Musa (The Warriors) (Musa the Warrior) Reviews

A disparate collection of travellers including soldiers, diplomats, and refugees are thrown together in 14th century china as they are pursued by the Mongol army . Known as The Warrior in the UK, this historical epic inevitably draws comparison to Hero and House of Flying Daggers, but actually is more in the tradition of Kurosawa than those more fantasy based offerings. Clearly owing debts to Seven Samurai and The Hidden Fortress in particular, it's also influenced by John Ford's cavalry films in that it takes the time to explore all of the characters involved and the rich collection of antagonistic factions and conflicting loyalties make for a much more interesting character dynamic than most. It may not have the artsy visuals and production value of the projects of Zhang Yimou or Ang Lee but the grittier approach makes for a beautifully crafted historical adventure with just the right balance of heroism and believability, with beautifully shot locations and grippingly realistic, bloody battle sequences. Although it was a co-production with the Chinese film industry, Musa still deserves recognition as one of the films that marked the coming of age of Korean film making and is one of the best Asian historical epics of recent years.

This is an epic re-telling of the Kurosawa masterpiece Seven Samurai. This Asian (South Korean/Chinese) film made good use of that figure, with sometimes disturbing, but very well done fight scenes and in general, beautiful cinematography. This is a journey from start to finish. For all 2 1/2 hours, the group is journeying, and survives much longer than they expect. The characters were tremendously developed. Even peasants getting killed made you sad, because he or she had been given some screen time and you got to know them somewhat. Later on, it's an emotional rollercoaster, as familiar faces start to go down en masse in one final, epic battle.

Musa The Warrior is one of those films that is not exactly a war movie and it is not exactly a martial arts epic. It is more in between. Yes, this is a good movie, but Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon it is not.While the story is pretty good it isn't all that deep, which isn't good for a movie that is 2 hours and 15 minutes long. This movie is slow with a decent amount of action, but with the long runtime this film drags on and is a bit bland and a little boring. There are a good amount of supporting characters, which is a plus, and this helps from always seeing the same minimal faces all the time. It just takes a little too long to build them all up.The action is lord of the ringesque, which means there isn't any fancy martial arts swordplay. Most of the time it is large groups of people colliding in these epic type of battles on horseback. This is actually OK, if you think about it, because this style fits nicely into the story. The last 40 minutes is a drawn out battle at a fortress. This sets up a dramatic ending.The fights aren't entirely bloody, but this film makes good use of it. The way the blood splatters as people are cut and shot is well done and seemingly realistic, like most of the fights.One of the better aspects of this film is the acting. Zhang Ziyi is great to see on screen, but with her not participating in the action sequences, it is a little disappointing. Sung-kee Ahn gives the best performance and Yu Rongguang is a good Mongol. He has the perfect goatee going on.If you like epic types of stories while not really caring about fancy action, then this film is what you are looking for.

Sung-su Kim, who directs from his own screen play, does a very good job in drawing together his disparate group of travelling companions on a dangerous journey. To provide suitable contrast between the moments of combat, he relates them in short, effective, dialogue scenes. Its also one where the director relies less on extreme camera angles and special effects to create visual drama than on the regular ebb and flow of dramatic editing. Perhaps because of this 'naturalness', the battle scenes are consistently exciting and involving. They are also staged in enough different locales to make them varied viewing each time. A standout is a desperate confrontation amongst trees, where the director takes full advantage of foliage cover, confusion, and events within the frame to create some real martial suspense. I strongly recommend this movie.

Excellent action/morality tale. Ziyi Zhang shines as always.

a multi-national war epic with a lot of (unnecessary) bloodshed. the changing of dynasties was an uncertain time with a few koryo diplomats caught in the fray. ziyi reprises her 1-d bratty role with her trademark sulky glares as the "helpless" princess. the tension between the general and the ambassador's slave was pretty good though, and the fight scenes highlight yet again, the harsh terror of war, in which everyone loses.

Not for everyone but this movie had a lot action and interesting characters. Nice to see Yu Rong Gong again. And Ziyi Zhang is always her gorgeous self.

if i could give this film a million stars i would. this is by far my favorite movie of all time. Zheng Ziyi is once again a spoiled princess and Jung Woo-Sung a slave trying to save her. Love, Battles, Death and sexy asian men make this a film to watch.

I was impressed with this movie. Great cinematography and an interesting story helped the lack for Ziyi Zhang in any action scenes.

The ending of the movie is very sad. The movie has a lot of action and violence. I especially liked the main characters. If you like dramas and asian films, definitely give this movie a try.

Such a dark story but action packed film. Musa is an amazing, strong character. He takes on task of protecting the spoiled princess, taking her to the place where she thought she and her people'd be safe but it turned out the destinated place was deserted and now turns into their grave, that is unless they stop the army that wants the princess. I'm glad to have watched this film.

This is a very good movie. The costumes are great and the battle scenes are really gory. Story line is good too.

Very good story line. Kept me in awe the whole time. Very violent, however. Jung Woo Sung and Zhang Ziyi are riveting in this movie. Reminded me somewhat of the Alamo. . .

This movie is BIG. Big in scope, production, research & history. The clothing worn by the warriors is extravagant & elegantly reminiscent of the great glory days of the East. The characters were passionate, & sincere. There prevailed overall a high quality & interesting storyline peppered with many battles brutally fought; seemingly for naught.
Not for the faint of heart, this film pays homage to a bygone era & of loyalties rarely seen today. I give it 5 stars for the production & look of the film, but only 3 stars for the slow, ponderous telling of the story & pace of the movie.

If you don't mind reading subtitles I highly recommend this movie, it has a wonderful story and great action.

What is a Dynasty? When the blood of the young and the old are shed. The Warrior and the Princess, could make a simple tale. However, those not even brought into war, end up finding themselves on the front line, for beyond it is freedom. The Musa, is a very complex tale, one I cannot even break down. Such emotional ties, inner warriors, not really knowing what is honorable. Try to die and you live; try to live and you die. The soul shouldn't be so distraught. The choreographed bloodshed is well justified and amazing. Without even numbers, would a few, follow one to the promised land? Singing by children, the calm before a battle, such juxtaposition should be some dream, that takes us all away.....

I'm a sucker for mysterious-seeming warrior tales with a touch of romance and loads of fighting. Some choreography reminded me of River's climax in Serenity.

Musa is depressing and hard to make sense of. Virtually all the death in this film (and there is a lot of it) is meaningless. The setting, which takes place almost entirely in a desert wasteland only adds to the bleakness of the film. There's virtually no color to this film as everything (from the sand, skin, clothes, horses, buildings, etc) is some shade of brown. The action scenes, what few there are, are hidden behind poor cinematography that can't ever seem to figure out the camera should be pointed out what's going on. For a movie of this type, Musa is just ok. If you are interested in it because you liked films such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Hero, and House of Flying Daggers, you may be disappointed.

And now we witness the passing of the baton from one great chinese actress to another. We also see the progression of Asian cinema. Compare with Gong Li's The Emperor and the Assassin, a long depressing historical Epic. Zhang Ziyi's Musa the Warrior is a long depressing historical action movie.