Update from 2/3/2018, February 3, 2018: Too bad I never got a chance to finish this post. Going to try to get back into this. These days, with even more limited time, I've watched a lot of Zhong Guo releases from WellGoUSA via Netflix and a gazillion Shaw Bros 1970s/1980s movies via Amazon Prime. I have fully embraced the streaming world the US created for me.
OLD POST follows:
Here's a list of movies I think you MUST SEE this year. Eligibility is based on US release dates, Non US movies will be base on the release date of their home country.
蕩宼風雲 (God of War) is an 2017 movie out of Zhong Guo. The film stars Vincent Zhao, Sammo Hung, Yasuaki Kurata, Regina Wan, and Timmy Hung. The movie is based on the historical events of General Qi Jiguang and General Yu Dayou of the mid 1500s.
The coast of Zhong Guo is being plundered by wokou pirates. The pirates are a combination of ronins and samurai from Japan who enlist the help of locals to help gain a foothold. General Yu Dayou has been unable to make headway against the pirates position. General Qi Jiguang is sent to help from the north. Qi uses a variety of trickery to defeat the pirates, including observations of their tactics and weapons. With that knowledge, Qi researches ways to gain the upper and trains a new army on how to defeat the pirates.
I liked the film a lot. It was a simple premise. Defeat the pirates. With that in mind, the General has to navigate politics, the enemy's slightly more advance weapons, and the loyalty of the army. The addition of Regina Wan's added a softness to the movie in retrospect. I caught this film via Netflix.
