Of all the stories about the crucible of China's 19th century tumult, this one manages to convey well the decadence, corruption, machination of politics, heroism, and the tragedy of power.
Particularly clever is the artistic license the movie used to portray the three heroes of this period: Zeng Guofan, Zuo Zongtang, and Li Hongzhang. They are given different silhouettes and there are three old men in the movie who come across as corrupt bureaucrats. This pays homage to the theory that Zeng Guofan masterminded the assassination of Ma Xinyi in 刺马案, one of the four unsolved cases in the late Qing period.
What impress me the most is the incorporation of Beijing Opera in the movie. I like the nuanced expressions on the opera troupe's faces and how their intensity is transferred to the main actors. Makes me wish I studied about film and how to direct them.
And best friends shouldn't fight over a woman, because whoever wins everybody looses....Unless the woman in question is Xu Jinglei, in which case everything is fair game.
