Customer Reviews

The Promise

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Being a big a fan of Asian cinema I had read quite a few negative to luke warm reviews of this film and thought I would give it a try.

The Story is not as bad as I was led to believe. I will not go into the story description as it has been covered. It is full of the virtues that I like so much in Asian films. Honor, sacrafice, and death.

The DVD I watched was the shorter version. It includes the deleted scenes which I watched and do not feel they added or subtracted a whole lot from the story. The fact that the Asian release included them makes me wonder why they were cut out. The bothersome issue with this DVD is the film defaults to the awful english over dubs. You have to manually go into the menu and choose Chinese (Mandarin), and then designate english sub titles.

I love Crouching Tiger, Hero and House of Flying Daggers. This movie is none of those. While it has some beautiful moments it does seem 'synthethic'. If it were the directors intent to create an abstract feel he suceeded.

The CGI is deplorable. I have no problem with the fantasy aspect but this looked almost animated. Maybe Lord of the Rings ruined it for all but if this was supposed to be the most expensive movie ever made in China they could have done better. An example: the over view of the palace is a model. Absolutely obvious. The flying fights made so famous on other films of the genre are not at all fluid here, but jerky and clumsy.

All in all I watched with intrest. I had no desire to turn it off. I may have even given it three stars but I did grade it against the likes of Hero and House of Flying Daggers which may be unfair. I recommend watching it if you like the aforementioned films. My opinion may not be yours.

In the beginning a starving young girl named Qingcheng is seen prying food out of the hands of dead soldiers in a forest. While running home to share her bread with her mother she drops it in a lake. As she starts to cry the bread is brought back to her by a goddess and she tells Qingcheng to eat the bread but she will not eat because she is saving it for her sick mother. The goddess tells Qingcheng that her mother is dead and then offers her a choice of riches and beauty but all men she falls in love for will die unless she can turn back time and undo what she has just done. She's a little girl with nowhere to go and no food so of course this deal is too tempting to pass up and she accepts. A while later during a battle of a 3000 man army defeating 20,000 barbarians a slave named Kunlun with a speedy gift is discovered while trying to outrun the barbarians.

Kunlun's ability impresses general Guangming also known as "Master of the Crimson Armor" and is taken in as a slave by the general. The general has been informed that the King is being attacked by Duke Wuhuan from the north but before he can get there he is attacked by Wuhuan's assassin Snow Wolf, the general is saved by Kunlan but receives a bad wound trying to defend himself. The general can't make the journey to protect the king and sends Kunlun with his crimson armor instead. The general tells Kunlun that the king will be the only one without a weapon. Kunlun goes to protect the king and when he arrives at the palace sees a man with a sword about to kill a beautiful woman and kills him before he can get to the woman and then flees with her. Kunlun eventually is cornered by Wuhuan's men and is told if he jumps into the waterfall behind him the princess will live but before he jumps he promises the princess he will never let her die.


This is one movie that had the money, a cool plot, and even had a good cast to support it. I think the first mistake was the director went crazy with his budget and though I do realize this is a fantasy movie but there is just too much. There was too much CGI and it was done ridiculously bad, there were fight scenes but they were bad fight scenes. The fights were awfully choreographed like the director got his child to choreograph the scenes for him. You could barely see anything when there was a fight because there was a weird cinematography that was used during the scenes, it will remind you of the type in "Warriors of Virtue" used in a bad way. The story goes everywhere before it ends, the princess's character is written poorly. She's supposed to be in deep love but how does fall in love with a guy she just met and then fall in love with another guy.

The thing with "The Promise" is not the back-story because it is interesting but the way it develops is crazy its too slow and makes feelings unrealistic. How can you truly believe that the princess is in love when she just met the guy and even worse isn't even the guy that she thinks saved her. Despite a bad script the actors keep you interested in the film until the end. The settings are undoubtedly beautiful, which is noticed right from the beginning, but the CGI should have been scrapped and done with more taste. The fights which were suppose to be a big part of this film could have helped give this film more interest and life but that fails. All you will be watching this film for is its gorgeous settings.

[The following review refers to the 124 minute version released in Feb 2006, in Japan.]

`Wu Ji' (meaning `No Limitation') is an epic-scale romance directed by renowned Chen Kaige (`Farewell My Concubine' 'Together'). Like the fantasy tales of `Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' `Hero' and `House of the Flying Daggers,' you can say the film belongs to the film genre usually called `wusha,' but what is impressive about 'Wu Ji' (or `The Promise' with international title) is its cast and crew gathered for the production. But about that, later.

[STORY: LITTLE GIRL] The film opens with a memorable shot, in which an orphaned girl wanders among the dead bodies of warriors in the battlefield. The starving girl meets a beautiful but haughty deity Manshen, the Sorceress (Chen Hong, also co-producer and Chen Kaige's wife), who promises the little girl Quingcheng everything - easy life, status, etc. - on one condition. That is, Quingcheng can never get true love from anyone. And the goddess says: `Once you have accepted your destiny, nothing can alter it unless rivers flow uphill, time runs backwards, and the dead come back to life.' She accepts it, not knowing what the pact really means.

[GENERAL AND SLAVE] Years later, the film introduces us to another battlefied, a ravine where Guanming, The Mighty General (Hiroyuki Sanada `The Last Samurai') is waiting for the next battle. The army of the General is outnumbered by the enemy soldiers, but the General, overconfident and very arrogant, is saved by the miraculous work by one slave Kunlun (Jang Dong-Gun, 'The Brotherhood of War'). Greatly impressed by the superhuman power of Kunlun (who can "run" with lightning speed even on four limb), the General takes Kunlun under his wing, and continues his battles.

The plot thickens when grown-up Quingcheng, now the Princess (Cecilia Cheung), is kidnapped by Kunlun who disguises himself wearing the armor of the General. While Kunlun is enchanted by the beauty of the Princess/Quingcheng, she is also in love with this brave man in gorgeous armor, thinking that he is the General, not the slave.

[TWO MEMORABLE SUPPORTS] The three principal players Hiroyuki Sanada, Jang Dong-Gun and Cecilia Cheung are all good, but probably Nicholas Tse as ruthless Wuhuan and Liu Yeh as assassin Snow Wolf will linger in your memory much longer with their long fight sequence (with clever use flying fans). Nicholas Tse succeeds in making the role of the `villain' surprisingly three-dimensional, and Liu Yeh gives a credible portrait as a killer, or a doomed man who must accept the fact he cannot escape from the inevitable fate.

As is seen in `House of the Flying Daggers' the story of `Wu Ji' is generally melodramatic, but that didn't bother me. What is regrettable is that for all the good acting from these actors, the director fails to explore the romantic side of the story. The film's pace is often too slow, sometimes digressing into a sub-plot, and the film's tone is sometimes ineptly chosen. (With not-so-great CGI, some part of the film looks unintentionally comical).

[WELL, THE SPECIAL EFFECTS ARE ... er ... UNIQUE] What should I say? I am trying not to use the standard of Hollywood (which is not perfect, you know), but even so, the effects of `Wu Ji' look awfully misguided, or at least far from sophisticated. `Bad' is not the right word, for several effects are actually beautifully done. Still, in this epic fantasy, handsome and talented Jang Dong-Gun must run madly on four limbs, among the stampede of the wild bulls ... and he wins the race! Cecilia Cheung's Princess is literally kept in a cage (and herself in a while bird-like costume), and she actually `flies.' There is nothing subtle about Chen Kaige's use of CGI, and some of them may make the audiences giggle at the most serious moment.

The fantastic photography is by Peter Pau (`Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon') and the beautiful costume by Kimiya Masago and Tin Yip. Well, I don't know why Chen Kaige insisted on the use of these special effects when he can liberally use their excellent works. The music is by Klaus Badelt (`Time Machine' and others).

It is reported that `Wu Ji' is the most expensive film ever made in China, and looking at the picture, you can easily see where all these money went. It is regrettable that more refined storytelling and more restrained CGI images would be much effective and desirable in this epic romance film.

This was exquisite. If you enjoyed Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, you will love this. Sanada's performance was brilliant as always. This is high art done with passion and imagination. Highly recommended!

Having seen "Hero" and "House of the Flying Daggers," I expected a great deal out of "The Promise." The story combines a number of interesting folk tale-esque elements - a princess who, at an early age, chose to be beautiful but, in return, is cursed at love; a brash and boastful warrior-virtuoso and his servant, who can run faster than the wind; and their opposite numbers, a cruel villain who seeks a secret only the brash warrior's servant can reveal. As the plot unfolds, a love triangle and cases of mistaken identity ensue, leading to a fairly emotional climax. The story, however well-conceived, ultimately falls flat and fails to deliver on its early promise. The film's production design and special effects also leave a great deal to be desired, making the daring-do of the heroes frequently appear laughable. Indeed, for an action film, there are also very few battle scenes to break up the monotony. Those interested in a good kung fu movie would do better to check out either a massive epic the likes of "Hero," or a romp such as "Iron Monkey."

I'm rather shocked and appalled to find this film with such poor reviews.

It goes without saying that in order to fully appreciate this film you need to have a deep love of cinematography, an interest in Chinese independent films, and an open mind.

With that being said, all that's left is to sit back and let the magic unfold.

This film perfectly illustrates what our most vivid interpreted fairy tails would look like. The colors are deep and saturated, the characters are exaggerated and play their roles well, and the setting is otherworldly while still being familiar.

I will admit that certain scenes were a bit too ambitious for the special effects the production team had at their disposal, but the beauty of the overall experience makes up for a few botched scenes.

I recommend watching the original, uncut film with subtitles and then going back and watching the dub to allow yourself ample time to just look at the film. To really take it in to fully realize the mastery in the sets, costumes and over all design.

If you're at all interested in this film, see it. It is breath taking. A rare gem. Not a material arts action movie, but rather a fairy tail romance brought to life.

this movie is absolutly mindblowing. i love it. being a fan of jang dong-gun, i found this movie great. the characters were fantastic, the special effects were amazing, and the story is a little out there, but very enjoyable. I would like to let everyone know that his is a FANTASY story and meant to be one. Critics and other reviewers, get an open mind. I appreciate the hard work put into this film.

The version I watched was the international version, which is 20 minutes longer than the U.S. version (which I don't intend to watch. What's the point?), so I can't comment on what might be left out in the shorter version. Personally, I thought "The Promise" was a brilliant film, worthy of multiple viewings. The cinematography is breathtaking, and I didn't feel that any of the CGI effects came off as cheesy.

However, this film is definately not for everyone. If you have a problem with wuxia films, then you are definately not going to like this. To appreciate the genre, one must accept that the characters are endowed with supernatural abilities. I've spoke to many people who don't like wuxia because they think they're unrealistic. Curiously, these same people have no problem with "The Matrix" and "Star Wars", which are equally unrealistic. And if you're just looking for eye candy and cool fight scenes, you may be equally disappointed. While "The Promise" has both eye candy and action in spades, it also contains a very complex plot. You really have to pay close attention, or you're going to get lost very quickly. I would reccomend you watch "Fearless" instead. That's a film that's not only great, but also quite easy to follow.

But if I had to choose between the two, I'd choose this one. I like films that really push the envelope and strive to succeed on every level. "The Promise" delivers. Highly recomended.

Chen Keige's misbegotten The Promise is possibly the only Asian film that can make you feel sorry for Harvey Weinstein, who pre-brought the film before realizing that he'd made a big mistake on seeing the end result. It's hard not to think that all that bad karma from cutting Asian films to ribbons finally caught up with him with this one. I should have known what to expect when I saw Etchie Stroh's name as one of the producers. It's not a total loss, but it is a helluva mess just on a technical level, boasting probably the worst CGI effects in a big budget film. Some of them look just one step up from animatics or late 80s arcade games, while the opening stampede plays like a Road-Runner cartoon crossed with an early Neolithic cave painting. But then the sound mixing is sometimes equally awkward, leaving you with the impression that the film was rushed into completion in the hopes of scoring some Oscar nominations that they didn't quite manage to finish any it. Of course, it is just possible that everyone concerned saw what a totally bonkers movie this is and decided to sneak home early from work each day.

It's not fair to describe it as Asia's Alexander, because although often horribly executed, there was a governing intelligence behind that. By contrast, this seems more of a cynical attempt to capture a slice of the international market Zhang Yimou and Ang Lee cornered with a fantasy epic cum fairytale. Unfortunately, despite a promising initial premise and mostly game performances, Kaige really isn't suited to this kind of material and seems to be throwing in elements simply because they worked in other people's hit movies. There are a few good moments - the wall of time flashback, the ending - but most of it is just so bizarrely wrong that you just go on watching to see what comes up next. I think rescuing the heroine from her giant gilded birdcage, wrapping her in feathers and then running with her flying like a kite on a string probably takes the WTF? award, but the bull run comes a close second.

In a war-ravaged land where danger was rampant and food was scare a young girl named Qingcheng fed herself and her mother by pillaging the bodies of dead soldiers. One day, after finding some bread, Qingcheng pulls the boots off a hanging corpse for her own use. However, "the corpse" is not dead and he is able to string up Qingcheng. After Qingcheng promises to be his slave, he cuts her down and she proceeds to ask if she can see his helmet that she uses to smack him on the head before fleeing.

While crossing some water Qingcheng drops her bread, but the bread is caught by a goddess and is brought back to Qingcheng. The goddess asks why Qingcheng does not go ahead and eat the bread and the young girl informs the goddess that she is saving the food for her mother. The goddess then tells the girl that her mother is dead. Grief stricken the girl eats the bread, but before she departs the goddess offers her a chance to live a life in which she will have all the food she wants, will be able to wear the most beautiful clothing, and men will fall helplessly in love with her. However, there is of course a catch. All men whom she falls in love with will die. The girl readily accepts the conditions.

Years later, after a brutal battle in which his regiment of 3,000 men was able to defeat a barbarian horde of 20,000, General Guangming is informed that the King is being attacked by the traitorous Duke of the North Wuhuan. While he and his slave Kunlun, a man of extraordinary strength and speed, search for the path back to the kingdom they become lost and decide to split up to find their way. However, while looking for the path, General Guangming comes across the goddess who informs him that the victory against the barbarians would be his last because soon the man wearing the crimson armor, the armor Guangming wears, would kill the King and his name would be besmirched. Laughing, Guangming states that he would never kill the king.

After the goddess departs, Wuhuan's assassin Snow Wolf attacks Guangming. After the battle, Kunlun finds his master wounded and his master tells him to wear his army and save the king. Kunlun asks how can he tell who is the king and Guangming informs him that the king will be the one without a weapon.

Back at the palace, the King and his princess, Qingcheng, stand upon the top of the palace walls surrounded by Wuhuan's soldiers. Wuhuan demands that the king give him Qingcheng, which the king is all too willing to do. Qingcheng angered by this tells the guards that she will strip off a layer of clothing if they will kill the king. Being that her stunning beauty entrances them, Cecilia Cheung IS absolutely gorgeous, they willingly attempt to do as she asks. Infuriated, the king draws his sword and it is at this point that Kunlun, dressed in Guangming's armor, arrives at the scene chucks his sword at the king, which impales him, and rescues Qingcheng. However, their victory is short lived because Wuhuan and his men catch up to him. Wuhuan states that if Guangming jumps he will spare the life of Qingcheng. Kunlun, in love with Qingcheng and knowing that he can survive the fall willingly jumps.
Kunlun returns to his master and returns the crimson armor to him. Guangming is angered, he had been beaten and trussed up to a tree by his own men who did not kill him only because he had been their superior officer, because Kunlun killed the king, but the two hurry to rescue Qingcheng in which they are successful. Qingcheng is in love with Guangming because of the words he said to her before he jumped, you must not die, you have to live, however, she of course does not know that it was actually Kunlun who spoke these words so her heart's desires are misguided, but Kunlun, whose own desires come in second to his master's stands aside while Guangming tries to make Guangming truly fall in love with him. However, can Kunlun truly keep up this farce?

I watched this film twice yesterday: the first time in a movie theater and the second at home. Because my ability to read Chinese is stronger than my listening ability, I was able to understand about 40% of the film because it had sub-titles. However, since I could understand only a portion of the film, I mainly paid attention to the visual and aural aspects of Chen's latest work. The costumes are stunning in an unwieldy way. The suits of armor worn by Guangming and Wuhuan's soldiers are beautiful, but one wonders if an individual could truly fight in something so bulky. The costumes worn by Cecilia Cheung are stunning and lend her a transient appeal as if she is a cherry blossom, albeit one with a core of iron, that will soon fade. The music is decent, but some of the softer pieces are quite beautiful such as the slow piano piece that is played when the camera from overhead zooms to a close up of Cheung's character when she is imprisoned in the golden birdcage. The CG is well done, especially the goddess, but it is used a bit too heavily and it makes some parts of the film quite cheesy.

One interesting aspect of the film is that the main characters are from different parts of Asia. Sanada Hiroyuki, Guangming, is Japanese, Jang Dong-kun, Kunlun, is Korean, while Cecilia Cheung and Nicolas Tse are both from Hong Kong. Being that my listening comprehension of Chinese is not so good I am not sure how well they spoke their lines, but this is an example of an Asian film, there are of course more, in which actors from Korea and Japan play Chinese without raising the same kind of fuss Memoirs of a Geisha produced by casting Gong Li and Zhang Ziyi in the roles of Japanese women.

Was The Promise a good movie? Honestly it was not that great. It seems to be Chen Kaige's version of Zhang Yimou's Hero and House of Flying Daggers. Zhang Yimou was criticized by critics and audiences alike for these two films because they detracted so much from his usual fare and it seems that Chen is receiving criticism not only because of this but that he is also using this film to break into Hollywood. If this is the case or not The Promise also suffers from a high cheese factor, plot holes, and a sometimes-bombastic soundtrack that makes the dialogue hard to hear. However, if you enjoyed Hero and House of Flying Daggers you might like this film as well.

*Also, the original length of this film is 128 minutes, so it has been considerably cut*