The Warrior and the Wolf
Encyclopedia
The Warrior and the Wolf is an Chinese historical action film directed by veteran filmmaker Tian Zhuangzhuang
. The film tells the story of the battle between two ancient warriors. It is Tian's latest directorial effort since 2006's The Go Master
.
Filming began in fall 2008 in China's northwest Xinjiang
Autonomous Region. The film is expected to be released in late 2009.
The Warrior and the Wolf is being co-produced by companies from Hong Kong (Edko Films), Singapore (MediaCorp Raintree Pictures
) and China (Perfect World Culture).
Lu Shenkang is a newly recruited soldier who was a shepherd, has no courage and tries to flee the army on several occasions. Lu bonds with General Zhang and when the barbarians attack and take him hostage, Lu exchanges him with a captured tribal prince.
The wounded General Zhang returns home earlier and Lu stays in charge.
When the winter's snow arrives, he leads his men on the trip home. Due to the harsh weather they take refuge in the Harran tribe's village where Lu takes a hut and woman for himself.
Shortly before the soldiers leave the village to continue their return home, the woman tells Lu that legend says that being intimate with outsiders leads to them becoming wolves.
The army marches on and are attacked by wolves. A following sand storm kills all but Lu who returns to the village.
Years later the barbarians surrender to Imperial China and General Zhang returns to the region to deliver the court's messages.
Two of his men shoot at wolves and are found dead in the morning.
General Zhang is bitten to death by two wolves after riding out to a deserted fortification.
Magazine, 'The original story is both a heartfelt tribute to physical love as a life force and an angry condemnation of the aggressive instincts of human beings... To transport the story to ancient China, and, through the novelty of casting, to have a Japanese actor play the role of a Chinese warrior and an American Vietnamese play a Chinese widow, is not to challenge the imagination but to impoverish it.'
Tian Zhuangzhuang
Tian Zhuangzhuang is a Chinese film director and producer.Tian was born to an influential actor and actress in China. Following a short stint in the military, Tian began his artistic career first as an amateur photographer and then as an assistant cinematographer at the Beijing Agricultural Film...
. The film tells the story of the battle between two ancient warriors. It is Tian's latest directorial effort since 2006's The Go Master
The Go Master
The Go Master is a 2006 biopic by director Tian Zhuangzhuang of the renowned twentieth century Go master Wu Qingyuan, better known by his adopted Japanese name of Go Seigen...
.
Filming began in fall 2008 in China's northwest Xinjiang
Xinjiang
Xinjiang is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and spans over 1.6 million km2...
Autonomous Region. The film is expected to be released in late 2009.
The Warrior and the Wolf is being co-produced by companies from Hong Kong (Edko Films), Singapore (MediaCorp Raintree Pictures
MediaCorp Raintree Pictures
MediaCorp Raintree Pictures is a film production company based in Singapore. The company, a division of MediaCorp Group, was established in 31 March 1996. The company occasionally ties up with other film companies to produce Asian or Western films...
) and China (Perfect World Culture).
Plot
General Zhang is the commander of a northern border's army camp which repels the attacking barbarians every year. When snowfall make the support of the base with supplies impossible, the troops return home.Lu Shenkang is a newly recruited soldier who was a shepherd, has no courage and tries to flee the army on several occasions. Lu bonds with General Zhang and when the barbarians attack and take him hostage, Lu exchanges him with a captured tribal prince.
The wounded General Zhang returns home earlier and Lu stays in charge.
When the winter's snow arrives, he leads his men on the trip home. Due to the harsh weather they take refuge in the Harran tribe's village where Lu takes a hut and woman for himself.
Shortly before the soldiers leave the village to continue their return home, the woman tells Lu that legend says that being intimate with outsiders leads to them becoming wolves.
The army marches on and are attacked by wolves. A following sand storm kills all but Lu who returns to the village.
Years later the barbarians surrender to Imperial China and General Zhang returns to the region to deliver the court's messages.
Two of his men shoot at wolves and are found dead in the morning.
General Zhang is bitten to death by two wolves after riding out to a deserted fortification.
Cast
- Maggie QMaggie QMargaret Denise Quigley , professionally known as Maggie Q, is an American-born actress and former fashion model. She currently stars as the titular character on the action-thriller TV series Nikita.-Early life:...
- woman of the Harran tribe; actress Maggie Q was cast in the lead role in September 2008 as a replacement for Tang WeiTang WeiTang Wei is a Chinese actress. She rose to prominence for her appearance in Lust, Caution.-1979–2006: Early life and beginnings:...
, who was originally to take the role. Due to Tang's role in Ang LeeAng LeeAng Lee is a Taiwanese film director. Lee has directed a diverse set of films such as Eat Drink Man Woman , Sense and Sensibility , Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon , Hulk , and Brokeback Mountain , for which he won an Academy...
's sexually explicit Lust, Caution, however, she was banned from acting in mainland productions by the State Administration of Radio, Film, and TelevisionState Administration of Radio, Film, and TelevisionThe State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television is an executive branch under the State Council of the People's Republic of China...
. - Tou Chung-hua - General Zhang
- Joe OdagiriJoe Odagiri, born is a Japanese actor.-Career:Commonly known just as Odajō, and also known for his unusual hairstyle and eclectic style of dressing, he is the epitome of Cool Japan...
- Lu, a soldier who was a shepherd
Reception
Critical reception was generally poor. Perry Lam writes in MuseMuse (Hong Kong Magazine)
Muse is a bilingual Hong Kong-based multimedia publisher specializing in content related to Hong Kong's art and culture scene.. Until December 2010, Muse published an award-winning monthly arts and culture magazine...
Magazine, 'The original story is both a heartfelt tribute to physical love as a life force and an angry condemnation of the aggressive instincts of human beings... To transport the story to ancient China, and, through the novelty of casting, to have a Japanese actor play the role of a Chinese warrior and an American Vietnamese play a Chinese widow, is not to challenge the imagination but to impoverish it.'
External links
- The Warrior and the Wolf from the Chinese Movie Database