Geekscape Movie Reviews: Warriors Of The Rainbow: Seediq Bale
Touted as the most expensive Taiwanese film to date, Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale was actually created for a rather reasonable $25 million. Produced by John Woo, the film stars Lin Ching-Tai, Da Ching, and a plethora of other actors you’ve never heard of. The only star power can be found in Masanobu Ando, who you may (or may not if you’re lucky) have seen in Sukiyaki Western Django. With these limited resources, Writer and Director Wei Te-Sheng struggles to tell a very large and very significant story in Taiwanese history with mixed results.
The film is reported to be a factual representation of the Wushe Incident, an uprising of Taiwanese natives against Japanese invaders which took place in 1930. The film follows the story of Mouna Rudo, a proud warrior who rises to the responsibility of chief of the Seediq tribe at the turn of the 20th century. It is a tumultuous time, as Taiwan has been ceded from China to Japan. Mouna, the Seediq, and other once proud and warring tribes have become domesticated under Japanese oppression. Then, in 1930, Mouna leads the natives in a violent and frantic uprising. You probably don’t have to have a degree in Taiwanese history to figure out how it all ends, but suffice to say that this is not the feel-good movie of the year.
That Taiwanese history degree may come in handy in deciphering what the hell is going on from time to time. The different tribes wear similar clothing and sport identical facial tattoos, and it becomes a challenge to keep track of what tribe is being shown at any given time, and whether they are allies or foes to the Seediq. I’ll be damned if I didn’t wish Ando had brought some of those oh-so-convenient to distinguish costumes from Django. Then the film jumps ahead 35 years and all bets are off. New actors are used in every role, and the majority do not have a young counterpart to introduce them in the first place. You’re left scrambling to understand who characters are, let alone their motivations and connections to other characters.
None of these actors stand out, and none are asked to. This is a story about an entire people, not really just one man or woman. Actors appear to be are serviceable in their roles, although it is difficult to tell in a subtitled film. Lin Ching-Tai’s Mouna is the main protagonist of the story, and he does an adequate job in his one dimensional role. The story itself is easily identifiable to everyone; noble natives rebel against evil foreign invaders. Te-Sheng does an admirable job of presenting both sides in shades of grey instead of the usual black and white terms of good vs. evil, which I found refreshing and more realistic.
Everything about the film screams gritty realistic historical accuracy, until Mouna’s father shows up to sing a round with him Return of the Jedi style halfway through the film. In the face of everything before (and even afterward) this is unexpected, unnecessary, and jarring. The poor Lucasian influences don’t end there either, as often questionable CGI is used heavily. This is the type of film that one is likely to champion as ripe with scenic beauty, if it weren’t for the low quality green screen sets mixed in for good measure. Where CGI use excels is in the film’s decapitation budget. Never before have I seen so many heads get lopped off, and yet each one was as awesome and visceral as the last.
To recap: the film is worth a spot on your Netflix Instant Queue in a month or two, nothing more. I watched the bloated 140 minute US version, and am skeptical as to whether the 270 minute international monstrosity would fare better. Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale is an ambitious effort to bring to life a defining chapter in Taiwanese history. Yes, it is clear that Te-Sheng bit off more than his budget, cast, and abilities could chew. But that does not mean that what was made was anything to laugh at, either. The decapitation stuffed third act alone warrants a watch; and at the end of the day if that is enough to get you to see a movie, you probably don’t care about the rest of my gripes. Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale is available on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital August 7th.
