There are some filmmakers for whom audiences will show up simply by their name being attached to a project. Universal Pictures has turned the latest Christopher Nolan film, The Odyssey, into an event by selling tickets a year in advance of its theatrical premiere. There’s not a single trailer yet for Dune: Part Three, Denis Villeneuve’s next tale in the Fall of House Atreides, yet audiences are already naming its release date as Dunesday as it coincides with the release of the latest Avengers title, Doomsday. There’s a fervent energy for these filmmakers and their stories and Yuen Woo-Ping is absolutely no different. From Drunken Master (1978) to Master Z: Ip Man Legacy (2018), the filmmaker, writer, stunt choreographer, and actor has been a part of some of the most influential titles to hit screens — period — earning a reputation for a certain style of entertainment executed by top tier talent. His latest project, Blades of the Guardians (镖人：风起大漠), an adaptation of Chinese manhua Biao Ren by Xianzhe Xu, delivers on epic themes amid propulsive action executed by generational talent old and new to dazzle new audiences while inspiring rebellion against corrupt governments, a timely and moving experience regardless of period or place.
L-R: Wu Jing as Dao Ma and Jet Li as Lord Chang Gurien in BLADES OF THE GUARDIANS. Photo courtesy of Well Go USA.
For years amid the Sui dynasty, Dao Ma (Wu Jing) has worked as a bounty hunter, taking jobs where and when he wants, while traveling with young Xiao Qi (Ju Qianlang). However, after a recent job results in the men of Lord Chang Guiren (Jet Li) placing a target on his back, he retreats home where he’s protected by Old Mo (Tony Leung Ka-fai) only to be tasked with guiding rebel leader Zhishilang (Sun Yizhou) to Chang’an. Old Mo’s daughter, Ayuya (Chen Lijun), and her guard, Ani (Xiong Jinyi), join them and the five traverse the land, fending off other bounty hunters, desert leaders determined to rise to power, and the mysterious Di Ting (Nicholas Tse Ting-Fung).
L-R: Li Yunxiao as Yan Ziniang, Ju Qianlang as Xiao Qi, and Sun Yizhou as Zhishilang in BLADES OF THE GUARDIANS. Photo courtesy of Well Go USA.
Before diving in, a bit of context: the title, Blades of the Guardians, refers specifically to individuals within the film like Dao Ma who either protects or captures people for money. It may be easier for English-speaking audiences to grasp who Dao Ma is by simplifying it to “bounty hunter,” but that choice flattens the character into a rogue trope when the character is driven by a specific honor-centric ideology (even if it’s initially perceived as financial-only). With the English translations persistently referring to Dao Ma as “bounty hunter” and the frequency by which characters seem to deride him for it, a connection fails to form for the audience between the character and the title, let alone the thematic nature of the script. We’re meant to presume that Dao Ma is a person of low quality because of his interest in coin, profit somehow relegated to reduced morality, thus making his interest in taking on the courier mission low; however, under the guise of Dao Ma as a guardian, as someone how takes jobs to protect or capture, one begins to reconsider the character as being a protector whether that means securing one person from others or stopping a threat from harming the general populace. Of course, the introduction to Dao Ma highlights his fighting skills (thereby ensuring that all who challenge him must be of a certain caliber) while also leaning the audience into thinking that he’s a person who can be bought. In truth, when viewed from where Dao Ma ends the film, this isn’t an interest in coin, but a disinterest in fighting. As we learn through the film, Dao Ma has a bloody past wherein he fought under the presumed guise of nobility, opting to live a life now with far more choice and an ability to decide for himself what is right or wrong. As a result, the film and its themes grow stronger when one acknowledges that Dao Ma is a guardian from the jump rather than someone who needs to be convinced to take on the role. This isn’t buried for Mandarin-speaking audiences or those aware of the concept of “guardians” within this context, but the act of flattening Dao Ma hides the overarching concepts centering the notion of power and control with a specificity on power in the hands of corrupt individuals deserving of rebellion.
Maybe it’s because the current White House administration is utilizing fascist propaganda on government buildings that no previous administration would’ve dared, but there’s a certain timeliness of Blades of the Guardians that makes the choices within the film pack an additional punch. The source comic ran from June 2015 – August 2023 and is entirely based in Chinese culture, history, and folklore, but the themes within the script regarding fighting back against a tyrannical government feel universal. Through the opening sequence, the script ensures the first form of government we meet, Lord Chang, is an outlaw protected by the costume of governance and most of the characters in leadership positions that follow cloak themselves similarly by using their position for personal gain and not toward the benefit of the people. It does often feel, in these current political times, that government is out for itself, thereby creating the need for fictional heroes to uplift where real ones don’t step into the light. So, when the script by Su Chaobin (Reign of Assassins), Larry Yang (The Shadow’s Edge; Ride On), Yu Baimei (My People, My Homeland), and Chan Tai-Lee (Ip Man series; Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In) creates scenarios in which Dao Ma wrestles with the weight of duty, we find ourselves strangely uplifted. Even more so when, as the film progresses and mysteries are answered, we start to understand the weight of Dao Ma’s choices and the wider implications. To that end, Blades of the Guardians speaks as much to individual responsibility for one’s own peace and safety as it does to protect the populace for where one prospers, so do all. This is conversely depicted by a formless emperor we do not meet, but whose followers we do and their selfish choices. Smartly, while Wu plays Dao Ma as calm under pressure, he’s never cold or distant, avoiding tropes of a stoic hero, while also not being so brash or out-spoken as to adhere to the cynical-rogue-with-a-heart-of-gold trope. Wu (The Wandering Earth series; Meg 2: The Trench) imbues Dao Ma with strength of conviction to match his skills as a combatant, which is what makes him dangerous as an opponent, but also deeply human, almost to a fault. But this seems to be the point, even as the script follows the well-worn path of enemies-to-lovers as Dao Ma’s group widens when circumstances require it and wiser heads prevail. There’s also a trope of respect among fighters wherein defeat doesn’t require death but is the start of respect, and its use here is not only fun for the audience, but aligns with the internal ethos of the film that encourages communal support over personal glory or gain. Amusingly, Sun’s (This Is Not What I Expected) portrayal of the rebel leader Zhishilang is utilized for laughs more than sincerity, bucking convention without dismantling one’s belief in him as a rebellion leader. At no point does Sun play Zhishilang as spoiled or high on his popularity. The circumstances just seem more than Zhishilang’s used to, which allows for several moments of levity in an otherwise tension-filled adventure.
Fans of martial arts cinema, specifically wuxia, are in for a damn treat with Blades of the Guardians. With Yuen (The Matrix; Game of Death) at the helm, action choreographer Shan Peng Dang (Red Cliff I & II), and talent that includes but is not limited Wu, Tse (Raging Fire), Yosh Yu (Creation of the Gods I & II), Chen Lijun (New Dragon Inn), Max Zhang (The Grandmaster; Master Z: Ip Man Legacy), Leung (Midnight Diner; Throw Down), Kara Wai Ying-Hung (The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter; Infernal Affairs), and Li (Black Mask; Hero) — there’s no shortage of a reason to be in awe. You want fights at an inn? How about in a sandstorm? A swordfight with fire? How about two swordfights with fire? Outside, inside, on horseback, in the snow, day, night — if you can think it, chances are Yuen includes it and his cast is not only game, they are ready to entertain. It’s fascinating seeing where the cast crosses over from other projects (the Hong Kong action scene is often small), which makes any amount of shared screentime for some good fun. All of the action, however, doesn’t mean a thing without the performances from the cast making them believable, getting us invested in the characters’ plights. The first is easy as none involved offer anything less than sincerity to the moment. The second is where the film struggles and is the most likely place for audiences to labor to engage.
Chen Lijun as Ayuya in BLADES OF THE GUARDIANS. Photo courtesy of Well Go USA.
Because the film has so many characters, a large bit of history to cover, and only 125 minutes to get everything done, the film moves at a near break-neck pace with text frequently used to identify characters and their relationship to a land (appropriate royal titles; leadership positions; etc.). It may feel, for some, as though one is being ripped out of one location and tossed into another, especially in the first hour when not all the pieces on the board are established or the rhythm is not yet established. It may also give one a sense of being rushed, especially late in the film when a few flashbacks are used when the already-included exposition does the trick. For this reviewer, more of some cast members is not a bad thing and knowing that this type of storytelling technique is fairly common among wuxia stories in which character-based mysteries are a central component; however, not all audiences will feel the same as their relationship to the cast and genre may be different. Admittedly, even being familiar with this type of storytelling, one does find the whipping from place to place to be a bit much, making it more difficult to understand some characters beyond their narrative archetypes.
L-R: Wu Jing as Dao Ma and Nicholas Tse Ting-Fung as Di Ting in BLADES OF THE GUARDIANS. Photo courtesy of Well Go USA.
All that said, it’s a Yuen Woo-Ping picture starring some of your favorite martial artists of past and present in a film whose narrative speaks to the importance of a community uplifting all for the betterment of the whole society. If one weren’t aware that it’s based on a comic, one might even presume Blades of the Guardians to be borrowing from one of many myths or folktales from which many Hong Kong actioners derive — that’s how strong the internal logic and execution of the action is. The script balances martial arts action with drama, comedy, and thrills so that the humor comes through as an earnest release from tension without ever undermining the stakes; a thrill-ride from start to finish, which, if we’re lucky, is only the start of this epic adventure.
In theaters February 17th, 2026.
For more information, head to the official Well Go USA Blades of the Guardians webpage.
Final Score: 4 out of 5.
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Categories: In Theaters, Reviews
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