Warlords
Magnet Releasing | Release Date: April 2, 2010 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
70
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 16 Critic Reviews
Positive:
12
Mixed:
3
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
The New York TimesJeannette Catsoulis
Epic in scope but intimate in theme, The Warlordsheaves with spectacular battles and the relentless sway of self-interest over conscience. Read full review
85
NPRMark Jenkins
It's a surprisingly nuanced and sober tale of brotherhood and betrayal. Read full review
80
EmpireKim Newman
The guy story is so strong that conventional romantic interludes with the woman torn between two men could easily have been dropped. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterMaggie Lee
After a career excelling in highbrow urban romances, Hong Kong director Peter Chan ("Perhaps Love") earns his spurs in his march into war epic territory. Read full review
80
VarietyDerek Elley
Laden with gritty action, but with an emotional undertow that carries the drama even through its weaker moments, picture reps a strong comeback by Hong Kong helmer-producer Peter Chan. Read full review
80
Village VoiceRob Nelson
Chan's old-fashioned, highly watchable mega-production comes complete with God's-eye surveys of mass carnage, the moist sounds of sword-skewering, and little or no discernible CGI. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesBetsy Sharkey
Like the best war movies do, director Peter Ho-Sun Chan has woven together an intimate story of men against a backdrop of history writ large. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubNoel Murray
The Warlords relies too much on combat movie clichés and corny sentiment, weighted down by speeches about heroism and hypocrisy. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChroniclePeter Hartlaub
Fans of this film will some day wear out their DVDs and Blu-rays playing that fantastic battle scene again and again. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
The Warlords, ultimately, tries to speak to the futility of war - but it does so by staging one gargantuan dustup after another. Read full review
70
Boxoffice MagazineWade Major
Though less splashy than "Red Cliff," or for that matter "Hero," or even "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," the picture nonetheless embraces a classic melodramatic approach to an otherwise familiar Ching Dynasty tale, delivering one of the most bracing Asian period films in many years. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
It’s all lavish, if disposable. But in a nifty change of pace, the warriors in The Warlords are interesting. Read full review
60
Time OutKeith Uhlich
The film lurches through narrative incidents: Battle scenes, political intrigue and a ticking-time-bomb love triangle are all pitched at the level of mundane competence and rarely get the blood racing. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsJoe Neumaier
The scope of director Peter Chan's military drama is impressive, though this sometimes-rousing depiction of strategy and loyalty in mid-1800s China pales next to recent, similar historical epics like "Red Cliff" and "Mongol." Read full review
50
Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan
There's a visceral, albeit somewhat goofy, satisfaction to this stuff. Read full review
38
New York PostV.A. Musetto
Is nothing sacred? In the schizophrenic war epic The War lords, Jet Li, the hunky action hero, cries -- no, make that sobs -- several times. What will his legion of young male fans think? Read full review
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