I have been a huge fan of actor Bruce Greenwood for years. He is one of the finest actors we have working today. I first took notice of him in the Cuban missile-crisis film “Thirteen Days”, where he brilliantly played President John F. Kennedy and in my mind created the quintessential portrayal of the late president. Since then Greenwood has appeared in a wide array of movies including dramas like “Capote” and the loosely based Bob Dylan biopic “I’m Not There,” as well as the recently released comedy “Dinner For Schmucks” and “National Treasure: Book of Secrets”, where he once again portrayed a US President.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
But it was his role as Captain Christopher Pike, the first Captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise, in director J.J. Abram’s hugely successful film “Star Trek” that made the veteran actor, who has been working steadily for almost thirty years and has been in over forty film and TV productions, finally a household name. He also recently made a splash in the comic book world recently by winning over fan-boys everywhere with his work voicing Batman in the direct-to-DVD film “Batman: Under The Red Hood,” which by many fans account is the best animated performance of the Caped Crusader since the legendary Kevin Conroy voiced the role.
Now the talented and versatile actor returns to his roots by appearing in a new independent film, playing the role of real life ballet instructor Ben Stevenson. He gives an absolutely transforming performance and is almost unrecognizable from his previous roles. Bruce Beresford directs the film and all you need to do is look him up on IMDB to know the amazing body of his work. In addition to directing both “Tender Mercies” and “Crimes Of The Heart,” he also directed the Oscar winning film “Driving Miss Daisy.” From that resume alone you know that you are in good hands with this film but Beresford has a gentle and quiet style behind the camera that explodes in the most dramatic of moments in his films and that is no different here. The film is both captivating and entertaining while fueled with political drama throughout.
The film begins by introducing us to Li Cunxin (brilliantly played by Chi Cao), a Chinese ballet dancer that comes to live with Ben Stevenson (Greenwood), artistic director of the Houston Ballet, in order to study in the states. As we watch Li assimilate to American life, we begin to flashback to his childhood in China. As part of Mao’s Cultural Revelation, Li was chosen and taken from his impoverished village to learn ballet at the Beijing Dance Academy. Li is not the best dancer at the school but we see him practice harder than any other student and after years of hard work he becomes the best in his class.
Eventually the flashback begins to catch up with the present and we see how Li came to live with Ben. Li falls for a young girl named Elizabeth and at the same time falls in love with American life. But at the same time he misses his family, including his mother who is wonderfully played by Joan Chen. When it is Li’s time to go back he decides to stay instead and marry Elizabeth, which not only jeopardizes Ben’s plans but also outrages the Chinese government. With the help of a lawyer played by Kyle MacLachlan, Li tries to fight the Chinese government to be allowed to stay. Eventually he is granted his wish but at a great cost … he can never return to his homeland and he will never see his family again. After some time, his marriage to Elizabeth begins to fall apart but thanks to Ben he is given a chance to become a star in the Ballet world, which eventually leads to Li being reunited with his family.
The political drama that begins to build in the film is very intriguing; as is the way these children were picked from their families and trained like animals to dance by Mao’s government. Beresford’s use of flashback in the film is both vital and tastefully done. Ballet dancer and first time actor Chi Cao deserves a lot of credit for pulling off this film with his quiet yet powerful performance. He truly has the toughest role in the movie, as his part is so pivotal that the film’s ability to work hinges on his casting, which in this case paid off. Actress Joan Chen is almost unrecognizable as Li’s mother and gives an equally powerful performance. Bruce Greenwood really transforms himself in this film and gives a powerful and moving performance. He clearly studied the real Ben Stevenson’s movements and speech patterns and leads to a colorful and layered performance. But the true star of the film is the breathtakingly beautiful ballet and all of the dancing in the film is excellent and comes alive in an electrifying way. In the end, Mao’s Last Dancer is a beautifully shot, wonderfully acted piece of art with breathtaking ballet that will teach you something about history that you probably didn’t already know.
