EASTERN BANDITS is the heroic story of rebels with a fortune to gain, and everything to lose. Leader Fang Youwang (Huang Xiaoming), with his compatriots Kuei, San Pao, and Lady Dagger – lead a posse of roving bandits that are fearless, enterprising, and loyal to the death. Their baby-faced masks make them terrifying; their underground lair untraceable. And now, they’re plotting a double-scam – a heroic rescue and a kidnapping mission – that will make them legends…if anyone gets out alive. Or, more specifically, an anti-Japanese resistance fighter during World War II infiltrates a gang of bandits to enlist their help in assassinating a Japanese prince. When the plan goes awry they are ambushed and must escape to save their lives.
Upon first glance of the name and cover, Eastern Bandits seems like an easy film to pass on as it comes off as another Asian action western with bandits as the main focal point (think Let the Bullets Fly). But then one takes a look at the synopsis and, if you’re like me, your curiosity is aroused. I’m all about bandits with sweet hidden lairs and scheming out the wazoo, plus it sounds like something that’ll have a good combination of action and comedy since, traditionally, bandits don’t play by the rules.
I gotta say, I was pleasantly surprised by Eastern Bandits. The action was moderately graphic for a Chinese film (and that includes the rather intense sound effects), it didn’t take any fantastical approaches and came off realistic enough that it was able to separate itself from the other Chinese westerns that I’ve seen thus far. Furthermore, it was a funny and brisk moving film even with the unnecessary romance scenes involving the leader Fang and his hooker.
Thankfully, unlike many Chinese films, romance was not a major factor in this one. Yes, there were romantic scenes, many of which that didn’t fit at all into the plot and could have been cut without any effect on the film, but they weren’t sappy, which is usually the case. I don’t know how they managed to not make it melodramatic the way most Chinese films do, but I want to thank director Yang Shupeng for not giving into the common tropes that so many Chinese films now fall victim too.
The one aspect of the film that really stood out to me was the score. Usually many of these period pieces have very similar scores but Eastern Bandits changes it up, it’s a score that you’ll remember, with elements of distorted electric guitar mixed with classic western themes, it’s pretty cool. Apart from the fun acting and seemingly graphic action, the score is easily one of the best parts of the film.
Eastern Bandits has its share of flaws but it’s one of those films that’s simply there to entertain and doesn’t take itself too seriously. It doesn’t force the anti-Japanese agenda on you as you watch it nor does it waste time with unnecessary exposition. It gets right to the point, gives you a little background about most of the characters, injects some humor into the dialogue and proceeds to unleash some explosive actions scenes upon our screen for our cinematic pleasure.
As for the blu-ray, the film looks solid in HD and I would certainly recommend it over the DVD format. As I’ve now become truly accustomed to the format it’s becoming harder and harder to look back. Since the film takes place in sandy plains it features a lot of bright sunlight, something that the HD is able to showoff really well, especially on bright screens. While I do feel most westerns would look better in a classic grainy film style, this one is better served by avoiding that and sticking to pitch-perfect clarity.
Rating: An amusing and action-packed western that avoids common Chinese filmmaking tropes while ramping up the practical effects (6.4/10)
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