Review of The Children of Huang Shi (2008) by Nathan R — 05 Jan 2009

It radiates intelligence. Of how many historical epics can that be said these days? What ought to be the pinnacle of the story - the orphans' odds-defying 500-mile march over snow-covered mountains toward the relative safety of the Mongolian desert - is shunted toward the end of the film and compressed to a near-footnote.

Tells an engrossing story of a remarkable man, but nevertheless it's underwhelming. Dramatic and romantic tension never coil very tightly, as the film settles into a contented pace. History is never easy to capture in a fiction film, especially with a war in the background.

But you have to at least try to embrace the whole of it, not just tear off a convenient chunk. Real life is inconvenient; great movies still deal with it.