Synopsis:
It’s a heroic tale of three blood brothers and their struggle in the midst of war and political upheaval. It is based on “The Assassination of Ma,” a Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) story about the assasination of general Ma Xinyi.
In the year 1850, the suffering of the 430 million Chinese people under the corrupt rule of the Qing Dynasty set the stage for the Taiping Rebellion. During the chaos of the decade long civil war, 50 million people died from either hunger or battle.
In the fall of 1870, General Ma (played by Jet Li) stands high atop the city walls fully attired in governor’s robes. Peering down upon the site of his inauguration, he is filled with dreams and ambition. Ma has taken a path of no return; had he chosen differently, he might have been one of the heroes later ovethrow the corrupt Qing imperial regime and establish a new China. He could have changed the course of history…
…But two bandits and a woman changed the course of his life — helping him achieve his goal, but ultimately causing his demise. The two bandits are his sworn brothers: Cao Er-Hu (played by Andy Lau) and Zhang Wen Xiang (played by Takeshi Kaneshiro). The woman who comes between them is Cao- wife (played by Xu Jinglei).
A born leader, Cao Er-Hu is a man of honor. To ensure the survival of his village during a time of war, he leads a band of marauding bandits. There were two loves in his life — his wife, Lian and his little brother Zhang Wen Xiang who he adopted when tha latter was orphaned at the age of 13.
Zhang Wen Xiang is a charismatic outlaw, a cold blooded killer full of romatic idealism. He posseses both the callousness and the innocence of the youth. When Ma takes an arrow for him in a battle against the Taiping rebels, he owes Ma his life and develops an intense attachment to him. He worships Ma above all else - including Cao, the brother who adopted him.
Ma convinces Cao and his bandits to join the Qing army and thus a blood brotherhood was formed.
Release:
December 2007
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