1911 (2011)

9% of critics liked it
(23 reviews)
32% of users liked it
(1,164 ratings)

At the beginning of the 20th century, China is in a state of crisis. The country is split into warring factions, the citizens are starving, and recent political reforms have made matters worse, not better. The ruling Qing Dynasty, led by a seven-year-old emperor, and his ruthless mother, Empress… More At the beginning of the 20th century, China is in a state of crisis. The country is split into warring factions, the citizens are starving, and recent political reforms have made matters worse, not better. The ruling Qing Dynasty, led by a seven-year-old emperor, and his ruthless mother, Empress Dowager Longyu (Joan Chen) is completely out of touch after 250 years of unquestioned power. Huang Xing (Jackie Chan) has recently returned from Japan, where he has studied the art of modern warfare. When he finds his country falling apart, he feels he has no choice but to pick up the sword, leading an increasingly desperate series of violent rebellions against the powerful Qing Dynasty and the New Army- several with tragic consequences. -- (C) Official Site

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Rating, Runtime: R, 2 hr. 5 min.
Directed By: Jackie Chan, Li Zhang
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: Oct 7, 2011 Limited
On DVD: Jan 10, 2012
Studio: Variance Films

Critic Reviews

Stephen Cole, Globe and Mail
The Revolution will not be televised, Gil Scott-Heron once sang. Nor should it be filmed, we might add -- at least not as a costume drama with stirring speeches, an inspirational love story and gloriously heroic military charges.
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News
Earnest and studious to a fault. Rarely has a film about upheaval felt more like a textbook.
Sara Stewart, New York Post
May be slow going for anyone not well-versed in this chapter of Chinese history.
G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle
Packed with so many characters and subtitled history lessons it barely allows its excellent main cast room to maneuver.
Rachel Saltz, New York Times
What should be rousing stuff - a republic is born! the chains of feudalism thrown off! - remains a kind of lavishly illustrated history lesson.
Mark Feeney, Boston Globe
With "1911,'' art direction speaks louder than words.
Rob Vaux, Mania.com
A haphazard grab-bag of context-free fight scenes, cardboard characters and constant title cards explaining key details that the film itself can't reveal in any other way.
Tony Medley, Tolucan Times
...this long, boring, convoluted, confusing, feeble, disgraceful film is nothing more than a clumsy Chinese Communist attempt to paint Sun Yat sen, a freedom-lover, as an early Communist.
Kelly Vance, East Bay Express
At two full hours the pace drags in the final quarter.
Bill Weber, Slant Magazine
A historical superproduction in which style, aside from committee-made, widescreen tedium, is spectacularly absent.
Burl Burlingame, Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Students of revolutionary Chinese history can have fun checking them off. Look, there's Li Yuanhong! And over there, Feng Guozhang!
Jim Lane, Sacramento News & Review
... a dry history lesson ...
Liz Braun, Jam! Movies
This one is a noble failure.
Daniel Eagan, Film Journal International
Plodding account of how a rebel uprising led by Sun Yat-Sen helped overthrow the Qing dynasty in China.
Alison Willmore, Movieline
It's overlong, disjointed, a greatest hits of important moments with inadequate connective tissue, impossible to comprehend without prior detailed knowledge of everything it recounts.
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix
[A] bombastic, incoherent, though occasionally eloquent period epic co-directed by Jackie Chan and Zhang Li.
Edward Douglas, ComingSoon.net
You're likely to come away from it not knowing that much more about the 1911 Chinese Revolution and caring even less.
Nick Schager, Time Out New York
Corny, preachy and tedious.

Read all 18 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Dann M

Jackie Chan presents 1911, a gripping historical drama that explores an interesting chapter in world history. At the turn of the century China stands on the brink of revolution, as nationalist rebels work to overthrow the Qing Dynasty and establish a Republic. Jackie Chan, Winston… More
Jackie Chan presents 1911, a gripping historical drama that explores an interesting chapter in world history. At the turn of the century China stands on the brink of revolution, as nationalist rebels work to overthrow the Qing Dynasty and establish a Republic. Jackie Chan, Winston Chao, and Lee Bing Bing all give good performances and create compelling characters. However, there are a few problems with the storytelling and with the transitions between the various character stories. But overall, 1911 is a solid, gritty war drama with a riveting story.
Donnie D

Even though this was advertised as Jackie Chan 100th film, it's a movie truly unworthy to be called that. With Jackie Chan changing the world of Martial Art movie for the better, who the hell thought it was a good idea not have Jackie Chan as the main star or director of his own… More
Even though this was advertised as Jackie Chan 100th film, it's a movie truly unworthy to be called that. With Jackie Chan changing the world of Martial Art movie for the better, who the hell thought it was a good idea not have Jackie Chan as the main star or director of his own monumental film and direct a film on the 100th anniversary of Chinese Revolution. 1911 is a historical drama based on the founding of the Republic of China when nationalist forces led by Sun Yat-sen who overthrew the Qing Dynasty. Now while watching this movie I never felt like I was watching a movie, it felt more reading a textbook because at random I would get barely readable text that would tell me what's going on. With the bad direction of this movie I'm not surprised and neither would you. The story could have been better and they could done something with some of the more sensitive issues going on around this time instead of avoiding them. What you get here is slightly above average story that should have been better. It really does not try too hard keep your attention and you'll likely fall asleep watching it like my girlfriend did. What the movie does well works, like the battle sequences are the high point of the movie. Now while there're not anything impressive, they make the movie a little bit more bearable to watch. The sets are fantastic, the costumes look convincing, and the actors all do a great job in there roles despite the boring script and often times uninteresting characters. One thing I will hit on is that the editing is bad as we get rapid fast cuts that don't work and some continuity error. I would be done at this point, but it's called Jackie Chan 100th movie and I want address a little more issues before any fan of Jackie Chan decides to watch this. He's not the star, he's in 1/3 of the movie and most of the time he's on screen he's just in action mode. Don't expect any humor from him either, don't blame him, blame the idiots who made the decisions not have him in the leading role or behind the direction chair. Does Jackie Chan fight at all in this movie, he does, but only briefly and the way it filmed doesn't properly do it justice. Also, if you're planning on seeing more of Chan dramatic performance, to bad for you because the subtitles are barely readable and your best chance is to watch the dubbed version, which is really disappointing for any fan. 1911 has great production value and good actors, it's just the technical part and the story of the movie that really brings it down. As a fan of Jackie Chan I have to say his 100th film brings us nothing we ever wanted from a Jackie Chan movie.