Great Wall (4½ Stars)

This is a legend about the reason for the building of the Great Wall of China. In the film the reason is that a wall was needed to prevent an alien race, the Tao Te, from overrunning China. They attack once every 60 years, and there is an elite military unit, the Nameless Order, which has been created solely to deal with the Tao Te.

Shortly before the attack two mercenaries arrive from Europe to acquire gunpowder, either by trade or by stealing it.

In my first review I assumed that the film takes place round about 900 AD. After watching it again I think that it's more likely it is set closer to 1200 AD. Gunpowder was invented in China in the ninth Century, and it first reached Europe in the 13th Century, so the film must be set between these two dates, closer to the end of the time.

I still think this is Zhang Yimou's weakest film, but I could appreciate it when I watched it today for the second time. The film would have been better with a different lead actor. Matt Damon has never been able to express emotions credibly.

During the final credits some very beautiful paintings are shown. If they're not oil paintings they're at least in the style of oil paintings. Here's a small gallery. Please click on the screenshots to enlarge them.

The incredibly beautiful Ling Tian.

The incredibly powerful actor Andy Lau.

The incredibly something-or-other Matt Damon.

The incredibly beautiful Jing Tian. Yes, I know I already showed a photo of her, but I wanted to show her again.

The incredibly strong Tao Te.

The incredibly long Great Wall. Oh look! There's Jing Tian again!

In case there are any doubts about her beauty, here are a few screenshots.

Wow! What a face! Don't you feel weak just looking at her?

I've never seen an army in which the women wear such attractive uniforms.

Matt Damon is impressed.

But as you can imagine, the conversation is about business, not pleasure.

Maybe my readers think that I'm publishing so many photos of Jing Tian because I have a crush on her. Is that a problem? Here are a few more random screenshots.

She stars in the new film "Pacific Rim Uprising". That's normally the sort of film I would never consider watching, but it stars Jing Tian. Jing Tian! That's tempting.

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