Blades of the Guardians review by Bobby Blakey
The legendary Yuen Woo-ping has been delivering martial arts action to perfection in front and behind the camera since the early 60s. His fight/stunt work has graced everything from Fist of Legend, Drunken Master, The Matrix trilogy, Ip Man 3 & 4 and too many more to count.
​
Eventually he stepped into the director’s seat to bring us classic flicks such as True Legend, Iron Monkey, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny and Master Z: The Ip Man Legacy. His latest film Blades of the Guardians stars Wu Jing, Nicholas Tse, Yosh Yu, Chen Lijun, Sun Yizhou, Cisha, Li Yunxiao, Tony Leung Ka Fai, Kara Wai, Zhang Yi, Max Zhang and Jet Li making his first on screen appearance since 2020s live action Mulan.
​
Blades of the Guardians follows a skilled mercenary during the Sui Dynasty under the rule of the oppressive Emperor Yang Guang, as he treks across the harsh deserts of the Western Regions. Tasked with a seemingly simple escort mission, the warrior unknowingly becomes caught in a perilous scheme that promises danger at every turn.
​
Getting Jet Li back on the big screen was an instant draw, but with Yuen Woo-ping in the lead and the always great Max Zhang in the mix as well I was all in. To be clear the lead to the film is Jing Wu who kicked ass in the Wolf Warrior series so perfect to bring the action here. He is great in the film and brings the cocky relatable presence to the role along with the presence to believe his status as a skilled fighter. While Zhang and Li don’t have massive roles in the film they get some great moments to shine early on complete with some wuxia action that is great fun to watch. Any chance to see Jet Li do anything I am there and he hasn’t lost a beat bringing it like he always has.
​
It’s well known that Yeun Woo-ping loves his wire work and it is front and center here. Sure, there are plenty over the top elements but that is just part of this genre of films. The trick to it is making it work in a way that meshes with the rest of the world and fighting and it does it to perfection. They keep the action coming with tons of great fight scenes with each getting better and better. My only real complaint with the action is that some of the fights are shot more chaotic and closer so loses the fun and hard to see the excellent choreography. There are plenty that make up for it so still delivers.
​
The story isn’t all that deep and doesn’t really need to be. A lot of times these wuxia epic flicks get bogged down on themselves trying to be too clever and complicated. Some need those elements and twists, but this one doesn’t and knows it allowing it to let the action and set lead it to success. I had a great time with this film, but also know it is more so for martial arts purists than the average action viewer and I am just fine with that.
​
Decide for yourself and check out Blades of the Guardians in theaters now from Well Go USA.