Thank you guys for supporting me for 100 videos. Be sure to post a comment on what you like about the site to enter to win a copy of Dragon! I’ll announce the winner in next week’s video!
Eric Tsang may be known for his more comedic roles, but he’s a dedicated actor in his own right. 7 Assassins (Glory Days) is co-directed by Tsang and Xin Xin Xiong, and features a some pretty good action sequences.
The story revolves around a group of royal guards that are sent on a mission to retrieve some stolen gold, but they soon run into complications and discover that there are more people after the gold than just them.
The film looks pretty good, though it may not be anything super special. This film came out of left field for me, but it’s something that’s coming out soon and may help with the wait for other movies. 7 Assassins will be coming out on June 9th.
Peter Hyams decided to take a risk when he chose to have a Chinese choreographer take control of the fights in the Musketeer. This choice put a decidedly different spin on the action, which borrowed heavily from other films in the genre. Hyams also cast Calvin Klein model Justin Chambers as the lead. Would this unique mixture in casting lead to something unforgettable, or regrettable?
The story of the Musketeer is supposed to be an updated variation of Alexander Dumas’ novel. I’ve never read the novel, so I’m not sure how closely it follows the story, but I’m pretty sure that a lot of liberties were taken in the film. The plot is good enough to get the ball rolling, but not deep enough to create a lasting impression. It would have been more interesting to see the motives of each character in the film to justify their actions.
Speaking of characters, you won’t find anything standout here. The bad guys are just bad and the musketeers themselves seem to be very easily convinced to act once you mention honor. Even the three musketeers have no personality, occasionally quipping one-liners from time to time. Needless to say, the characters in the novel have been diluted considerably for the film.
Action/Choreography
The main thing the Musketeer had going for it was the action. It was the main hook, and it’s what got people into theaters. Your experience with the choreography is going to vary quite a bit depending on how deeply you value other films. Xin Xin Xiong has some great choreography, but a lot of it will look familiar.
Seen this before?
One of the biggest “influences” for the choreo is Once Upon a Time in China., especially the final fight. Xiong even played Clubfoot in the films, so there’s no denying he knew of the similarities. It completely steals the concept, and does a worse job in the process. You can either be happy that the setpiece was used again in another film, or furious that it was so blatantly ripped off. Forget the fact that Justin Chambers was doubled a lot, the action is only good when looked at from the surface.
Own it, Watch it, or Skip it?
A lot of credit should be given to Peter Hyams for even attempting to fuse two very different worlds. It’s pretty entertaining to see a musketeer move like this, but maybe not for the better. I just don’t feel like this type of choreography is right for the source material. I still feel like it’s worth a watch simply because it is so different, but be warned that you may end up upset at the end result. If you watch it, just sit back and enjoy the ride for what it’s worth.
