14 Blades (2010)

Excellent but underrated film

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

"14 Blades" represents the best M.A. movie I have even watched. Thanks to Daniel Lee who wrote this gorgeous piece of art work which portrays some positive human qualities lacking in so many M.A. movies. Qing Long (played by Donnie Yen) possesses some noble qualities of integrity, loyalty, commitment & courage, though a bit ruthless & cunning at times. Qiao Hua (played by Vicky Zhao) is faithful, gentle & optimistic. Another thing I like about this movie is that there are relatively few violent or bloody scenes. Not a professional action scenes reviewer, I'd rather concentrate on talking about the movie's "Romance". On the surface, Qing Long seems to be using Qiao Hua for completing his own mission, but the trust between them makes their romantic connection very convincing. Qiao Hua, though a bit naive & ignorant of certain personality darkness of her hero, is actually fully committed to him for completing his course of action, thus demonstrating full customer service (we have to bear in mind that Qing Long is a big customer of Qiao Hua's father). Implication for modern day romance is:- Be fully devoted to your lover (rather than being over calculating) when you still have a chance & accept life as it is when you have none.Qiao Hua shows a cheerful personality & maintains her serenity throughout the whole story, without the slightest resentment towards Tuo Tuo, who brings an end to her romantic journey. This makes her adjust better to the lonely life afterwards. Though the ending is a bit sad, it demonstrates how single women can still lead a meaningful life with the pure memory of delightful experience. This kind of attitude may sound a bit "classical" but forms a great example for people in turmoil situations.I sincerely hope that Daniel Lee can produce more wonderful M.A. movies in the future, but with a happy ending next time. Donnie Yen & Vicky Zhao do create a perfect match on the screen ("Painted Skin" is a good example). Really looking forward to seeing them again soon in another great movie. Just to copy from Qiao Hua, "When there is hope, life is still inspiring!"

14 Blades is a good martial arts movie however I felt much of the charm or magic was dampened by the constant use of technology. As felt by many viewers here in IMDb, the effects used to make our characters jump around with ease or gravity-defying stunts or even throwing darts at ridiculously long distances at pin-point accuracy & strength overshadowed raw action that could have made this movie more thrilling.Donnie Yen as Qinglong(ex-leader of government's secret police) is a seriously cool fighter, so is Wu Chun, as head of some desert bandits. Then, we also have Kate Tsui who plays the lethal female character Tuotuo with ease. Amidst all these action characters, the very pretty Zhao Wei as Qiao Hua(the only lead role who doesn't really fight) alleviates the mood of the movie with her calm & peaceful presence.Verdict: Despite the too many special effects, I still recommend the movie for at least one viewing for all the action, especially the racy, exciting sword fights.

I'm not talking about the blades, but about the story. It's a shame that the story (as good as it is and it's not bad) is not more fleshed out. Recent movies have shown that there are ways to make the eastern movies attractive (again). Though I am a bit biased, having grown up watching the Shaw Brothers movies, I do think that this could have done with a bit of script writing upgrade.Of course the Shaw Brothers movies might not stand up to the test of time (or script writing I come to expect these days), but apart from that they had great actors. Donnie Yen holds his stand here and he does a good job. Of course that also means that the action is well shot and choreographed. I'm just saying you might be left with a feeling that there could have been more.

In the beginning, mostly first 30 min, I believed 14 Blades is going to be your usual gong fu flick. Then the bricks started to fall in places as emotions, disguised and shy as usual in good Chinese movies, got out step by step. Donnie Yen let his character's fatigue and pain show more and more, avoiding the old, tired cliché of invincible master of so - many forms. He killed his way inside Jinwey, starting with his brother as young, orphaned children put to test by unforgiven 'official assassins', sponsored by the state. Along the way you meet the Judge of Desert, kind of unidimensional character, but Wei Zhao and Kate Tsui stole most of the scenes they play. Wei, remarkable in Mulan, is here a soon-to-be wife and she uses perfectly her shyness and big eyes to convey more emotions than a sword can do. Not that swords and chains don't mix, as Kate Tsui' Tuo Tuo stealthy killer can prove. The final battle is the best seen in years, especially when Green Dragon and Tuo Tuo die together and HOPE is the real message this movie want to share. Hope, despite loss, pain and solitude.