Taiping Lun - Bian
2015 / 131m - China
Drama, Romance
3.0*/5.0*
The Crossing 2 poster

Plot: Zekun is torn between the attention of two women. One a favorite of his mother, the other the love of his life. Yuzhen is hoping to find love in Taiwan, whilst Yunfen is expecting a child with an army general. They all board the Taiping, a ship destined for Taiwan, but which has a much grimmer fate.

Watches

February 28, 2016

3.0*/5.0*

The second part of Woo's romantic epic, which in itself consists of two very distinct parts. The first 90 minutes are spent on drama and romance, the final 30 see a more action-packed finale. It's not an illogical setup, but drama and romance aren't Woo's strong points, so the balance is a little off.

The performances are fine, and the finale does help with the overall focus, but there's some subpar CG that takes the edge off. Not uncommon for a Chinese blockbuster from the 2010s, but annoying nonetheless. It's still a proper film, with some lovely scenes and a few impressive moments, but there are a few too many defects for it to be a Woo classic.