Review | Film review: The Great Wall - Matt Damon, Andy Lau fight mythical beasts in Zhang Yimou’s fantasy adventure blockbuster
For all the talk about Damon’s role, it is the Chinese characters played by Lau and Jing Tian who lead battle against mythical monsters in a film that shows director’s trademark visual grandeur, amid the CGI, and eschews politics
3.5/5 stars
While the Chinese film industry remains on track to become the world’s largest within the next few years, a bona fide crossover hit continues to prove elusive. Hollywood fare has dominated the global box office for decades, but Chinese-themed blockbusters have only performed domestically or with diaspora audiences.
With celebrated 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. Headlined by Matt Damon and Hong Kong’s Andy Lau Tak-wah, the US$150 million fantasy adventure naturally emerges as the most promising candidate to date.
Damon plays William, an Irish mercenary who arrives at China’s Great Wall together with Spanish companion Tovar (Game of Thrones’ Pedro Pascal) just as it is besieged by a monstrous horde of Taotie – mythical beasts from the bowels of Hell, whom the Chinese believe were sent to keep their greed in check.
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 agrees to stay and help defend the kingdom.