They are willing to sacrifice anything they can get their hands on to the foreign nations in return for weapons to stomp out the flames of rebellion. Jackie Chan stars as Huang Xing, the famed eight fingered general who led the revolution and eventually became the first Chinese Army Commander In Chief in a new born republic.

The movie is in Mandarin with English subtitles and is one of the few movies where the action comedy legend (Chan) does not kick anyone or jump around the set like a hyper free-runner. In this movie, he sacrifices his amazing martial arts skills for a more serious persona. A combination of the spoken language and the deep dive into Chinese history makes this a movie which requires extreme focus in order to keep up with the story.

In addition, the location shots and authentic Chinese architecture, attire and mannerisms will give a very rich sense of realism. However, where it is strong in drama and communication of the theme it is sorely lacking in captivation.

For the audience which is not educated on Chinese history (or does not care) much like the Kenyan audience, the movie drags on drastically for two hours leading to a theatric end. It ends up being less of something you would go to the movies for but rather something you would watch on The History Channel. However for fans of Jackie Chan, it is an opportunity to see the 57 year old star from a brand new vantage. Furthermore, history buffs will love pausing in between scenes to Wikipedia some of the locations and characters.
The movie is currently available for DVD rental and purchase.

Andrew Onyango