Perhaps the quality of this film becomes most apparent when compared to other productions of similar genre. My experience of watching Three Kingdoms has become a fading memory on a dusty shelf after I watched Warlords. It's the kind of movie that reminds you that there are websites where one can review movies, and doesn't let you rest until you tell others about it.
Essentially, Tau Ming Chong is a tragedy, making a steep turn into the dark closer towards the end. It may be a bit on the heavy side, but by the time you realize that, the movie has already sucked you in completely.
An excellent acting team led by Jet Li makes sure that everything else is just frosting around the cake of well developed characters. That's not to say that the frosting is inferior. This movie has everything going for it: choreography, special effects, sound and story. It has a something for everyone, although Warlords is definitely a boys' movie, full of hardcore violence, brotherhood issues and politics. The story is raw and keeps the mind occupied with some of its steeper turns.
If you liked movies like Troy, chances are you'll enjoy it's much darker Eastern family member Tau Ming Chong, possibly one of the best movies ever created.