"Wow, just Wow!" (Me)
So if you were not aware Chinese production studios in association with Ali Baba, made a movie about exiled general Jackie Chan during the Han dynasty. -Nothing strange there- But then decided Jackie needed to join forces with exiled Roman general John Cusack on the Silkroad in defiance of evil Roman Consul Adrien Brody. -Wow! That is a new one. Romans, Kung Fu, Horses, Latin, Uyghur, Spears, Swords, Politics, and Intrigue, oh my! Needless to say, I went into this with the lowest of expectations.
To my credit, much of what I thought would be true, was. Dragon Blade is ridiculous, ill conceived, weirdly Orientalist, outlandish, lacking in understandable plot, and full of laughable acting; in particular, Adrien Brody. Dragon Blade was also language wise confusing, but that has as much to do with my lack of understanding of Mandarin, Latin, Uyghur, as it does with intended audience, translation, and writing. I think the primary audience for this film was Chinese males, but a large part of the movie takes place in English; simple beginner English. As a language fan, I encourage multi-lingual movies and hope that many Chinese fans of Dragon Blade take up English or Uyghur, but in terms of film strategy Dragon Blade was difficult to understand. Why did the clearly Chinese university students with the cool laser technology in present day speak English to each other in China? I was confused by that. Oh, and Jackie Chan may have had as many as 3 wives and no sisters or 3 sisters and no wives, or possibly an incestuous combination of the the 2. It was unclear. I chalk that up to a misunderstanding of language.
To Dragon Blade's credit, some of it works. I liked the songs. The one in Latin was pretty. Jackie Chan has a nice voice for a rousing multi-ethnic work song. The final battle between Jackie and Adrien is a totally passable final fight. John Cusack plays a tortured and beaten up Roman general way better than a healthy Roman general, and the different fighting styles of the 36 silk road nations, the Romans, and the Han Chinese were distinct, obvious, and color-coded. This was super useful for the audience.
On a final point, I think Dragon Blade highlights my own Euro or America-centricism. I have to respect that Dragon Blade may be the greatest movie and that lots of Chinese movie aficionados found it compelling and iconic. At the moment, I am having trouble detaching myself from my past and culture, but for now I am at least open to the fact that I know next to nothing about Chinese cinema and its perspective. I would welcome feedback to learn more.
On a scale of X to XXL I give Dragon Blade, 2.2 out of 5 stars.
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