The Warlords (2007) - Review by Hayden Kelly

History of the film: The Warlords

The Warlords serves as director Peter Chan’s homage to the Qing dynasty. The cast serves to bring to life a violent historic and political drama set during the Taiping rebellion of the 1860s. At first the main characters start off with nothing, but slowly gain influence with Qing nobles to serve as the leading force against the Taiping rebels. Once established as loyalists to the Qing dynasty the movie focuses the remainder of its run time to the recapture of key cities Suzhou and Nanjing under Taiping control. The battle of Suzhou remains the heart of the military conflict within the film. I will keep spoilers light; however, the siege of Suzhou is where viewers will begin to see an even darker shift in tone. Afterall, casualties pile rapidly for both the loyalists and rebels. Furthermore, since the film does such a great job expressing the moral grey of war, and that each character has their own motivations it gets difficult to predict what will happen next. Nanjing switches tone to a political atmosphere very similar to blood feuds that have been discussed throughout course. Nanjing sees little if any combat on screen and instead focuses on an epilogue with a not so happy ending. As main characters begin to betray one another.

Historical analysis of the film:

Many elements of the Qing Dynasties history are portrayed effectively within the film. The setting, character casting, clothing, weapons, and motivations/measures to help counter serious issues people faced back then all carry with them historical accuracy. In regard to helping advance the progression of the war the writers use poverty and hunger as a plot point. While this may not sound like much, we must remember that common issues among a variety of Chinese dynasties we have examined were warring states and a lack of food to go around. While it may seem rather simple expressing the idea that most of the citizens live impoverished lives, it helps create the idea that the Qing dynasty often drove many people to acts of desperation. However, while The Warlords captures the scope, tactics, and unforgiving nature of war during its time period some elements are certainly inaccurate. For starters, the three main characters abilities in combat far exceed anything possible that normal soldiers can achieve. Serving as ridiculously overpowered troops that can get out of any situation until the plot calls for it. Another element of the film that shows evidence of historical inaccuracy is the power that one soldier has towards decision making. The lead character Qing-Yun is appointed the rank of general by the time Suzhou serves as the primary focus, and its here he makes a brutal choice In dealing with surrendering Taiping rebels based on his authority alone. While his choice makes a great scene within the context of the film his orders would not have been carried out so rashly in reality. In fact, higher political authority such as a governor was required when deciding what to do with POW’s. Overall, The Warlords builds a world that I would argue is accurate to the harsh lives of Qing Dynasty citizens but goes a bit overboard to shock viewers during action sequences which can damage its representation of historical authenticity.

Sources: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0913968/

William T. Rowe, “Violence in Ming-Qing China: An Overview” Crime, History & Societies 18, no. 2 (2014): 85-98.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itXolUIhWNs