The Movie: Kingdom 『キングダム』
The Director: Shinsuke Sato
The Cast: Kento Yamazaki, Ryo Yoshizawa, Masami Nagasawa, Kanna Hashimoto, Kanata Hongo
The Story: In ancient China, a young boy dreams of becoming the greatest general of the Qin Kingdom.
The Review:
Epic action films set in ancient China have been done so many times and in so many ways but honestly I will never get tired of the drama, the intrigue, and of course all of the high flying martial arts action. Shinsuke Sato wow'd audiences last year with his scifi hit Inuyashiki and now takes a left turn and pushes out a period piece that will certainly rival some of the biggest heavy hitters of the genre. All the stuff you expect is there with epic battles, beautiful landscapes, armies of warriors, and all the drama you could shake a sword at.
One major difference with this story is that it revolves around the relationship between two brothers, played by Kento Yamazaki and Ryô Yoshizawa, instead of similar genre films which usually have a love story component at the forefront, especially forbidden love. Because forbidden love ramps up the emotion and drama. There are of course kingdoms to conquer and political intrigue and many battles to be fought so there is no shortage of action and all of it looks amazing with bold cinematography, beautiful costumes, and some truly innovative fight choreography.
Kingdom is one of those big, epic action movies you just have to watch on the big screen. In an already strong career, this might be Shinsuke Sato's best work to date. Definitely check this one out.
Kingdom is an official selection of the 2019 Fantasia International Film Festival.
To see more reviews, interviews, and festival coverage please go to:
TwoOhSix at Fantasia 2019
Check out the brand new TwoOhSix.com Podcast!
No comments :
Post a Comment