Confucius (2010)
This biopic permeates a feeling of sincerity on the part of the movie makers to tell a story in a simple, old-fashion manner. Indeed there are set pieces that look a little contrived with the purpose to impress, but overall, "Confucius" is a decent piece of movie-making. The film suffers mostly from unfocused narrative and confusing storytelling. It doesn't help that the film is filled with subtitles to explain the where, the when and the who of events. Its not just at the start, where it's helpful to get things going, its all through the film and it makes the film feel as if its a shorter version of some huge epic tale. Chow Yun Fat achieves a command performance as the gentle commoner who uses his wit and wisdom to quickly rise up in political ranks only to be exiled for his outsider ideology. Chow Yun Fat has come a long way since his John Woo days, and his decision to sacrifice another opportunity that would have made him part of a more popular project, in order to participate in this rich cinematic experience, demonstrates his high integrity and his love for his heritage. Technically, this big budged production looks rich and colorful and even spectacular at times. Peter Pau, best known to western audiences as the cinematographer in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", captures the period perfectly and helps to put us in the right mood and atmosphere of the times. Overall, "Confucius" is visually captivating and well-acted, yet slow-moving and often confusing.
- My Rating: 6.50/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: N/A
- IMDb: 5.6/10
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