Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that this subtitled martial arts epic from Hong Kong and China is a particularly violent example of the genre. Not only are there (beautifully choreographed) martial arts fights, but there's also frequent shooting, stabbing, slicing, explosions -- and lots of blood. There's a serious, tragic tone to the violence, and children and animals are involved in some of it -- a little girl dies after a battle, soldiers fire warning shots at boys, and horses are injured. There are no other real issues except for the occasional iffy word in the subtitles, like "damn," "hell," and "bastard." Teen fans of martial arts movies will want to see this, especially given the presence of stars Andy Lau, Nicholas Tse, and Jackie Chan, but the level of violence shouldn't be underestimated.
Sexual
Content
Not applicable
Violence
Tons of violence, ranging from martial arts battles to slicing, stabbing, and shooting with copious amounts of blood. The overall tone is serious and tragic. Children are involved in some of the violent acts; one little girl dies, and some boys are shot at. There's fire, explosions, destruction, and lots of dead bodies. Horses are shown getting injured.
Language
The words "bastard," "damn," and "hell" pop up in the English subtitles.
Social
Behavior
The movie's main theme has to do with shunning violence in favor of compassion, and it's presented clearly and powerfully. That said, the film uses an enormous amount of violence to make that point -- even the compassion is demonstrated during the heat of battle.
Consumerism
Not applicable
Drugs / Tobacco /
Alcohol
Not applicable
