WARRIORS OF THE RAINBOW: SEEDIQ BALE is a home-grown historical action epic from Taiwan, featuring the story of an Aboriginal tribe who rise up against their Japanese oppressors during the early 20th century. It starts off on a rather dodgy note, asking the viewer to be interested in and accept as protagonist a man, Mona Rudao, who is introduced to the viewer when he kills and steals from some innocent tribesmen. Thankfully things then jump forward twenty years or so, and it all becomes straightforward.
The first thing to note is that I saw the international cut of this film, in which two parts are condensed down into one whole. While I enjoyed it on a superficial level, I have to say that there were too many problems with it for me to want to seek out the full version. The main issue I had is that the main tribe of characters are completely unsympathetic. They're headhunters, and when the Japanese describe them as 'savages' you tend to agree with them. I'm afraid I was on the side of the Japanese throughout in this one.
Elsewhere, the film is ridiculously one-sided in showing the Japanese to be a cowardly and easily-beaten foe, except when the text comes up at the end you see that things were completely different to the fantasy portrayed here. I did like the look of the film, although it's variously influenced by the likes of APOCALYPTO, LAST OF THE MOHICANS, BRAVEHEART, THE LAST SAMURAI, and BANG RAJAN, without ever quite giving the viewer a flavour of its own.
The action is quite well done, however, although marred by cheap CGI as is the case with so many eastern films these days. The scene in which the tribe rises up to attack the Japanese garrison is the highlight, really bloodthirsty and hair-raising stuff. But in the end, the lack of likable characters and the sheer ridiculousness of some moments (like the bratty kid running amok with the heavy weaponry) stopped me enjoying it too much.
Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale I
2011 [CHINESE]
Action / Drama / History
7.5
Synopsis
During the Japanese rule of Taiwan, the Seediq were forced to lose their own culture and give up their faith. Men were subject to harsh labor and kept from traditional hunting; whereas women had to serve the Japanese policemen and their families by doing the household work and giving up their traditional weaving work. Above all, they were forbidden to tattoo their faces. And these tattoos were seen as the Seediq's traditional belief to transform themselves into Seediq Bale ("true humans"). Mona Rudao, the protagonist, witnessed the repression by the Japanese over a period of 30 years. Sometime between autumn and winter 1930, when the slave labor is at its harshest, a young Seediq couple are married and a joyful party is thrown. At the same time, a newly appointed Japanese policeman goes on his inspection tour to this tribe. Mona Rudao's first son, Tado Mona, offers wine to the policeman with gusto, but is in return beaten up because his hands were considered not clean enough. With anger, Tado Mona and his brother Baso Mona attack the policeman. And from that day onward, their tribe is living in the shadow of being the object of revenge by the Japanese. In a few days, a group of youth surround Mona Rudao. They strongly request him to lead the retaliation against the Japanese. Mona Rudao struggles for a long time between extending his fellow's lives and fighting back for dignity, until he sees these youngster's faces - clear without Seediq's tattoos - that he made up his mind. He tells the youngsters, "Japanese troops out-number the stones in Dakusui River, more intensive than the leaves in the forest, but my determination fighting them is ever stronger than Mt. Kire." "Children! On the tip of the Rainbow Bridge led to home of our ancestor's spirits, there is another beautiful hunting range. Our ancestors are all there! Remember, only brave spirits can enter this place, and we can never lose it. My fellows, let us hunt the heads of our enemies, and we wash our spirits with blood so that we walk the Rainbow Bridge to be always with our ancestors." The film Seediq Bale depicts the Wushe Incident, which occurred in central Taiwan during the Japanese rule. When the Seediq Bale, believing in the Rainbow, and the Japanese, believing in the Sun, met one another, they fought. The leader of Seediq Bale, Mona Rudao, led 300 warriors fighting against 3000 Japanese troopers. The only thing they forgot was whether it was the Rainbow or the Sun they believed in; they actually believed in the same sky. —Anonymous
Uploaded By: FREEMAN
April 07, 2022 at 01:59 PM
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720p.BLUMovie Reviews
Deeply flawed Taiwanese historical action epic
A epic movie from Taiwan
Wei Te-Sheng had this movie planned way before his hit movie "Cape No.7" which was a big hit. And his efforts really shows in this movie, it's basically a high budget epic from taiwan that is most definitely worth watching. On the exterior it might seem like another historical movie about Japanese occupation and invasion and how they mistreated, enslaved and also raped the people on the land they invaded. While also taking away their tradition, culture, language and freedom. Thus making the people rise up and throw a rebellion and fight the Japanese for justice, pride and freedom. But this movie has a lot of interior elements as well. It really does a good job of now going down a narrow rebellion movie but brings out the scars, the harshness and manly pride. Some scenes are uncomfortable to see but it shows the brutality and the length the rebels are willing to go. The movie takes place in taiwan during the 1895 and 1945 on a land where two tribes use to fight each other. but what happens when a more menacing enemy comes to enslave all of them? This movie is simply very well crafted with good pacing and editing. Wei Te-Sheng seems like a talented director and I am grateful that his vision his got from a comic book came to life on the big screen. This feels kind of like a taiwanese version of the movie "300" except with more substance and emotion with scars going for it. Highly recommended to anyone that enjoys historical movies with some realistic guerrilla battle tactics.
8.2/10
Fact based Taiwanese Epic
Japan took possession of Taiwan from China when it was ceded to them after China's Qing Dynasty lost the first Sino Japanese war of 1884 – 1885 and we first pick the story up there. The Japanese were a more controlling Colonial force and did not tolerate aboriginals such as the Seediq and called them 'Seiban' or 'barbarians' and treated them as inferiors. They ruled harshly and built up resentments that led to a number of insurrections that led to The Wushe Incident of 1930 that is the central point of this film.
The indigenous tribes had also fought one another over hunting grounds and other causes for centuries and the divisions that this caused are exemplified here and indeed how the Japanese exploited such to turn tribes against each other. The chief of the Seediq was Mouna Rudau and he ha tried appeasement but one slight too many pushed him to seek to join the tribes together and make a stand against the vastly better equipped Japanese. Once the die was cast they had all foreseen where it would end.
Now this film sticks to the documented facts extremely well, the acting is all excellent and there is a ton of action. It was made in 2011 but some of the CGI is a bit obvious. Despite that this will bring you along for a great roller coaster ride of action. The fight scenes are all done extremely well and when people get hurt they really are hurt. This is a great tribute to the culture of the Seediq and their allies and to a part of history that we have not heard much about. It is also the sort of film you could easily watch again. In aboriginal, Japanese and Hokkien with pretty good subtitles and a run time of just over two and a half hours – every second of which is put to good use – completely recommended.
