Confucius (2010)

45% of critics liked it
(11 reviews)
39% of users liked it
(363 ratings)

From the producer of Red Cliff and Warlords and shot in the same lavish style, Confucius stars superstar Chow Yun-Fat (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) as the legendary hero of the title: a man who lead the kingdom of Lu in battle against its warmongering neighbour, Qi. ~ Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 2 hr.
Directed By: Mei Hu
Genres: Art House & International, Drama

On DVD: Oct 4, 2010

Critic Reviews

Don Groves, sbs.com.au
Chow Yun-fat fails to inspire as Chinese philosopher.
Martin Roberts, Fan The Fire
The narrative feels unfocused at times and the pace is changeable, but give it a chance and the presence of Chow Yun-Fat, at least, will win you over.
Derek Malcolm, This is London
Chow Yun-fat plays the philosopher with dignified aplomb; otherwise, we rely on action as much as words, and never learn enough about the man.
Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall
This ambitious biopic feels chopped down from something much longer, as it leaps through the story without giving us much to engage with.
Anton Bitel, Film4
it celebrates the ethics of what would later become known as Confucianism, but also stages the mismatch between high ideals and realpolitik - as though to say that there was no place in China for China's greatest thinker.
, Daily Express
A ponderous, underwhelming epic.
Tom Seymour, Little White Lies
For its faults and excesses, Confucius may be the trickle that turns into a flood. Western audiences will learn to love it. They will have little choice.
Tim Robey, Daily Telegraph
The ancient Chinese philosopher, he say Chow Yun-Fat no good at playing him, no good at all, in this painfully dreary epic biopic.
Xan Brooks, Guardian [UK]
Its constant bowing and scraping set my teeth on edge. Confucius loves Confucius -- endlessly and unconditionally -- and flatly demands that we do too.
, Total Film
"If the world will come to know me at all, it'll be because of this book," says Confucius (aka Kong Qiu or Zhong Ni) of his life's work, The Analects Of Confucius. Best not bother with the movie, then.
Jeremy Aspinall, Radio Times
Beautifully shot (by Crouching Tiger cameraman Peter Pau) and contains a magnetic central performance from the ever-charismatic Chow.

Read all 11 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Panta O

Confucius (Chinese: 孔子) is a biographical drama written, produced and directed by Hu Mei, starring Chow Yun-fat as the titular Chinese philosopher. I didn't expect too much from this movie especially because I thought that it was made to commemorate the 60th… More
Confucius (Chinese: 孔子) is a biographical drama written, produced and directed by Hu Mei, starring Chow Yun-fat as the titular Chinese philosopher. I didn't expect too much from this movie especially because I thought that it was made to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, as well as the 2,560th birthday of Confucius himself... but whatever was the reason for making it - it was well made. I have to say that it's not easy to make a biographical movie about one of the biggest thinkers of all times in a historical environment which was so complicated that you can get lost in all the names just remembering them... The film begins with Confucius as an old man, thinking back... and takes us in his early 50s, being promoted from Major to Minister for Law in his home state of Lu. There is a lot of complex politics and war, ending with Confucius being rejected and becoming a wandering scholar... and this is a part where most of the Westerners get lost, while Chinese who know their history start enjoying the events... especially when Confucius, after many hardships and losses, goes back as an old man. Finally, we're seeing the philosopher preparing the Spring and Autumn Annals, expecting that this book will determine his future influence. I liked the way the director presented the complicated age of warring Chinese states, during which countless wars were waged to unify kingdoms, and blended it with the teaching of Confucius and his intelligence and charisma. During the film's launch in China, the Hollywood blockbuster Avatar is reportedly being pulled from nearly 1,600 2-D screens across China, to benefit the wide release of this film. The Hong Kong newspaper speculated that the Chinese authorities were worried Avatar had seized the market share from domestic films and noted that many of the vacant cinema slots will be replaced by Confucius. However, due to low attendance for Confucius, and high demand for Avatar, the Chinese government reversed their decision, and allowed Avatar to remain on some 2-D screens in China. This choice appeared to be at least partly based on the financial performance of the two films, with Avatar grossing nearly 2.5 times more money per day. Whatever... this was a good, I'll say, educational movie... but if you want excitement, I don't think this is a movie for you!

Cast

Now you can share movies with your friends on Facebook!

Discover movies your friends are watching
Keep track of what you want to see
Add your reviews to your Timeline

Get Started

Confucius (2010)

Critic Reviews

Featured Audience Ratings

Panta O

Cast

Now you can share movies with your friends on Facebook!