THE GREAT WALL - Epic Historical Adventure Film directed by ZHANG YIMOU

USPA NEWS - What might become the next US-Chinese blockbuster is some kind of testing the water for a new period in US-China film cooperation. Hollywood fare has dominated the global box office for decades, but Chinese-themed blockbusters have only performed domestically or with diaspora audiences....

What might become the next US-Chinese blockbuster is some kind of testing the water for a new period in US-China film cooperation. Hollywood fare has dominated the global box office for decades, but Chinese-themed blockbusters have only performed domestically or with diaspora audiences, with Director Zhang Yimou at the helm, and a cast of A-list talent from both East and West, 'The Great Wall' appears tailor-made to finally buck this trend.

Directed by : Zhang Yimou
Produced by : Thomas Tull, Charles Roven, Jon Jashni, Peter Loehr
Written by : Tony Gilroy, Carlo Bernard, Doug Miro, Max Brooks, Edward Zwick, Marshall Herskovitz
Starring : Matt Damon, Jing Tian, Pedro Pascal, Willem Dafoe, Andy Lau
Distributed by : Universal Pictures, Le Vision Pictures, China Film Group Corporation
Release dates : December 15, 2016 (China), January 11, 2017 ( France), February 17, 2017 (United States)
Running time : 104 minutes
Country : United States, China

THE STORY

During the Song dynasty, a few miles north of the Great Wall, William, Tovar, and three other survivors from a European mercenary group searching for black powder are pursued by Khitan bandits. They seek refuge in a cave but are then attacked by a shadowy monster, leaving only William and Tovar alive, the former having slashed off the monster's hand.The next day, they stumble upon the Great Wall and are taken prisoner by Chinese soldiers, who are led by General Shao, Commander Lin, and Strategist Wang.

Initially the foreigners simply wish to flee with as much explosive 'black powder' as they can carry, but after earning the respect of Commander Lin (Jing Tian), newly appointed leader of the wall´s Nameless Order, William (Matt Damon) agrees to stay and help defend the kingdom....

OUR REVIEW

Hollywood has been keen to court China´s enormous viewing public, with US studios making a series of concerted plays for their share of the market. This action adventure Film was helmed by superstar Chinese director Zhang Yimou, backed by Chinese-owned Hollywood studio Legendary, with a cast featuring Chinese A-listers as well as Matt Damon, making it the most expensive film ever made in China.

'The Great Wall' never misses an opportunity to marvel at the might and ingenuity of the Chinese military, from its use of gunpowder to its elaborate weaponry, men and women are equally adept on the battlefield, while imperial courtiers are shamed for their cowardice and pandering....

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