes this stuff so captivating.

I like this movie. OK, they didn't spend (or waste) a lot of money and the story is not "Gone with the wind". But inside its limits I have enjoyed it a lot. First of all, I found it very entertaining. Much more entertaining, in fact, that many Hollywood blockbusters. Second, I really think that Tony Schiena is a good actor for this kind of action stuff, this is my first time to watch him on the screen but his fine performance (cool but also human and believable) deserves my respect. I was surprised too because fighting are built into a dramatic story that makes sense for me. This is a violent film but not only a film about violence, I found more topics in it: friendship, honor, loyalty, family. If I can complain about something, it is only Bai Ling's waste performance. This actress deserves something better than appear only some minutes with a few lines of dialog. Watch "Red corner" or "The beautiful country" and you will understand what I am talking about.