The Promise

The Promise

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Editorial Reviews

A new epic fantasy set in China's mythical past, "The Promise" is a visually stunning tale of passion that unfolds against a backdrop of war as a beautiful and mysterious princess becomes the object of affection for three very different men - a powerful Duke, a brave general and a lowly slave. As passions spark and egos clash, lives will be ruined and lovers spurned and no one will ever be the same.

The Promise came to American shores with endless hype about its visual splendor--and for once, the hype is deserved. Lush and luminous, almost every shot will make you want to weep from its sheer loveliness. A starving young orphan girl named Qingcheng is offered a deal by a capricious goddess: The girl will be staggeringly beautiful and have all the wealth, delicious food, and fabulous clothing she could ask for--but every man she ever loves will die. Thus begins a twisty tale in which a fleet-footed slave (Korean actor Dong-Kun Jang) and a mighty general (Japanese actor Hiroyuki Sanada, The White Countess) compete for the love of the adult Qingcheng (Hong Kong beauty Cecilia Cheung), while a vengeful usurper (Hong Kong star Nicholas Tse, Time and Tide) seeks to destroy them all. Like many of the classics of Hong Kong fantasy--such as A Chinese Ghost Story, Swordsman II, and Green Snake--The Promise combines the epic storylines of Chinese mythology with the headlong momentum and energetic editing of kung-fu action movies. The result can sometimes seem absurd to American audiences--though these same audiences will happily swallow the absurdities of American science fiction, simply because they're familiar with the conventions of the genre. Viewers who embrace the conventions of Hong Kong fantasy will find The Promise engaging and emotionally rich...and there's just no denying the gorgeousness. Compared with the sterile spectacle of the later Star Wars movies or the clumsy, labored Matrix sequels, The Promise bursts with human warmth, dynamic storytelling, and elegant design. More Western audiences should open themselves to its pleasures. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews

Entertaining

Reviewed by SereneNight, 2010-02-22

This was an entertaining dubbed film staring Nicholas Tse and Cecilia Cheung. The story revolves around Qingcheng a young girl who is `blessed' or `cursed' (depending on your perspective) by a goddess. In exchange for beauty and power, she is doomed to lose the man she loves. The hero is a slave, who secretly loves her- however, there is a love triangle of sorts, between Qingcheng, the slave and his master. The villain is Nicholas Tse, the super hot actor/singer.

What I liked most about the film was how beautiful it was. The plot itself was a bit silly and melodramatic and had a fairy-tale-esque quality, however, once you get past the ludicrous beginning, (the cattle stampede and the slaves running on all-fours), the film became entertaining.

I liked Nicholas as the evil villain who trusted no one and the beauty of the costumes and scenary. I especially thought the goddess was cool-looking with her hair held up and entwined with the halo.

If you like fairytales and can overlook a rather strange beginning, this was an entertaining film, worth a rental.

TOP FANTASY

Reviewed by Paul Scott, 2009-05-06

THIS REVIEW REFERS TO THE NEW BLURAY FROM ENGLAND AVAILABLE ON AMAZON U.K.OF THE PROMISE


Excellent fantasy film from Mainland China THE PROMISE.
The Bluray is an excellent print,very sharp and with beautiful colour.
Its in Mandarin with English subs or English.
The English dub track is outstanding.,very well done. all the voices fit perfectly ,and with very good actors delivering the lines.
also the story is good.

Highly Recommended.

Wonderful Film for Fans of Asian Cinema and Anime

Reviewed by Gene Bates, 2008-08-25

The Promise is an exquisite film full of lush colors and unique characters all wrapped up in a great fantasy setting. There is some initial silliness during the time the main character is introduced; however, it is disposed of rather quickly and the remainder of the film is a wonder to behold. If you enjoy Asian films or anime (Japanese Animation) you will enjoy the characters in this film and the unique world they inhabit. If you enjoyed Hero or House of Flying Daggers and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon you'll like this.

Mandarin Mediocrity

Reviewed by David R. Glier, 2008-05-05

The visuals are neither "breathtaking" nor is the action "heart-stopping," as the cover would have you believe. In fact, most of the props look like they were made with with sheet tin and spray paint, and *I* could have done better martial arts choreography. =/

This is not a bad movie. It's simply not a *good* one. I tolerate it because I have a weakness for Asian fantasy armor, and honestly that and an interestingly done romantic triangle are only reasons to buy this movie.

Unlike previous films coming out of China, showcasing their wealth of raw human talent with spectacular martial artists, acrobats and set designers; The Promise plays like a B-movie by making the mistake of attempting epic scope with a shoestring budget. Very sad. =/

In many respects this movie plays very similarly to a previous Korean film called Musa: The Warrior. Both feature a similar love triangle (slave, general, princess); the armor of the major characters attempts similar grandiosity; in both we are given the weak *suggestion* of a cast of thousands (in Musa by representing the entire Mongol hoard with a dozen or so badguys who change costumes; in The Promise by using bad CG), and in both the viewer gets the distinct impression that there's a great deal left to be desired.

UNLIKE Musa, some of the actors in The Promise can actually act -and Dong-Kun Jang and Cecilia Cheung deliver excelent and emotive performances as the slave and the princess. Previous commentors have noted that while most of the acting in this movie seems wooden or trite, there are indeed several moving scenes, and they're all when these two are put together on screen.

If you have watched The Warrior and enjoyed it -I did, despite its obvious lackings- you will enjoy this. This isn't a deep, resonant morality play like Curse of the Golden Flower, and it isn't a luxurious spectacle like House of Flying Daggers. It CERTAINLY isn't anything like the masterpieces that Hero and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon were.
It's an okay movie. Enjoy it or avoid it for what it is.

Stunning!

Reviewed by Garland D. Jarmon, 2008-04-27

I just purchased and watched this movie for the first time and I have to say, having watched many films from this genre, this ranks up there with the best of them!

The ONLY unfortunate think about this movie is the fact that the filmmakers decided it was BEST to leave most of the deleted scenes out. After watching them, I felt they should've stayed in the film, they were GREAT scenes, and they added A LOT of explanation to the story line.

Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed the film!