Japan took possession of Taiwan from China when it was ceded to them after China's Qing Dynasty lost the first Sino Japanese war of 1884 – 1885 and we first pick the story up there. The Japanese were a more controlling Colonial force and did not tolerate aboriginals such as the Seediq and called them 'Seiban' or 'barbarians' and treated them as inferiors. They ruled harshly and built up resentments that led to a number of insurrections that led to The Wushe Incident of 1930 that is the central point of this film.
The indigenous tribes had also fought one another over hunting grounds and other causes for centuries and the divisions that this caused are exemplified here and indeed how the Japanese exploited such to turn tribes against each other. The chief of the Seediq was Mouna Rudau and he ha tried appeasement but one slight too many pushed him to seek to join the tribes together and make a stand against the vastly better equipped Japanese. Once the die was cast they had all foreseen where it would end.
Now this film sticks to the documented facts extremely well, the acting is all excellent and there is a ton of action. It was made in 2011 but some of the CGI is a bit obvious. Despite that this will bring you along for a great roller coaster ride of action. The fight scenes are all done extremely well and when people get hurt they really are hurt. This is a great tribute to the culture of the Seediq and their allies and to a part of history that we have not heard much about. It is also the sort of film you could easily watch again. In aboriginal, Japanese and Hokkien with pretty good subtitles and a run time of just over two and a half hours – every second of which is put to good use – completely recommended.
The indigenous tribes had also fought one another over hunting grounds and other causes for centuries and the divisions that this caused are exemplified here and indeed how the Japanese exploited such to turn tribes against each other. The chief of the Seediq was Mouna Rudau and he ha tried appeasement but one slight too many pushed him to seek to join the tribes together and make a stand against the vastly better equipped Japanese. Once the die was cast they had all foreseen where it would end.
Now this film sticks to the documented facts extremely well, the acting is all excellent and there is a ton of action. It was made in 2011 but some of the CGI is a bit obvious. Despite that this will bring you along for a great roller coaster ride of action. The fight scenes are all done extremely well and when people get hurt they really are hurt. This is a great tribute to the culture of the Seediq and their allies and to a part of history that we have not heard much about. It is also the sort of film you could easily watch again. In aboriginal, Japanese and Hokkien with pretty good subtitles and a run time of just over two and a half hours – every second of which is put to good use – completely recommended.