Directed by Yuen Woo-Ping and written by Su Chaobin, Larry Yang, Yu Baimei and Chan Tai-Lee. Dao Ma, the “second most wanted fugitive” who is entrusted by his benefactor, the chief of Mo family clan, to take on a mysterious escort mission-escorting the “most wanted fugitive” to Chang’an. Starring: Wu Jing, Nicholas Tse Ting-Fung, Yu Shi, Chen Lijun, Sun Yizhou, Ci Sha, Li Yunxiao, Tony Leung Ka-fai, Max Zhang, Kara Wai Ying-Hung, Zhang Yi and Jet Li.
Typically, when you’d be talking about a new film throwing things back to the golden days, it wouldn’t be with a filmmaker who was around in those days, but Blades of the Guardians: Wind Rises in the Desert is the exception. Yuen Woo-Ping attempts to blend the modern with the days of Wuxia, not straying too far out of the realm of reality but bringing back that feel of achieving the almost impossible. Going back to capturing a big scale story without sacrificing the humour and intimacy. So often in cinema today you get one or the other, especially when your story involves so many different characters and yet Woo-Ping manages to have it both ways, and gives each character purpose and personality.
Another quintessential downfall of this type of cinema is to create a convoluted story, going down a perilous journey to nowhere, but the writers of Blades of the Guardians: Wind Rises in the Desert avoid that. It’s not necessarily a simple story but it’s simple enough to not become distracted or confusing, which considering how often they do, it’s a satisfying change of pace. They give the film a charm, it’s a little bit cheeky, it has a good sense of humour, and it also feels fairly wholesome. Coming in at just over two hours, it also doesn’t feel drawn out, the progression and pacing are done well to continually up the ante and balance the fight scenes with dramatic ones.
Of course, those fight scenes are an integral part of the equation and they are incredibly entertaining to watch. Particularly because they’re well edited, a poorly edited fight takes all the fun out of it. They’re also well choreographed, supported by excellent set and costume work, and hold onto a decent sense of realism. Those things are then well supported by the choices for the aesthetic, Woo-Ping crafts a fantastic Western visual, really tying in that old-school feel.
Then there’s the classic rivalry, creating that blend of respect and competition between fighters, having them constantly trying to best the other, and Blades of the Guardians: Wind Rises in the Desert does well to capture that. Especially because the performances from its core actors don’t feel over-confident and arrogantly cocky, they’re assured and determined. The performances from the entire ensemble are well done, and it’s a very large ensemble, which makes it even more impressive that there’s no weak link here. Wu Jing may lead the way, but the rest of the motley crew match the energy and quality of his performance.
Blades of the Guardians: Wind Rises in the Desert is entertaining, expertly crafted and a return to the golden age of martial arts cinema. Creating a great story that’s enjoyable and easy to follow, building an epic visual that feels like a traditional western, and including many epic fight sequences, it ticks all the right boxes. The cast are excellent, it moves well and manages to do so many things well where so many other modern films fall short, it’s charming and a fantastic piece of entertainment.
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