Little Big Soldier   Starring: Jackie Chan, Leehom Wang and Steve Yoo Showbox Media RRP: £17.99 SBX487 Certificate: 15 Available 08 November 2010

In the darkest days of China’s history the nation states waged unremitting war against each other. When the armies of Wei and Liang clash on the battlefield only two survive. Big Soldier survives by his wits by faking his own death, Little General by his fighting skills. Unfortunately for Little General he is captured by the incompetent and cowardly Big Soldier, to be dragged off for ransom...

Little Big Soldier (2010 - 1 hr, 31 min, 34 sec) is a comedy action film, written, produced and starring Jackie Chan. The film was directed by Ding Sheng.

The film is essentially a road movie with the older soldier taking the young and superior general across country to his home state of Liang, hoping that he will receive an honourable discharge and land enough to grow crops. The general, on the other hand cannot believe that he has been captured by an idiot peasant and takes little time in telling Big Soldier just how he feels.

Just having the two of them would be potentially wearisome, so Chan throws in a couple of amusing distractions in the shape of the lovely Lin Peng as a songstress who they encounter and who rips them off, as well as the ever present threat from Prince Wen (Steve Yoo) and a band of bandits. One would think that Chan had little faith in only two characters carrying a comedy.

Thankfully the film does not rely on a witty script, as much of the humour would be untranslatable; instead Chan provides an endless string of pratfalls, including comic fighting to convey the comedy. The relationship between the two men is no surprise and by the end of the film the General has learned humility from the peasant and the peasant turns out to be as brave as a General.

Although the PR blurb promises a raft of extras, the disc supplied was just a copy of the film with English burned in subtitles.

Ultimately, the physical comedy and the relation between the two protagonists makes for a pleasant movie experience, though I would be doubtful about its repeat viewing value.

6

Charles Packer