Warriors of the Rainbow, Seedq Bale

Warrior of The Rainbow - 2011 - reviewed.

 

WARRIORS OF THE RAINBOW ( Seediq Bale )  2011 

 

Starring -

Ling Ching-Tai – stars as Mauno Rudo Chief of the MeHebu tribe.

Ando Masanobu- Japanese Academy award winner

Kowahara Sabu- Veteran Japanese actor , plays the Japanese general

John Woo – producer

Wei Te Sheng- director.

Language- Japanese and others- English subtitled.

Thesis- even if outnumbered and outgunned, the true warrior will rise up and fight, even if it leads to his death.

Warriors of the Rainbow is an epic story based on the true events of the Japanese invasion of Taiwan in 1895.  John Woo ( Mission Impossible II, Red Cliff, Hard Boiled, and of course A Better Tomorrow ) produced this extraordinary movie. His fingerprints are all over this violent, searing , heart-rendering story of warriors , the oppressed and their oppressors.

The scene and backstory -

The island of Taiwan was the home of ancient aboriginal people and it was the property of China for hundreds or years. Our story centers on these aboriginal tribes, of which there were perhaps a dozen around the time of 1895.

These inhabitants of Taiwan were hunters- hunters of game, fish and other humans. Head Hunting was not only accepted, it was the way a young man of these tribes would indeed become recognized as a true man. A Hero.

At the time and even into the 1930s, Taiwan is not the big city that we know today, most of it was very dense mountainous jungle. Rivers and creeks everywhere, triple canopy jungles, sheer 1000 foot cliffs, full of game and eternally green.  Hunting grounds are very coveted and valuable.

The tribes’ existence is built around the land, the hunt, and a reverence for their ancestors. The deceased ancestors live in the afterlife and all tribes-people wish to join them by going over the rainbow bridge after their future passing.

                                                                          

“Warriors “ is the story of what happens to the all of the aboriginal people living on Taiwan when the Chinese simply hand over Taiwan  to Imperial Japan as part an agreed to treaty in 1895. It takes place over a 30 year period beginning with the brutal Japanese sailing in and taking possession of the Island as soon as the ink is dry on the treaty paperwork.  This is Imperial Japan, warlike in every word and deed. They did not come to negotiate.

Mouna Rudo is the main character in the story- future Chief of his Mehebu tribe, he has just made his bones by taking the heads of 2 rival clan members and stealing their game.

We see him as a young man just becoming a true man and hero for the first part of the movie and for the latter two thirds, we see him as a grown man and tribal chief.

The mature Mouna is played by Lin Ching Tai. A great and 100% believable performance wherein his courage, anger, mockery, leadership, charm and heroism are all on display.   I found out  after  seeing the entire movie for the first time that Lin Ching Tai is not an actor. He is indeed a tribal chief of his own tribe and is dedicated to keeping the old ways alive. When I found out that he was not an actor, I was amazed. He is the lead character in this epic 2 ½ hour 30 year epic movie , and he was brilliant.

For people whose lives are built around pride in themselves and their heritage, it is hard times for the tribal people living under the very heavy boot of the conceited, cruel, vicious Japanese. It is military rule and a force feeding of Japanese language, culture and way of life to all of the aboriginal people.

The men of the tribe are forced to do hard slave labor for almost nothing and what they do earn is spent drinking their lives away. Resentment builds and the hatred just smolders, you can smell it.

This is not the existence of a warrior. It is not the life of a proud independent people

Who have lived their way of life on the land of their ancestors.

Mouna Rudo, Chief, is treated like a dog and has to take it and so do all of the aboriginal people on Taiwan.

Time passes and the Japanese are entrenched. Mouno and his people are demeaned and degraded at every turn.

Enough is Enough. The tribal people rise up revolt against the  iron rule of the Japanese.

Warriors of The Rainbow shows us that a true hero, a Warrior must stand up.

Outnumbered, Outgunned, and against all odds, Warriors fight.

Losing is not the worst thing in this life, not showing the courage is.

Warriors Of The Rainbow portrays the conflict between a time honored way of life in the jungle vs the encroaching hand of “ civilization “ as it is thrust and forced onto the the native people. Conflicts are also evident within the tribes- not everyone is ready to forego a substandard but predictable existence at the hands of the unkind masters for the chaos, the almost- sure death and chaos that will come about as soon as the rebellion starts.

The different men of the tribes are all caught in the conflict, no one can escape or ignore it.

We recommend this beautiful movie highly. It is historic, masterful in its cinematography,

And tells a compelling tale of warriors, war, the downtrodden and uprising.

At 2 and ½ hours long, it is a completely engrossing film. Enjoy.

The film's site and trailer, here -

 http://warriorsoftherainbow.wellgomovies.com/

available for sale at Amazon -

 http://www.amazon.com/Warriors-Rainbow-Seediq-Lin-Ching-Tai/dp/B008645YLM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1354735852&sr=8-2&keywords=warriors+of+the+rainbow