A crowd-pleasing theatrical hit in China, Daniel Lee’s visually lavish romp gets only a limited cinema airing in the UK, alongside a simultaneous VOD release. There’s certainly enough spectacle for any cinema, as the Han dynasty narrative throws up warring tribal nations and marauding Roman legions, brought together on the Silk Road in a historically fanciful mashup of martial arts, military manoeuvres, and “all together now” construction work. Jackie Chan is typically likable as Huo An, who forms an unexpected bond with John Cusack’s mildly laughable Lucius before Adrien Brody appears as the utterly preposterous Tiberius – a swaggering performance that would not have looked out of place in Tinto Brass’s Caligula. Handsome production design and sweeping battle vistas lend a touch of class, with Chan directing the action scenes with trademark brio.
