SYNOPSIS
In the early Republic of China, the whole country was trodden by incessant civil wars. The new ruling warlord Cao Ying sent his son Cao Shaolun to take over the remote village Pucheng. Cold-blooded and temperamental, Shaoun killed the innocents and orphans. The guardians of Pucheng arrested him and the guardian commander Yang Kenan planned to execute him after the trial.
Zhang Yi, a colonel under warlord Cao Ying, learnt of what happened and came to Pucheng demanding the release of Shaolun. Zhang came across Ma Feng, who learnt martial arts from his mentor. Ma witnessed the outrageous behaviour of Shalolun and refused to take Zhang’s side. He was determined to assist Yang to keep Shaolun behind bars.
Zhang failed to rescue Shaolun. Cao’s army invaded Pucheng and caused numerous casualties and deaths. The brave heroes swore to fight the battle to protect their homeland.
CAST & CHARACTERS
Sean Liu as Yang Kenan
The guardian commander in Pucheng village with great wisdom yet acting dumb, a family-oriented man who fought for justice and righteousness.
Lau has accumulated a number of memorable roles by working with some of the best filmmakers in Hong Kong including Derek Yee, Benny Chan, Johnnie To, he has won Best Actor Awards at Hong Kong Film Awards in 2007 for MY NAME IS FAME (2006) and in 2015 for OVERHEARD 3 (2014), and at Taiwan Golden Horse Awards in 2012 for LIFE WITHOUT PRINCIPLE (2011).
Louis Koo as Cao Shaolun
Emotionally dysfunctional, arrogant and cruel, a commander at Cao’s army. He is an extreme autocrat who always get his way.
Koo is a notable Hong Kong actor and one of the most popular male idols in South East Asia and China, he has participated in many acclaimed films including ELECTION (2005), ROB-B-HOOD (2006), PROTÉGÉ (2007), OVERHEARD (2009), OVERHEARD 2 (2011), THE WHITE STORM (2013).
Eddie Peng as Ma Feng
Playful and carefree, once an armed escort with exquisite martial arts capabilities, turning a vagrant swordsman after parting with Zhang Yi – a senior fellow student of his mentor.
Peng is one of the most promising young actors from Taiwan. He has played leading roles in numerous Chinese blockbusters including UNBEATABLE (2013), RISE OF THE LEGEND (2014), TO THE FORE (2015), he was nominated for the Best Actor for THE RISE OF THE LEGEND in Hong Kong Film Awards in 2015.
Wu Jing as Zhang Yi
A senior fellow student learning from Ma Feng’s martial art mentor, Zhang is a powerful martial artist, a responsible colonel in Cao’s army. He is also the bodyguard of the Warlord Cao Ying.
Wu is a former martial arts athlete born in Beijing, he was spotted by the famous Hong Kong director
Yuen Woo Ping, and started filming in martial arts movies. His performance can be found in THE MUMMY: THE TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR (2008), LEGENDARY ASSASSIN (2008), SHAOLIN (2011), BADGES OF FURY (2013), WOLF WARRIORS (2015), SPL2: A TIME FOR CONSEQUENCES (2015.)
Yuan Quan as Zhou Susu
Intelligent, well-mannered and knowledgeable, Susu is Yang’s wife. She is good with martial arts and often handle issues calmly and thoughtfully.
Yuan is a Chinese actress and singer who graduated from the Central Academy of Drama, her performance along side with Chow Yun-fat in LAST TYCOON (2012) drew international attention, her other films include BREAKUP BUDDIES (2014) and THE GOLDEN ERA (2014)
Jiang Shu Ying as Bai Ling
A young and kind-hearted teacher, Bai Ling is determined to protect a group of orphans and to help them flee from Shaolun.
Liu Kai Chi as Liao
The sub-commander of the guardians, Liao is also a loyal friend and trusty assistant of Yang.
[ Personal Review ]
I personally feel that this is a very nice show.. it has my favourite actor, Louis Koo and it has popular actors like Sean Liu Qing Yun and Eddie Peng in the movie. The overall martial arts was very exciting and thrilling. Story plot is good and really worth a weekend movie to catch. At certain parts of the movie, it allows us to reflect on certain values that one has to possess. Louis Koo in this movie really portray a very bad-ass guy, and he carried it well. Perhaps he does have the bad boy look. He is really very very bad in the movie, as in being a bad person!
Its a movie not to be missed!
Movie rating:8/10
Thrill level:8/10
OPENS 18 AUGUST 2016 IN CINEMAS!