Film: 14 Blades (Review)

For those who're rushing to the theatres...

If you've caught the recent "Bodyguards and Assassins" and craved for more, this should be the film for you with the highest potential to satisfy your lingering thirst. Made to be a mainstream pleaser, this film seeks to entertain us in as many aspects as achievable. A cocktail mix of action, romance, humour and morality with a twist of life's values and principles will leave you joyously tipsy upon leaving the cinema. A must for Donnie Yen, Wu Zun, Zhao Wei and Qi Yiwu fans, especially with commendable acting performances from them in "14 Blades".

For those who've spare time to read on...

Daniel Lee may not ring the bell of familiarity in several, but this is the man who brought us "Three Kingdoms - Resurrection of the Dragon" in 2008. Proven to be a writer who loves to create stories of fiction with his same titled novel "Three Kingdoms" being a hit back in 2006, this time he convinces yet again with "14 Blades".

Although titled "14 Blades", there wasn't a real focus on the set of weaponry wielded by Qin Long, the leader and best-skilled of the imperial Jinyiwei, remarkably renowned as a team of elite assassins. These cold-blooded beings were once forsaken child orphans roped in from the streets being brainwashed into killing machines who served one master alone - the Emperor himself. It was mentioned in the beginning of the film that "8 were for torture, 5 were for killing, and the last one is for suicide should their mission fail dishonourably". This opening alone caught my attention intrigued by this terrifying weapon as well as a hint of the Jinyiwei culture. Instead, Lee chose to dwell deeper within the souls of the characters to tell a tragic tale of those in the glorious Jinyiwei who all owned ill-fated pasts prior.

Supposedly a tragic tale of Qin Long, Lee handles it passively by conservative flash-backs of his past where he was coerced into performing unthinkable acts as a child. Undergoing such a disastrous route while growing up, Qin Long's finely honed survival instincts could be noted during his battles (he made a quick decision to use a falling dead leaf as a weapon of retaliation and distraction in one of the duels). Small touches of such may be minor but it aids in sharing bits of the character even during action sequences, it's character development amidst adrenaline.

Donnie Yen picks up yet another role that debates righteousness and morality on screen, portrayed as a rock-steady calm pilgrim who is powerful and seeks to discover the right cause to put his great skills to use. He does it right this time and everytime, all thanks to his sizzling charismatic charm and masculinity. Look, let's face it. Every guy who walks into a Donnie Yen film for the past few years always walks out inspiring to be him. Great examples you asked? What about "Ip Man" and "Bodyguards and Assassins"? Not forgetting the films where he showcased his great passion for mixed martial arts, such as "Flashpoint".

Wu Zun is yet another youth celebrity who did pretty well for his mere second film role casted in his career, before this he was widely-known as a pretty-faced boy who mainly pulls strings with the ladies using his delicious looks. This film should help him get ahead to nurture his talents that will be extremely required of him in order for his career to thrive further. Zhao Wei, Kate Tsui (former Miss Hong Kong 2004 and Best New Performer of HFA) and Qi Yi Wu were great additions to the cast ensemble as well, so there's really nothing to complain about cast performance in this film.

Interesting point to be noted for this film is how Lee opens his film with a serious and deadly tone, followed by intense action to mark the first chapter before setting out in a action/humour sequence for the middle section. This helps to ease off the tension in audience after throwing them fierce action scenes while achieving a sense of variety in the film at the same time. In short, it's very much of a generic crowd pleasing formula where the general movie-goers are mostly fans of comedy, action, horror, sex and pretty faces.

This will be one of the better mandarin films for this year, so do catch this before a potential "Ip Man 2" arrives later this year. This should be recommended for all as "14 Blades" is a film that has "bits of everything".