Blades of the Guardians

Yuen Woo-ping adapts the manhua Biao Ren into a story about an escort. Dao Ma, the second most wanted fugitive in the empire, is handed a job by his benefactor: deliver the most wanted fugitive alive to Chang'an. Everyone who wants that man dead turns up along the road. Made as Yuen approaches eighty, the film carries his old signatures in the fighting: long takes, clean lines of impact, and choreography that trusts bodies more than tricks. Wu Jing, Nicholas Tse, Yu Shi and Jet Li lead the cast. It opened in China over the new year period, took more than two hundred and ten million dollars against a budget of roughly a hundred and twenty, and drew far better reviews than a film of this size usually gets. The melodrama runs hot, and with an ensemble this large several characters pass through without leaving much behind. Who it is for: anyone who wants classic wuxia combat at full scale. Who it is not for: viewers looking for a simple story.