The Decisive Battle (1972)

Set in the warring states period, a poor child called Yue Fei is said to be the incarnation of a great golden Roc, and everybody expects him to go on to great things. He passes the imperial exams, gets made a general and subdues some bandits - convincing them to join the army to fight the barbarians at the borders.

However, the country's leadership is corrupt and seeks compromise and appeasement instead of fighting for freedom, so Yue Fei's battalion is disbanded and he goes home to see his mum, feeling disheartened.

Then... wtf? That's the end of the film?

I'm hard pressed to think of a film that so spectacularly fails to deliver on its title. There's a lot of talk about never tolerating injustice, heroes serving their country and the people, but when it comes down to it, talk is all you get.

I suppose it was meant to be a message to the people of Taiwan to be ready for their own decisive battle (some day). They may have lost the battle but the war isn't over, and patriotic men must be ready for when the time comes.

Unfortunately the story comes across more like "even if everyone thinks fate has a glorious future in store for you, it probably doesn't", at least with the benefit of 50 years of hindsight.

Setting the film in the warring states era makes a refreshing change from the usual Qing/Ming setup, and the first half of the film shows promise, but it ends with a damp squib.