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THE WARLORDS (2010)Movie Reviews
Mandarin language war drama set during the Taiping Rebellion in 1860s China about three blood brothers and the rifts that threaten their bond. Cast:Jet Li, Andy Lau, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Jinglei XuDirector:Peter ChanRelease Date:April 2, 2010DVD Release:June 29, 2010From:Magnet ReleasingRating:RLength:2 hr. 6 min.
The Warlords (2010) played in key cities to good reviews. • Tom Long wrote in the Detroit News, "...juggles political intrigue, bloody battlefield acrobatics and operatic tragedies even the Greeks would be hard pressed to imagine.... it does so with both flair and passion." • And Brett Michel wrote in the Boston Phoenix, "...a handsomely mounted historical epic." More Reviews Below...
The Warlords (2010) Positive Reviews (17 Reviews, reviews below)
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (6 Reviews)
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times: VERY GOOD "Epic in scope... heaves with spectacular battles and the relentless sway of self-interest over conscience. Peter Ho-Sun Chan directs with imagination..."(See all of Jeannette Catsoulis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 350 words, 04/02/10
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Peter Chan's military drama is impressive, though this sometimes-rousing depiction of strategy and loyalty in mid-1800s China pales next to recent, similar historical epics..."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 125 words, 04/02/10
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...a sweeping saga... Like the best war movies do, director Peter Ho-Sun Chan has woven together an intimate story of men against a backdrop of history writ large."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 733 words, 04/02/10
V.A. Musetto, New York Post: WEAK(cg) "Is nothing sacred?... Jet Li, the hunky action hero, cries -- no, make that sobs -- several times. What will his legion of young male fans think?"(See all of V.A. Musetto's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 297 words, 04/02/10
Rob Nelson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: VERY GOOD "...highly watchable mega-production comes complete with God's-eye surveys of mass carnage, the moist sounds of sword-skewering, and little or no discernible CGI."(See all of Rob Nelson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 215 words, 03/31/10
KEY CITIES (6 Reviews)
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: MODERATE(cg) "...in battle, terrible things must sometimes be done in the name of a greater good. War is hell, in other words. Except that in 'The Warlords,' war is heaven."(See all of Michael O'Sullivan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 498 words, 04/09/10
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: VERY GOOD(cg) "...ultimately, it tries to speak to the futility of war - but it does so by staging one gargantuan dustup after another."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 256 words, 04/16/10
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Jackie Chan could take a few lessons from Jet Li about aging gracefully out of action-superstar status.... Li carries the film not with brawling but with acting."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 310 words, 04/30/10
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...an old Chinese war epic but with a difference.... in a nifty change of pace, the warriors in 'The Warlords' are interesting."(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 470 words, 04/09/10
Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "Fans of this film will some day wear out their DVDs and Blu-rays playing that fantastic battle scene again and again.... worth viewing at least once in its entirety."(See all of Peter Hartlaub's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 442 words, 04/09/10
Tom Long, Detroit News: VERY GOOD(cg) "...juggles political intrigue, bloody battlefield acrobatics and operatic tragedies even the Greeks would be hard pressed to imagine.... it does so with both flair and passion."(See all of Tom Long's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 456 words, 07/02/10
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (4 Reviews)
Rob Nelson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: VERY GOOD "...highly watchable mega-production comes complete with God's-eye surveys of mass carnage, the moist sounds of sword-skewering, and little or no discernible CGI."(See all of Rob Nelson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 215 words, 03/31/10
Brett Michel, Boston Phoenix: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a handsomely mounted historical epic. The action scenes are good (Chan began his career as an assistant director to John Woo)..."(See all of Brett Michel's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 151 words, 04/08/10
Noel Murray, AV Club: VERY GOOD(cg) "...never hard to follow... everyone's goals and motivations remain crystal clear. As for the battle sequences, they're suitably intense..."(See all of Noel Murray's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 338 words, 04/01/10
HIGHBROW PRESS (2 Reviews)
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times: VERY GOOD "Epic in scope... heaves with spectacular battles and the relentless sway of self-interest over conscience. Peter Ho-Sun Chan directs with imagination..."(See all of Jeannette Catsoulis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 350 words, 04/02/10
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...a sweeping saga... Like the best war movies do, director Peter Ho-Sun Chan has woven together an intimate story of men against a backdrop of history writ large."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 733 words, 04/02/10
Maggie Lee, Hollywood Reporter: OUTSTANDING "...no-expense-spared battle scenes achieve a brutal majesty, refined by intricately plotted military strategies and Machiavellian statecraft."(See all of Maggie Lee's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 601 words, 04/17/08
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...a sweeping saga... Like the best war movies do, director Peter Ho-Sun Chan has woven together an intimate story of men against a backdrop of history writ large."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 733 words, 04/02/10
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times: VERY GOOD "Epic in scope... heaves with spectacular battles and the relentless sway of self-interest over conscience. Peter Ho-Sun Chan directs with imagination..."(See all of Jeannette Catsoulis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 350 words, 04/02/10
14.2 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
The Warlords (2010)'s reviews are separated by an average 14.2 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
The Warlords (2010) (17 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:The Warlords (2010)'s reviews cover 21.9% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 7,016 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 413 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 29 Days Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
The Warlords (2010)'s reviews on average broke 29 days before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is The Warlords (2010)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
The Warlords (2010) (17 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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