14 Blades
Director: Daniel Lee
Year: 2010
Rating: 7.5
This ambitious
wuxia feels in many ways to be a throwback to the wuxia films of the 1990s
- terrific high-flying action and a film filled with heroes and villains.
Perhaps not too surprising in that the director is Daniel Lee whose debut
was the wonderful What Price Survival, followed up with Black Mask. The choreography
is from Ku Huen-chiu who did similar duties on Stone Age Warriors, Iron Monkey,
The Tai Chi Master and Fist of Legend. All classics. The final fight in this
one between Donnie Yen and a deadly female felt like it would have fit into
one of those over the top wuxia films. Stunning. It could have been Jet Li
fighting Brigitte Lin. The film though is a more somber one than those older
films - much of it shot in the bleak empty landscapes of northern China and
it is relentlessly downbeat with one betrayal after another. It has a great
cast of some older Hong Kong stars and some younger ones. On the older side
are Sammo Hung, Damian Lau, Wu Ma, Law Kar-ying and Fung Hark-on - then in
the middle are Donnie Yen and Vicky Zhao with Kate Tsui and Wu Chun giving
memorable performances for two younger actors. It takes a few minutes to
understand what is going on with various groups in fancy uniforms killing
each other but when it breaks open and breaks out of the city it becomes
clear. Someone is trying to overthrow the Emperor and has poisoned his security
with bribes.
It takes place during the Ming Dynasty
and the Emperor has created a secret service by picking the survivors of
fights to the death of orphans (maybe our Secret Service could try that).
They are called the Jinyiwei and are the equivalent of the Gestapo, deadly,
cruel and feared by everyone. The Commander is Qinlong (Donnie Yen) who goes
through the film looking as glum as a man who just lost his loyal dog. He
is given the 14 blades in a box - eight to be used for torture, six for executions
of different types of crimes. Not a guy you would invite over for dinner.
His life is carrying out the Emperor's orders without questioning them. You
have your orders, you carry them out. He is given an order by the Eunuch Jia
(Law Kar-ying) to retrieve a safe box of a councilor of the Emperor that will
prove his guilt of treason. Instead, Qinlong finds the Royal Seal that can
be used for evil purposes in the wrong hands.
Which is exactly what Jia wants. He is
in league with the Uncle of the Emperor to overthrow him. Prince Qing (Sammo)
attempted to usurp power before and was exiled to the north without his legs.
One of the Commanders of the Jinyiwei has been bribed to betray his fellow
officers and when Qinlong realizes what is going on, he escapes with the Seal
but a price is put on his head. He goes to the owner of a transportation escort
service and asks him to get him out of the city - without telling him who
he is. Because everyone despises him. Yung (Wu Ma in a wonderful performance)
and his daughter Hua (Vicky Zhao) agree and are able to smuggle him out.
But Jia and Prince Qing need the Royal Seal and sends everyone after him
- including the Prince's adopted daughter Tuo Tuo (Kate Tsui). Tuo Tuo nearly
steals the film covered in a veil and as deadly as a box of cobras with her
mystical martial arts.
This all take place in the first 20 minutes
of the film. Another 90-minutes to go of action, escapes, traps and enlightenment.
Qinlong meets up with a group of bandits headed by Judge (Wu Chun) who has
some great action scenes as well. The film sags in the middle as Qinlong and
Hua begin to bond but it has a couple terrific set-pieces to end it. I had
meant to watch 30-minutes of this before heading to bed but ended up watching
it all.
