MANILA, Philippines??The Warlords? opens with a punch: A bleak and brutal battleground is revealed in flashes, where soldiers hack and stab away at other soldiers as blood sprays and bodies fall. Set in the latter half of the 19th century, during the grim years of the Taiping Rebellion against China?s Qing Dynasty, the movie is no clean-lined, flowing-robed martial arts epic.

Lyricism

Directed by Hong Kong?s Peter Ho-Sun Chan, the film is a weighty war drama far-removed from the lyricism and lush set designs of recent martial arts movies. The tone is generally grim all throughout?the palette is muted, the actors are grimy and deglamorized, and the setting is thoroughly gloomy.

The Taiping Rebellion was a protracted war that lasted 14 years and chalked up a death toll as high as that of World War II, so the backdrop of ravaged landscapes, harsh fortifications and a desperate populace is apt. The bleakness hasn?t put off audiences, though?not in Asia, at least. The movie has already earned at least $40 million.

Its cast of marquee stars has certainly contributed to the film?s box-office success. ?The Warlords,? a tale of three blood brothers whose bond is tested and eventually broken, stars Jet Li as General Pang Qin-Yun, Andy Lau as Zhao Er-Hu, Takeshi Kaneshiro as Jiang Wu-Yang, and Xu Jinglei as Lian, Er-Hu?s wife.

Loosely based on the real-life assassination of a famous Qing general, the movie tells the story of Pang, the sole survivor of a massacred Qing army, who convinces a group of bandits that fighting for the Empress is a better deal.

The group?s leader, Er-Hu (Lau), his sidekick, Wu-Yang (Kaneshiro), and Pang form a blood brotherhood, but it seems doomed from the beginning, since Pang and Er-Hu?s wife, Lian (Xu Jinglei), had previously met and fallen in love.

Conflicting desires

The plot is thickened by the intrigues of a triumvirate of mandarins at the Imperial Court, the greed of a rival general, and the conflicting desires of the three brothers.

Though the movie is ostensibly an ensemble production, Jet Li is the true star here. His character is well fleshed-out and his nuanced portrayal of the conflicted, increasingly ambitious General Pang is right on the mark. Lau, who starts out weak, gains strength as the story unfolds. Kaneshiro and Xu Jinglei, however, are both underused.

Viewers looking for action won?t be disappointed, because the production has deftly choreographed sequences and topnotch special effects. But, it?s worth noting that a major hurdle moviegoers need to overcome before the film can fully engage their attention is the language:

?The Warlords? is dubbed in English, and it?s strange to hear American and British voices?with 20th century vocabulary?coming out of the mouths of 18th century Chinese generals and peasants!