Orla Zuniga It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

Brennan Camacho Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

Fulke Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

ebiros2 A partial tale of perhaps the most famous warrior in Chinese history, Guan Yu.To me, Donnie Yen was a miscast as Guan Yu. He just doesn't have the physical appearance that you'd expect Guan Yu to be (which he had in abundance when he played Yip Man). But there is no one, I mean no one in current Chinese movie actors inventory who can pull this role off. Other movies that portrays the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, cleverly avoids putting any of the monstrously powerful warriors from this story on screen (or relegates them to relatively insignificant role in the story that don't require them to showcase their terrific might). Maybe if they can find equivalent of Chris Hemsworth when they made the movie "Thor", movies portraying the heroes of this story will succeed.The movie just didn't have it. It lacked the juice that story of Guan Yu has in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. His enemies were all pathetic shrimps too. There was no big battle scenes where Guan Yu would dispatch the most ferocious warriors the enemy can call to bear on him. Supporting characters, lacked the flare that the characters in the original story has. Also, why the movie chose this particular segment of Guan Yu's career to be put on screen is a mystery. It was one of the flattest part of his story.Maybe it'll take a CG to produce a character that would even remotely resemble Guan Yu, and the other heroes of this story. A dud, and just doesn't do any justice to the magnificent lore of Guan Yu.

Smiling_slinky I really cannot praise it enough. It is probably the best Chinese film I have seen in years, and easily one of the best period films I have seen. Of Donnie's recent films, I really cannot find a comparison, this is truly stellar. Wen Jiang is so amazingly charismatic as Cao Cao. I couldn't help but be engaged whenever he was on screen, he is probably my current favorite actor, including Hollywood. He may be the best actor in the World currently. Betty Sun is very enjoyable in her role, and added another level of depth to the story.From the opening, I knew I was in for something special. The soundtrack, the cinematography, the acting, just excellent.In short, if you enjoy Asian Cinema to any degree, this film will be nothing but a delight.

Eternality The Lost Bladesman may be marketed as an epic Chinese martial arts blockbuster with Donnie Yen (Ip Man (2008); Ip Man 2 (2010)) heading the cast as well as taking on the role of action choreographer, but there is nothing epic about it, that is if one is talking about the narrative scope of the film. Directed and written by Felix Chong and Alan Mak, the duo that was responsible for the success of the Infernal Affairs trilogy (2002, 2003, 2003), The Lost Bladesman may attract action fans on the basis of their perceived prediction of enjoying a spectacle of dazzling swordfights and quick fistfights. Action fans will not leave disappointed because there are scenes that pit Yen against a horde of sword-wielding aggressors, just as there are scenes of him fighting a fast-and-furious one-on-one battle with a persistent enemy. In one action sequence, the directors are smart to conceal the action behind closed doors. We can't see what the hell is happening, but we know it's hell inside because the whishing sounds of blades slicing through the air are accompanied by loud cries and helpless yells. Someone's head then crashes through the door, leaving a hole in which the camera slowly moves towards. As the camera peeks into that hole, we see a last man standing. That man, of course, is Yen who plays Guan Yu, a famous character in the popular Chinese novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, who is a sworn brother of Liu Bei. Liu Bei has insignificant screen time here as the focus is on Guan Yu and his relationship with Qi Lan (Betty Sun), whom he likes and seeks to protect, and with Cao Cao (Jiang Wen), the evil tyrant who is the power behind China's emperor. The Lost Bladesman is not only a more intimate portrayal of Guan Yu, but it also takes a more revisionist approach to developing his character, with a number of scenes depicting his psychological state. Yen's acting fits Guan Yu's dogged determination and resoluteness in the face of life-and-death situations, though in comparison to Jiang Wen's excellent performance, it remains weak. The Lost Bladesman does not reach the dramatic heights of John Woo's Red Cliff (2008, 2009), but it offers a refreshing way to characterize (and not caricaturize) heroes. After all, no matter how fictionalized or mythical these characters now are, they were once flawed humans battling their inner demons and conflicting desires. The Lost Bladesman is not a must-watch, though it will certainly appease action fans, and give others some food for thought. GRADE: B- (7/10 or 3 stars)

Harry T. Yung Historic romances under the pen of a polished novelist have an almost irresistible appeal to a certain segment of readers. When the written material is in turn adapted to the screen, it again has the potential of immense popularity. "Ivanhoe" (1952) is a case in point.GUAN Yun-chang is arguably the number one icon in China's historic heroic figures. One local columnist has pointed out that this hero is worshipped with equal fervour by both law enforcers and the criminal underworld today. With a chuckle, he further wonders aloud to himself that when there is direct confrontation between the two, whose prayers will be heard.While the novelist's depiction of GUAN in "The three kingdoms" may not be authoritative material for the scholar, it is deeply ingrained in the mass as if it were divine truth. Chong and Mak's liberal re-imagining of this and other historic figures is therefore rather gutsy as it may have traditionalist grinding their teeth. Based loosely on the set of events (popularized by the novel) generally referred to as "Clearing the 5 passes; killing the 6 warriors", the movie plot is a liberal mix of historic facts, novel-popularised heroism and the directors' lively re-imagining. It should appeal to the mass audience in general.While not particularly brilliant in any way, this movie scores above average in all the subjects on the report card. The action sequences are good and should satisfy those looking for them. The character depictions may upset hard-core fans of the novel but are generally sensible and at times even inspired. The dialogue is clever if not truly intelligent. JIANG Wen, one of the best actors in China today, adds depth to Cao Cao, whose name is almost synonymous with "vastly ambitious villain" in the Chinese language. He is a joy to watch. Donny Yen who never disappoints in the action department has recently demonstrated that he can also act. In this movie, we see him face a new challenge of carrying, as said, the number one icon in China's historical figures. He has done a decent job but what he portrays is not quite what a lot of people visualize GUAN Yun-chang to be, from the first time they hear about this hero, most assuredly when they were small kids, from their parents. But then a coin has two sides. This depiction makes the movie more interesting than following the novel's simple template.