Today’s quick review: Little Big Soldier. Jackie Chan stars as a crafty soldier who is the sole survivor of a devastating battle in China’s Warring States period. While scavenging the battlefield, he comes across the enemy general, who was wounded in battle. Laden with spoils, the soldier takes the captive general back to his homeland, where his capture will be rewarded with five acres of farmland and an exemption from military service. But the road is perilous, and the general turns out to be a handful. The soldier must use all his cunning and luck to reach his home and claim his reward.
Little Big Soldier is a Chinese historical drama with comedic elements. The tone is very different from Jackie Chan’s usual work, and a viewer that goes in expecting a comedy will be sadly disappointed. But as a historical drama, Little Big Soldier is a decent movie with flashes of brilliance. Jackie Chan’s soldier is one of the richest characters he has ever played. A coward and an opportunist, he nonetheless manages to be a sympathetic character due to his humble aspirations, sunny optimism, and endless stream of folk wisdom. He represents the high cost of war in human lives and suffering, and his cowardice is understandable in the face of a battle that wiped out thousands of troops on either side.
The story is a series of obstacles that leave the soldier with less and less of his prize. The hardships he goes through are made worthwhile by the promise of land and a life of peace, but the road home is filled with mountains, barbarians, and traitors from the general’s nation that wish to see him killed. The fighting is fast-paced and well-choreographed, showing off Jackie Chan’s trademark creativity within the bounds of the story. The use of props is more limited than in Chan’s comedic work, and the soldier is an indifferent fighter who uses spins and cheap shots to avoid fights where he is outmatched.
Little Big Soldier is a decent historical drama with a few moments of greatness. Those expecting a classic Jackie Chan comedy will be disappointed. Instead, Little Big Soldier is a historical drama with martial arts action, a blend of tragic and comedic elements, and an unusually human protagonist. Watch it only if you are in the right mood for the genre. Specific moments border on the artistic, but enough of the film is a conventional period piece that Little Big Soldier does not transcend its genre to become a classic.
7.0 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 for overall quality and an 8.0 for Jackie Chan’s character. Consider it the former if you judge movies holistically and the latter if you judge them by their peaks.