Hong Kong Reviews Reviews

Little Big Soldier Movie Review – Jackie Chan

Original TitleDa bing xiao jiang
Director:
Writer: (screenplay)
Stars:
Jackie Chan – Big Soldier
Leehom Wang – Little Soldier
Rongguan Yu – Deputy General Yu

Plot  |  Story

The plot seems simple enough – a soldier who survives a massacre of his sides forces discovers a general from the other army alive.  He decides to take this general back to the capitol to claim a reward so he can retire and become a farmer.  This is where the simplicity evaporates.  The story is filled with some fantastic twists and turns.  It was really delightful to watch the complex relationship between the soldier and the general develop as the story progressed.

Characters | Acting

I have been a fan of Jackie Chan's for years.  I love his acting and his martial arts and now I can add his singing to my list of likes.  Chan's character in is an interesting fellow.  Some of his actions (and gizmos) make him seem like a coward but in fact he is much more than that.  Among other things he is a commoner who is tired of being at war.  The soldier is my favorite character in the movie.  I also really liked the general (referred to as Little Soldier) played by Leehom Wang.  At times he is a jerk but as the story progresses you get to see a bigger picture and realize that he is a good and honorable man.  I think Little Big Soldier is excellently casted.  All of the characters are well portrayed and well developed.  Even the jerk prince is well played.

Melody | Music

The actual background music of Little Big Soldier is excellently done.  The tone and tempo of the music matches the scenes and does a grteat job of accenting the events in the movie.  There are also a few musical scenes in the movie.  The scene with the young woman in the bar is one that stands out most for me.  Her voice is beautifulg.  I also really enjoy the song that Jackie Chan's character sings throughout the movie. It is simple and sweet and has been stuck in my head for days.

Spectacle | Wow Factor

Little Big Soldier is a (at least as far as visuals are concerned) dark and well dirty movie.  There are not the bright flashy colors that you see in many movies.  It is a movie about war and struggle and that is very apparent in the visual aspects of the film.  That being said the fight scenes in the movie are very well done. The choreography is flawless and the flow of the fights is great.  The movie starts out with the end of a massive battle.  Then it falls into the journey with a few fights at key points in the story.  My favorite aspect of the movie is actually the humorous banter between the characters.  This banter is well written and continues throughout the movie.

Conclusion

Little Big Soldier is one of the best period movies I have seen in a long time.  The acting is fantastic, the story is really entertaining and the fight scenes are fun to watch.  I will definitely be adding Little Big Soldier to my DVD collection.  Once again Jackie Chan has created a fantastic movie filled with endearing characters and a fun adventure.

 

About the author

The Tiger

  • A Much better film than 1911.

    but seriously other than this and New Police Story what as Chan done of any note in the last 10 years…. 

    as with Li its looking like its time to call it quits …… (get behind the camera like Sammo!)

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