Shaolin [2011]

Shaolin strikes me as one of the best movies ever made as it combines the likes of Nicholas Tse, Andy Lau and Jackie Chan.  The movie shows little about romance, but is filled with and exciting journey of a previous dictator which is remorseful towards his previous actions, particularly when he was the one betrayed by his most trusted soldier. If you are unsure about what Shaolin is all about, do get The Shaolin Monastery: History, Religion, and the Chinese Martial Arts to know more. 

Jackie Chan, looking a little more 'healthy' serves as a cook, but his contribution as a 'guest star' is not as little as one would expect as he managed to pull off several 'trademark Jackie Chan' stuns which were very pleasent to see.  The mood of the movie itself is gripping, making you sink even more in the atmosphere.  A must watch movie.  It deserves more praise than it has been given.

Assembly

Caught it @ STAR CINEPLEX, KUCHING
Its 2 HOUR & 7 MINUTES of AN EMOTIONS!!
You should catch it because you LOVE WATCHING WAR MOVIES.
You should not watch this movie if you PUKE WHEN YOU SEE HUMANS BLOWN INTO SMITHEREENS.

The Assembly is quite decent considering it is "Made in China". The tale and plot gets confusing from the beginning, especially if you have not read the synopsis of the movie, but along the way... you get to know what's it all about.

As a matter of fact, the cinematography, and the effects could match any Hollywood movie, and even better. You could practically see bodies blown apart, and humans dying of war injuries. Fantastic for those whom love stuff blowing up.

One thing which really bugged me is the fact that the movie does not put in adequate sounds at certain scenes, which makes the movie somewhat missing something, or hollow at times. At moments like this, the typical "Asian" feel comes back, and you will be reminded that its not Hollywood your watching but a Chinese movie.

Other than that, this is a very decent movie, and you should watch it.