An interesting look at the life of someone everybody thinks they know, but , in fact, know very little about. In and around 500BC, in a small kingdom within China, lived a man whose teachings and philosophy have underpinned Chinese thoughts for millenia - well, that's what they say, but Mao must have forgotten to read it, or subverted the bits about dictators and oppressors! There is action in the first half, but the second half drags as the hero wanders around China in exile - presumably most Chinese would be aware of the stories and events depicted, but they do not grab the audience particularly. Chow Yun Fat acts tremendously well, but is hamstrung by the saintliness of the depiction. In fact, much of the film reminded me of a cross between 'El Cid' and 'King of Kings' as a man battles with his beliefs in a time of great strife and trouble. Certainly it portrays a lot of Christian teaching without the deification element in Western culture. But we do not learn really enough about why he became so influential, and why his teaching was so radical. Guess I'll have to look on Wikipedia!
Confucius
(2010)
Interesting but not a lot of teachings of Confucius
29 April 2011
Warning: Spoilers