Little Big Soldier (2010)

Very best movie i ever watch

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

The aging Jackie Chan's greatest dilemma has been finding a way to stay a star without doing the stunts that made him one. It's a tough balancing act to offer just enough of his trademark action to satisfy fans without shattering his bones, and Chan hits the sweet spot with this one.Apparently he originally wanted to make this movie 20 years ago, at which point he would have played the general, but instead he plays the old soldier. Chan is not the typical martial arts wizard of his other films, he's an aging farmer and while he has some skills, he is outclassed by almost everyone, getting injured and sometimes surviving through sheer luck. There's only one of those full-on Chan humorous battles, with most of the big fights being more straight ahead combat by others.But even though the movie has little of the humorously choreographed Chan is known for, the movie has many strengths. It is gorgeously shot - clearly a big budget film. Chan is likable (although in the dubbed version I was distracted by his sounding a little like Ronald Coleman, which seems inappropriate for a peasant). There are some exciting battles, some good performances, a few surprises, and some lovely moments.There are also some oddities, like the introduction of a female who's part is too big to be considered a walk by but too small to make her seem like part of the movie. I'm not sure what that's all about.Overall, Chan did a good job of keeping in the game without killing himself.

Another goal by Jackie Chan. Not only does this movie deliver the usual martial arts extravaganza that is trademark of his movies, but it also delivers a really interesting story that is not just slack-stick humor. And that is a really great trait to the movie, and a great step towards the right approach for a movie of this type.The story is about a peasant soldier in the Liang army (played by Jackie Chan) who saves himself from slaughter in a massive battle by feigning his death. As luck would have it, he manages to find a surviving general of the Wei army (played by Leehom Wang), the soldier seems to have it made, as he can hand in his captive for land and profit. But the road back to Liang is long and treacherous - the king's men are out searching for the missing general and the land is not at all a friendly place in itself.A great story that Jackie Chan came up with here and it has been masterfully put to the screen. The story offers great action and just the right amount of comedy without it becoming too much in the usual genre that Jackie Chan operates.What really makes "Little Big Soldier" work out is the chemistry and dialogue between the soldier and the general on their hard and long trek back towards Liang. And the spectacular landscape and scenery really adds a lot of flavor to the movie, and it is like you are right there back in time in ancient China.This is one of the better Jackie Chan movies in the recent years, and it is great to see him take on other roles this late in his career. "Little Big Soldier" is well worthy of a place in the DVD collection of any fans of Jackie Chan or of Asian ancient war history movies in general.

I hate to give a negative review to anything Jackie Chan does since he's simply one of the most likable actors around. Even in poor movies, he generally shines, which he does here. The problem is the lack of any breadth or depth to this story. There's just not much in this movie. To summarize, Jackie Chan plays a lone surviving Liang soldier who captures the only other surviver, the enemy general from Wei, in hopes of taking him home and being rewarded. What transpires is a road picture of sorts as the mismatched pair quarrel, fight, and find common ground on the journey to Liang, all while trying to evade a band of uncivilized nomads and a young Wei prince who has reasons of his own for wanting the general back.There's a basis for a story here, but it's not fleshed out in any way. This film desperately needed some "Meanwhile, back at the palace in Wei...," or "Meanwhile, back at a farm in Liang...," scenes to provide some background, context, and emotional heft to the story. The political and filial rivalry between the Prince and the general is never fully explored in any detail and the resolution of that conflict is incredibly weak. And some things just don't make sense. Why would a prince, supposedly the next ruler of his kingdom, go off in search of the general himself and take only a handful of soldiers to protect him? Wouldn't he be leading a fairly substantial army? All the actors do their job; Chan is his usual funny, endearing Everyman and I especially liked the actor who portrayed the young Prince Wen. He was suitably haughty and proud. But, there just isn't enough here to recommend the film.

I was expecting a good movie, but it was far from being good. The journey in this was just dull and boring for the most part. The humor in this sort of works but it just didn't know which direction it wanted to go with this. One of the main reason I decided to check this movie out is because it has Yoo Seung Jun in it, who use to be a popular Korean star until he neglected his military service. But anyways his charisma really shows in this and his acting was alright and he did the best he could with what he was given. Another negative is it's pacing is also pretty bad and just seems out of nowhere at times. The fight sequences aren't even that good and there is nothing memorable about it. Except maybe still watching the old Jackie still jumping around and evading attacks. I give this movie a 4 because I thought the ending was alright, maybe because it was sort of unexpected.4/10