REVIEW:
This $45 million historical epic filmed in mainland China features a compelling story of the Ming Dynasty's fall amid the spectacle of lavish battles, reinforced by an impressive level of detail and intensity.

As the story begins, the Ming empire has already been overthrown by the Qing Dynasty (Manchurians) who now hold Beijing and the majority of the provinces in the north. Meanwhile, the Dutch have seized Taiwan and are using China's internal struggle for their own profit. Now in exile, the Ming Emperor summons Zheng Sen, son of his chief general, Zheng Zhilong. Sensing the young man's loyalty, the Emperor gives him the title of Imperial Namekeeper and control of all his remaining armies. But Sen soon discovers that those who are closest to him have lost faith in the Emperor. Realizing that the Ming Empire is lost, Sen turns his attention to ridding China of the Dutch. With the aid of Xueling, a Taiwanese refugee whose devotion to the Zheng family compels her to return to the Dutch-occupied island as a spy, Sen mounts an amphibious assault from the mainland to force the Dutch out.

Star of Tsui Hark's "The Blade" and "Once Upon a Time in China IV" & "V," Zhao Wenzhou leads an excellent cast. Being a mainland Chinese production, much of the indulgent martial arts that would dominate a similar Hong Kong production is played down but Zhao's skills do feature prominently in several scenes including the final spectacular siege of a Dutch castle. His stoic yet emotional performance as a man who knows he's fighting a losing battle does this under-appreciated actor credit. Another standout performer is Shiu Ling, who plays a Taiwanese refugee who is saved by Sen's mother and subsequently sacrifices herself in order help Sen save her homeland. This new young actress winningly plays Xueliang, a traumatized and disturbed woman who also displays an immensely strong spirit. A nice touch in the film is an obvious attraction she shares with Sen who happens to be married to another woman. Yet, unlike Hollywood, this relationship is never consummated, which only increases its effectiveness in the characters' development.

"Sino-Dutch War 1661" successfully has the look and feel of a blockbuster film that could easily compete with the likes of "Braveheart" in Western film markets if not for having the Chinese perspective. This is not a criticism by any means. But, its a shame that Western distributors and general audiences will likely dismiss the film since the Dutch perspective is not included. Attention to detail is given to the Chinese troops and equally to the Dutch soldiers and sailing vessels which "look" authentic. Yet, let it be noted here and now that this review is not a critique of historical accurateness, but rather of general perceptions. The point to be made here is that the filmmakers obviously took a great amount of time to reproduce this period in history and the effect is quite impressive. In addition to massive recreations of castle sieges employing giant slings and cannon, the film depicts large scale naval engagements involving boats loaded with explosives that are rammed into larger vessels.

Costumes are exquisitely detailed and colorful. The outstanding film score has more of a western symphonic sound mixed with some traditional Chinese instruments to create a fittingly dramatic accompaniment to the action. The only negative factors would be the sheer scale of the film itself and its underlying theme. While the acting is generally fine, the events easily dwarf any of the characters. In this case, some rapid cuts between various periods makes the viewer feel somewhat detached from the lives of the main characters. "Sino-Dutch War 1661" ends abruptly, without any dramatic twist or pause to leave the viewer with. The film does use narration throughout and at the end to fill in historical details which is helpful since this is a conflict that the Western world is generally uniformed of. Another more blatant element of the film is the promotion of nationalism and the concept of putting the state before the individual or even the family. Likewise, the retaking of Taiwan by loyal Chinese forces to save the island from Western influence strikes at the heart of Chinese/American relations today. The Chinese government no doubt encourage such notions and makes one wonder how much they contributed to the film.

Setting aside politics, "Sino-Dutch War 1661" is a very entertaining film. For anyone who appreciates "epic" war movies with all the trimmings, this film is a real treat. It focuses more broadly on the events surrounding the Ming Dynasty's demise than many of the Hong Kong productions do and with an attention to detail and pageantry rarely seen today.