Somehow, Jackie Chan movies always stay Jackie Chan movies, no matter how old he is, or the historical setting. Whether he’s rumbling in the Bronx, or in an all-terrain vehicle chase through the arctic, Chan’s comedic, feel-good kung fu charisma has always shone through his projects. Perhaps what’s most confusing about his latest spate of movies, which seem to cater toward audiences looking for serious theater, is that the elements of comedic kung fu are still present, particularly in his latest project—a joint East-West cooperation, directed by Daniel Lee, set along the ancient Silk Road, dubbed Dragon Blade. Opening to the box office explosion of 54 million USD, Dragon Blade is one of the strangest and highest-grossing quasi-historical modern adaptations from the Chinese film industry to date.

Messenger: Our great general Tiberius has enacted a plan to unify the Silk Road. All of the 36 nations have acquiesced, and you are the last.

Wǒmen wěida de zǒnglǐng Tílǎsī xiǎng yào tǒngyī sīchóu zhī lù, qítā sān shí liù gèbùluò yǐ quánbù guīshǔ, ér nǐ, shì zuìhòu yí gè.

伟大的总领提拉斯想要统一丝绸之路，其他三十六个部落已全部归属，而你，是最后一个。

Princess Leng Yue, played by Lin Peng, is a Hun aristocrat and Huo An’s love interest

Dragon Blade, ripe with melodrama and Yuen Woo-ping-style choreography, also features an all-star cast: Jackie Chan plays Huo An, one of the film’s two main protagonists and a Hun soldier of the Protectorate of Western Regions, who befriends Lucius, a general of the Roman Empire, in order to keep the peace between the 36 nations that trade along the Silk Road. After being framed for murder, Chan is forced to partake in manual labor, rebuilding the western wall, during which he encounters the Roman army. Adrien Brody plays Tiberius, an heir to the consul of the Roman Empire, a nefarious scheming aristocrat who seeks to kill his younger brother, Publius, now found in Lucius’ care. Chasing Lucius across the desert results in an inevitable conflict between the forces of Tiberius and the newfound friends of the Roman Empire.

Publius: Mum says, however beautiful the sunset is, it will always go dark. I know my sunset will end soon.

Mǔqīn shuō guò, wúlùn xīyáng duōme měilì, zǒng huì yóu hēiàn láilín de shíhou. Wǒ zhīdào wǒ de xīyáng jiù kuài yào jiéshù le.

母亲说过，无论夕阳多么美丽，总会有黑暗来临的时候。我知道我的夕阳就快要结束了。

Huo An and his band meet Roman officials on the Silk Road

One curious addition to modern Chinese historical adaptations is the use of the contemporary opening shot. Much like the opening of Tsui Hark’s reinterpretation of Taking of Tiger Mountain, Dragon Blade begins in the modern day, featuring a team of unnamed archaeologists, searching for the lost city of Regum. Upon discovering the ruins of the ancient city within a snowy mountain pass, the film immediately flashes back 2,000 years to the first clashes of the story. The bizarre contrast of satellites, high-tech laser scanners and computers is almost designed to make us question whether we’re in the right movie. As Jackie Chan walks out of the desert and into focus, we at last settle into our seats and breathe a sigh of relief: we bought the right tickets.

Publius, a Roman prince, and his protector Lucius, played by John Cusack

More curious is the decision to cast Adrien Brody and John Cusack, both actors who have experienced lulls in their US careers. Brody, who starred in Feng Xiaogang’s Back to 1942, has experienced something of a rebirth in China, as he has struggled to find footing in the US film market in recent years. Cusack, who starred alongside Gong Li and Chow Yun-Fat in the 2010 period war drama Shanghai, is also not entirely a new-comer to the Chinese film scene. Bringing both actors to the front lines of Dragon Blade, then, isn’t an entirely random casting decision.

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“Zoetrope: Dragon Blade” is a story from our latest issue, “Startup Kingdom”. To continue reading, become a subscriber and receive the full magazine. Alternatively, you can purchase the digital version from the iTunes Store.