Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
Huo An, the commander of the Protection Squad of the Western Regions, was framed by evil forces and becomes enslaved. On the other hand, a Roman general escapes to China after rescuing the Prince. The heroic duo meet in the Western Desert and a thrilling story unfolds.
Dragon Blade is an ambitious but uneven spectacle that tries to meld Roman and Han Chinese history into a sweeping epic. The concept of a Roman legion wandering into China is genuinely novel and earns points for sheer audacity, and the production design and large-scale battle sequences deliver some visual grandeur. However, the plot is formulaic and cluttered with clichés, the acting is inconsistent (Jackie Chan is charming but Adrien Brody is hammy and John Cusack seems lost), and the ending is melodramatic and overwrought. The cinematography benefits from real desert locations and large crowd scenes but lacks the precision of top-tier epic filmmaking.