The Taiwanese made an epic film here that far surpasses anything Hollywood can do. This true story was 8 years in the making, starting in 2003. The film deals with the tragedies of colonialism—in this case the Japanese conquering Taiwan in 1895 and the Seediq people (who were divided into many tribes—basically the sun worshipers and the rainbow worshipers). Like many colonizers who take advantage of the warring tribes (like the English and French did in the American Revolution), Japan divided the people more and had one side fight with the Japanese against the other, therefore leading to more brutality against the tribes of less numbers. The Japanese also had modern weaponry, as this main outbreak did not happen until the mid-1930s. Despite this fact, the far out-numbered Seediq warriors, led by Chief Mona Rudao, fought a brilliant uprising, knowing that they all would be killed. Sadly the majority of women—rather than choosing to die from the gas bombs—hung themselves on the trees and threw their babies off cliffs. This movie is not for the squeamish, and it's all too real. They don't look for Hollywood stars; they look for manly men and strong women—two qualities missing in American actors today. There's a beautiful scene where the chief's father comes in from the spirit world and they sing an ancestral song together. This film, again, has superb graphics, huge battle scenes, thousands of extras, and spectacular cinematography. Film lovers should also watch the extras on how this film was made. Masanobu Andâ, Umin Boya, Chi-Wei Cheng, Producer John Woo, Director Wei Te-Sheng. ~Gabriel of Urantia
*MPAA = Motion Picture Association of America
*4DFR = An alternative, 4th-Dimensional, rating is supplied by the author of this review
