The Warrior and the Wolf

The Warrior and the Wolf (simplified Chinese: 狼灾记; traditional Chinese: 狼災記; pinyin: láng zāi jì) is a 2009 Chinese historical action film directed by Tian Zhuangzhuang. It tells the story of the battle between two ancient warriors. It is Tian's latest directorial effort since 2006's The Go Master.

The Warrior and the Wolf
Directed byTian Zhuangzhuang
Produced byWilliam Kong
Written byTian Zhuangzhuang
Based onThe Warrior and the Wolf
by Inoue Yasushi
StarringMaggie Q
Tou Chung-hua
Joe Odagiri
CinematographyWang Yu
Edited byWenders Li
Distributed byEDKO Film
Release date
  • September 13, 2009 (2009-09-13) (Toronto)
  • October 2, 2009 (2009-10-02) (China)
Running time
100 minutes
CountryChina
LanguageMandarin

Filming began in fall 2008 in China's northwest Xinjiang Autonomous Region.[1] The film was released in late 2009.[1]

The Warrior and the Wolf is being co-produced by companies from Hong Kong (Edko Films), Singapore (MediaCorp Raintree Pictures) and China (Perfect World Culture).

Plot

General Zhang is the commander of a northern border's army camp which repels the attacking barbarians every year. When snowfall makes the support of the base with supplies impossible, the troops return home.

Lu Shenkang is a newly recruited soldier who was a shepherd, has no courage and tries to flee the army on several occasions. Lu bonds with General Zhang and when the barbarians attack and take him hostage, Lu exchanges him with a captured tribal prince.

The wounded General Zhang returns home earlier and Lu stays in charge.

When the winter's snow arrives, he leads his men on the trip home. Due to the harsh weather they take refuge in the Harran tribe's village where Lu takes a hut and woman for himself.

Shortly before the soldiers leave the village to continue their return home, the woman tells Lu that legend says that being intimate with outsiders leads to them becoming wolves.

The army marches on and are attacked by wolves. A following sand storm kills all but Lu who returns to the village.

Years later the barbarians surrender to Imperial China and General Zhang returns to the region to deliver the court's messages.

Two of his men shoot at dogs and are found dead in the morning.

General Zhang is bitten to death by two wolves after riding out to a deserted fortification.

Cast

Reception

Critical reception was generally poor. Perry Lam writes in Muse Magazine, 'The original story is both a heartfelt tribute to physical love as a life force and an angry condemnation of the aggressive instincts of human beings... To transport the story to ancient China, and, through the novelty of casting, to have a Japanese actor play the role of a Chinese warrior and an American Vietnamese play a Chinese widow, is not to challenge the imagination but to impoverish it.'[2]

References

  1. Lim, Marcus (2008-09-25). "Maggie Q to star in 'Wolf'". Variety. Retrieved 2009-01-08.
  2. Lam, Perry (November 2009). "'Lost message'". Muse Magazine (34): 102.
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