![dek](https://content.time.com/time/daily/2010/1004/shortlist_tout_0412.jpg)
War Lords
Martial-arts hero Jet Li always had guts, but here he shows tragic gravitas too. In Peter Chan's epic, set during the Taiping uprising of the 1860s, Li's grizzled warrior enters a tense alliance with bandits Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro. It's a strong, bitter brew, and Li is never less than stirring.