Based on a Qing Dynasty story, "The Assassination of Ma", it was made in to a movie by Zhang Che in 1973, "The Blood Brothers".

Here, the roles of main protagonists are reprised by Jet Li as General Pang Qing-yun, Andy Lau, and Takeshi Kaneshiro as bandits Zhao Er Hu and Jiang Wu-yang, respectively.

Pang opens the movie as the only survivor of a massacre that has his entire army slaughtered while he escapes by playing dead. And after an encounter with a peasant woman Lian (Xu Jing-lei), he joins a gang of outlaws led by Er Hu and Wu-yang. Pang, not content with a bandit life, outraged by looting from soldiers and being looted and humiliated by rival soldiers, suggests joining the imperial army. The trio signs a blood pact. With the story unfolding, the blood brothers find their principles in conflict with each other's. The ambitious and unscrupulous Pang, whose military successes awarded him the court's attention, suffers little remorse when it comes to sacrifice. His growing love for Lian, who happens to be Zhao's wife, doesn't recognize obstacles.

Er Hu, the charismatic leader, a man guided by honour, defends his ideals in loyalty to his men. And Wu-yang - torn between the reason and conscience, fanatically adheres to the code of the brotherhood.

Once their status as an army is established there comes awareness that they are only pawns in a dangerous political game. Scheming high court officials have their own agenda using Pang against his friends. New alliances and challenges further exacerbate brothers' differences and put the brotherhood to the test.

Powerful performance from Jet Li has deservedly won him a Best Actor award. As General Pang he has revealed a great dramatic talent.

The characters of Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro are less developed and the latter's is rather shallow. Lau is excellent and convincing as gradually disillusioned general Zhao, while Kaneshiro's appearances in jumpy close ups are quite irritating. It is disappointing that Lian's character is fleeting and superficial. In the love triangle, she appears a mere pretext to dividing the brothers.

The film is beautifully shot in muted, sepia colours, emphasizing relentlessness and grim reality of war, only later briefly enhanced to strongly contrast the opulence of the imperial court. Battle scenes strive to be realistic. However, the one where Li upturns a whole row of cannons and slahes off limbs with a guandao, echoes his earlier choreographed fights. And pitting 800 men against an army of 5000 seems like a flight of fancy.

Nonetheless, it is a film certainly worth watching, if only beacause of differently treated subject of war; if only to see Jet Li in his best acting role.

While "Fearless" was marketed as Jet Li's "last" period martial arts epic, he's back in costume here as plucky Qing General Pang. He does have several fight scenes, but unlike past movies where his performances showcased his highly acrobatic skills, this role instead requires more dramatic effort from him. So there are many close-ups of his now middle aged face, lined and weary, and they very effectively convey the image of a warrior who has seen too much of the world's horrors.

Nonetheless, despite the many setbacks he faces, General Pang is a survivor and an opportunist, and he hasn't given up hope that his fortunes will change for the better. For example, in the opening of the movie we see a Qing Army annihilated by Taiping rebels, and Pang is the only survivor. We later learn that another commander deliberately shirked from assisting him and left his army to its fate.

Pang ultimately encounters a rag-tag bandit gang who rob to survive, led by Er-hu (Andy Lau), and Jiang (Takeshi Kaneshiro). However, after the gang is divested of their food by the same Qing troops who deserted Pang and his men, Pang convinces Er-hu and Jiang to join the Imperial Army, for they will not lack for food or loot, nor be bullied by other soldiers.

Thus, the trio swear an oath to become blood brothers, and ultimate leadership would go to Pang, who enjoys success after success. Of course, as in the Shaw Brothers version, there is a woman who will come between the two lead men.

However, in "The Warlords," Pang is a much different character than General Ma (played by Ti Lung) in the earlier "Blood Brothers," for Ma is unabashedly ambitious and unfliching in killing anyone who stands in his way.

On the other hand, when Pang does away with his enemies and rivals, he feels the weight of guilt on his conscience, and at least he tries to rationalize his actions as being for the greater good, and perhaps he really did mean well.

After all, Pang does not openly punish Er-hu when the latter challenges his authority at times, and he even weeps when he orders a massacre of Taiping prisoners, for his own army is hungry and desperately short on food. Moreover, even as a collision course is set up between Pang and his two brothers, corrupt Qing officials jealous of Pang's success are plotting to kill him anyway. This latter angle wasn't present in "The Blood Brothers."

The tragic ending is rather predictable, regardless whether you've seen "The Blood Brothers" or not, and yet this verson is worth watching for the credible performances, the high production vales, and in particular the realistic, extremely detailed battle scenes. In one of the early battles, Pang uses an interesting tactic of sending a forlorn hope of swordsmen to charge Taiping musketeers, a moving shield for the following archers who fire in support, therefore allowing the rest of army to close to sword fighting range. It's quite impressive to watch, and it's also cool to see the Taiping rebels fire muskets successively in ranks like well-drilled European professionals.