Reviewed by Victor Rebikoff.
Director: Yimou Zhang, Universal Pictures, M 103 Minutes.
Creative Chinese director Yimou Zhang (‘The Flowers of War’) has fashioned a cinematic spectacle with his fantastic fantasy thriller about China’s Great Wall and the wave of monstrous marauders attempting to besiege the massive structure.
Set in the 11th century William Garin (Matt Damon –‘Bourne’ franchise) and partner Pedro Tovar (Pedro Pascal – ‘Kingsman-Golden Circle’) are mercenaries heading East in search of a black powder when they’re captured by Chinese warriors belonging to the Nameless Order.
They soon find themselves brought before the feisty Chinese Commander Lin Mae (Tian Jing – ‘Kong-Skull Island’) who on seeing William’s quick-action skill as an expert archer decides to use both of them to fight against the fearsome-looking Taotie creatures.
Prior to being taken to the wall William and Pedro meet up with the prisoner Ballard (Willem Dafoe – ‘John Wick’) held captive for many years and prepared to offer them the black powder in return for their help to escape.
With the battle lines drawn against the Taotie creatures it becomes a fight for survival involving a team of warrior women in blue armour defending the wall by bungee diving and using their cutthroat weapons against the aggressors below.
After Pedro agrees to accompany Ballard in his escape William remains to assist Lin in tackling the blood-thirsty creatures in a series of stirring battle scenes, which includes a plan to target the Taotie’s queen in a final confrontation.
Zhang’s visionary directing skills are fully on display in the 2016 release of his grand scale production showing many thrilling action scenes accompanied by a succession of spectacular special effects that contributes to a visually enjoyable experience for everyone.
Damon once again delivers an impressive portrayal of his heroic character but is occasionally overshadowed by the performance of Chinese actress Jing which is mainly due to Zhang’s approach to having women outshine their male counterparts in his movies.
Considering the essential ingredients in making an entertaining epic as ‘The Great Wall’ it is one movie that most viewers should thoroughly enjoy due in part to its stirring storyline and told against the background of China’s Great Wall.
The Great Wall’ is to be televised on 9GO at 7.30pm on Friday 5 March.
Vic’s Verdict: 4 Stars
