AFTER a summer of mostly mindless action fare, I find myself getting excited and interested just minutes into "Wheat". Contrary to the imagery that the title paints, Wheat is not a documentary - it is a war 'dramedy' quite like Jackie Chan's "Little Big Soldier"...
"Wheat" is set in a little town of Lu Yi when the states of Zhao and Qin in China are at war. Lord Ju Cong (Wang Xueqi), the master of Lu Yi in Zhao state, is getting married to his young and beautiful bride Li (Fan Bingbing) when he receives orders from the Zhao king: To rally every man and child above 12 and report for war against the Qin at once. This leaves all the women 'home alone' in the town and vast fields of golden wheat all waiting to be harvested.
On the war front, an elite Qin warrior named Xia (Huang Jue) deserts his post to get back to his village so that he can harvest his crops. On the way he meets Zhe (Du Jiayi), another deserter from the Qin army. Knowing fully well that the penalty for deserters is death by beheading, they do their utmost to flee their pursuers - including plunging headlong into a river. They end up in Luyi - where they tell the lonely women the news they are longing to hear: that they are victorious Zhao warriors returning home.
Director He Ping, who gave us the "Warriors Of Heaven And Earth" in 2003, takes a change in pace to let his audience linger and 'smell the roses'. He treats us to beautiful shots of golden fields of wheat dancing in the wind, and of breath-taking landscapes. In the same vein, he also drags some of the sequences, especially scenes of the deserters at Lu Yi, to the point of boredom and annoyance.
The story spans five days (ostensibly labeled after the natural elements of Gold, Wood, Water, Fire and Earth) but it feels much longer than that. However, the proceedings are spiced with humor provided by the large female cast of extras and by Du Jiayi who is allowed to ham his way through the movie. Huang Jue's portrayal of the protagonist is more controlled and acceptable but this is definitely Fan Bingbing's vehicle. As the 'matriarch' of Lu Yi, she is both commanding and beautiful. And her wedding night scenes are both ravishing and memorably sensual. - By LIM CHANG MOH (limchangmoh.blogspot.com)
"Wheat" is set in a little town of Lu Yi when the states of Zhao and Qin in China are at war. Lord Ju Cong (Wang Xueqi), the master of Lu Yi in Zhao state, is getting married to his young and beautiful bride Li (Fan Bingbing) when he receives orders from the Zhao king: To rally every man and child above 12 and report for war against the Qin at once. This leaves all the women 'home alone' in the town and vast fields of golden wheat all waiting to be harvested.
On the war front, an elite Qin warrior named Xia (Huang Jue) deserts his post to get back to his village so that he can harvest his crops. On the way he meets Zhe (Du Jiayi), another deserter from the Qin army. Knowing fully well that the penalty for deserters is death by beheading, they do their utmost to flee their pursuers - including plunging headlong into a river. They end up in Luyi - where they tell the lonely women the news they are longing to hear: that they are victorious Zhao warriors returning home.
Director He Ping, who gave us the "Warriors Of Heaven And Earth" in 2003, takes a change in pace to let his audience linger and 'smell the roses'. He treats us to beautiful shots of golden fields of wheat dancing in the wind, and of breath-taking landscapes. In the same vein, he also drags some of the sequences, especially scenes of the deserters at Lu Yi, to the point of boredom and annoyance.
The story spans five days (ostensibly labeled after the natural elements of Gold, Wood, Water, Fire and Earth) but it feels much longer than that. However, the proceedings are spiced with humor provided by the large female cast of extras and by Du Jiayi who is allowed to ham his way through the movie. Huang Jue's portrayal of the protagonist is more controlled and acceptable but this is definitely Fan Bingbing's vehicle. As the 'matriarch' of Lu Yi, she is both commanding and beautiful. And her wedding night scenes are both ravishing and memorably sensual. - By LIM CHANG MOH (limchangmoh.blogspot.com)