Blades of the Guardians, directed by Hong Kong film legend Yuen Woo-ping, is often confusing and suffers from pacing issues. At times, you can tell when a set piece doesn't have enough room to breathe because the fights are noticeably less interesting. It also requires a certain level of familiarity and forgiveness for the tropes that come with this genre, especially as it trips over flashbacks that detract from the forward momentum.
At the same time, it is a breathtaking spectacle and a triumph of wuxia cinema. For all its faults with plotting, Blades of the Guardians is less interested in the text itself and rather the emotion it evokes. The result is a timeless epic that makes the heart soar.
The setup is simple: Dao Ma (Wu Jin) is a bounty hunter and wandering swordsman with a heart of gold. He travels with his ward from town to town looking for both easy scores and perhaps a bit of trouble. Around them, great machinations turn and turn as the regional powers seek greater control.
One day, Dao Ma is tasked with escorting Zhi Shi Lang (Sun Yizhou), an important orator and symbol of the resistance, and Ayuya (Chen Lijun), the last of her clan, across enemy lines to safety. A move that one day could stoke the fires of an uprising and unsettle the power dynamic for good.
On the road, they encounter Di Tin (Nicholas Tse), another swordsman traveling with his bounty, the trickster thief Yan Ziniang (Li Yunxiao). With both Dao Ma's troubled past and a crazed Khan, who believes himself the lawful husband to Ayuya, hot on their trail, the mismatched group agrees to work together, at least for now.
The story takes a bit to get going and a lot of it feels like spinning plates. There are names and titles everywhere, most of which don't matter. At one point, five entire families hunt our heroes culminating in an epic desert showdown where the only recognizable forces are our protagonists.
But the important parts work, and that's important. When the action properly picks up, we understand the how's and why's of everyone on the road. It's smart and confident filmmaking in the grand tradition of the genre. You don't need much more than one distinct trait to build a memorable character, and everyone here understands that beautifully.
It's also a joy to see a master filmmaker like Yuen Woo-ping control his craft. The action is dazzling in scope and scale, not least because you can tell what's going on at every turn. It is character driven ballet that tells a story with each duel. There's an immense thrill to see legendary actors like Jet Li return to the stage for one last hurrah, especially as their action sequences show no signs of slowing down.
For fans of the genre and its storied history, Blades of the Guardians delivers a grand lineup of stars who pop up in cameos both big and small. Tony Leung Ka Fai lends his gravitas to a dramatic part that could have easily ended up as set dressing. The ageless Kara Wai brightens the screen in a small but pivotal role. Even Yu Rongguang shows up to the party in a delightful cameo.
Yet this isn't an exercise in nostalgia or vanity. Director Woo-ping understands the importance of passing on the torch, and it gives Blades of the Guardians a melancholy air that makes the visits from Hong Kong film royalty even more worthwhile. Everyone knows they can't hold on to their positions forever. Instead, Blades paves the way for the next generation of stars, each of whom rises up to the challenge.
Then there are horse stunts, the incredible archery sequences, and a spectacular sword fight in a sandstorm. Everything from hammers and axes to knives and pots turn into weapons. There's a constant sense of escalation that makes every scene another shot at greatness. Halfway through the film, I made a note: "How are they going to top that?!"
At a little over two hours in length, Blades of the Guardians is both a bit too long and also frustratingly short. It's based on a manhua Biao Ren, written by Xu Xianzhe, and it feels like we've only seen a part of the story. Some characters feel superfluous and you can point out which fights didn't have enough time to capture the intensity they're going for.
But these are minor complaints of what is otherwise a spectacular picture. It is the work of an industry titan coming back to remind everyone how these things are done. A memory of a bygone world of cinema that others said didn't exist anymore. Yet here it is, as vibrant and brilliant as ever.
You owe it to yourself to see it on the biggest screen possible.
