Tian jiang xiong shi 2015

Lou Lumenick, New York Post: Veteran star Chan, who plays it mostly straight, has great bromantic chemistry with Cusack, surprisingly convincing as an ancient Roman warrior trying to protect a child of noble birth. Read more

Maggie Lee, Variety: An unparalleled meeting of Eastern and Western talent, writer-director Daniel Lee's historical blockbuster is entertainment on a grand scale. Read more

Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, AV Club: Lee displays only glimmers of the cartoonish, gonzo sensibility that once made him seem like an interesting talent. In its place is strained seriousness and a butt-ugly digital palette of tan and sand. Read more

Cary Darling, Fort Worth Star-Telegram/DFW.com: Dragon Blade is undercut by woeful miscasting and tonal shifts that veer from drama to comedy and maudlin overreach. Read more

Clarence Tsui, Hollywood Reporter: [Chan's] acrobatic action sequences remain eye-catching as ever Read more

Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times: It's kind of a mess. That more than 20 minutes have been trimmed for the stateside release may have hurt the film's coherence, but viewers will be thankful for the shorter sit. Read more

Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger: Just about everyone seems to get slashed, carved up or skewered, and vengeance rains down upon all. Except, of course, the one villain who truly deserved it. The filmmaker. Read more

Stephen Whitty, New York Daily News: An epic in China, it's been trimmed here in the States. But this movie didn't need a cut, it needed a beheading. Read more

Manohla Dargis, New York Times: The least interesting question to ask about a movie like "Dragon Blade" is whether it's any good. Of course it isn't, not especially, but questions of quality pale next to the greater headscratcher: What is it? Read more

Soren Anderson, Seattle Times: Dragon Blade" is a solidly constructed epic that, despite its many battle scenes, has a strong message of pacifism and unity. Read more

Nathan Rabin, Globe and Mail: In Dragon Blade, East meets West in a murky, mediocre muddle. Read more

Linda Barnard, Toronto Star: A confusing action-drama that, despite being a box office titan in China, lands here with a dull thud. Read more

Steve Tilley, Toronto Sun: It's all completely over-the-top and loaded with cheese, and the mix of comedy, arch melodrama, sweeping CGI vistas and plentiful if improbable action doesn't quite gel. Read more

John Anderson, Wall Street Journal: People are burned alive, crushed like insects, hurled from rooftops. They may not deserve all this. But neither do we. Read more