TrueJoshNight Truly Dreadful Film

Laikals The greatest movie ever made..!

Lucybespro It is a performances centric movie

Dirtylogy It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

desperadous From all the reviews that I read above me seems like no one knows that 14 Blades is a Shaw Brothers remake of the 1984 movie Secret Service of Imperial Court directed by Tony Liu Jun Guk. Now that I got that out of the way the modern version 14 blades is directed by mostly hit or miss Daniel Lee.His credits include Black Mask,What Price Survival,Three Kingdoms Resurrection of the Dragon,Star Runner Aka Kumite,Dragon Squad aka Dragon Heat and the upcoming Wuxia White Vengeance.As you can see from those credits most people that have seen his movies only Black Mask and What Price Survival were their favorites. The cast includes both new actors old school Kung Fu actors from the Shaw Brothers era like Chen Kwan Tai,Wu Ma,Lam Chi Tai,Fung Hak On.From Golden Harves of course Sammo Hung which has only a supporting part and does not lay a finger on nobody,Duel to the Death's Damian Lau (if you blinked you missed him because i don't even remember him being in it).Wu Chun who looks like a pretty boy Asian Jack Sparrow,Vicky Zhao Whei,and Donnie Yen filling up for Leung Kar Yan aka Beardy. The Cinematography is nice too look at as well as the special effects.Donnie Yen barely saves this movie and the supporting cast seems to be weak and not backing him up at all.There is both some wire fu and some good fighting scenes in this movie but unless you're a Donnie Yen fan this one is an OK movie better than Three Kingdoms but not better than its rivals like Ip Man movies and True Legend by Yuen Woo Ping.Watch the Original it is 10 times better and did not need wire fu or GGI to make it a good movie.

wolfe_mac5 This Martial Arts Ming Dynasty thriller 14 Blades(2010) launches into full swing with help from kung fu specialist Donnie Yen (Qing Long). The action packed story is based around the exploits of Qing Long, the commander general of the Jin Yi Wei elite assassin force. These specialized Ming Dynasty King bodyguards were originally orphan children trained to serve and protect the emperor. Qing Long faces espionage, corruption and also romantic (non-physical) elements with sprinklings of humor chucked in. However, the kung fu weaponry displays are the main attraction. Other impacting characters include female actors Wei Zhao(Qiao Hua) and personal favorite Kate Tsui (Tuo Tuo). Qing Long is forced to carry out a false and corrupted high ranking order which involves seizing the emperor's treasure box (Imperial Seal). The mission backfires badly on Qing Long and causes confusion among Ming Dynasty officials as to who can be trusted. The Imperial Seal gets surprisingly re-snatched from Qing Long during the mission, which suggests an inside job. Speculation and scare-mongering surrounds the legendary elite forces commander (Qing Long) putting his reputation in jeopardy. He also suffers some severe stab wounds during the botched treasure box fiasco, but finds a resting haven to recover and meets the attractive Qiao Hua. These two characters create an ever present romantic underbelly for the duration of the movie that never really develops. And even though Qing Long develops a soft-spot for Qiao Hua, the steely cold killing professional will always live and die by the sword (short path). A portrayal of commitment and honor comes through strongly as Qing Long fully focuses on regaining his much respected Jin Yi Wei dignity and restores Ming Dynasty order after seeds of distrust are planted. The solid chiseled frame of Donnie Yen covered in colorful tattoos produces some fine fast action which complements his cool as ice persona adding a character knockout combination. The fourteen blades title refers to Qing Long's dangerous killing arsenal involving fourteen blades of mass destruction that all have a specific function and application. The blades fit neatly inside a compartmental rectangular portable box that can be carried over your back like a golf bag. Also attached to this futuristic advanced weaponry is some kind of cable system which can rapidly fire a two hook-device into solid surfaces, which makes Qing Long man-oeuvre quickly in any direction possible. Once this power house box of blades is unleashed by Qing Long it is highly entertaining and comes in handy when he's being hunted by the many attackers. Wuxia elements get ramped up quickly when Tuo Tuo's character is introduced showcasing dazzling displays of super-human power and fiction. Her speed is so superior (and exaggerated) that she has an invisible aura when fighting, making it almost impossible to strike her. This makes for an ultimate showdown between her and killing machine Qing Long. Tuo Tuo's buttery gorgeous face and sweet little voice couldn't be further away from the unbeatable hell-cat hit-woman she portrays, but the mix works seemingly well together. The special effects are impressive especially when the sounds of opposing blades are swung and clash together, giving a sense of reality amid the fantasia. The cute, but extremely lethal Tuo Tuo unleashes hell with her special weapon which appears to be some kind of unique cut-throat chain. It has a rattlesnake exterior and when waved about in action sounds like a panther and rattlesnake fighting. When combined with Tuo Tuo's aggressive high pitch grunts adds more weight to the dramatic settings. These audio elements accentuate the ferocity of the combat scenes. Tuo Tuo's character also demonstrates some highly effective visuals, as she glides in and out of her magical glistening (Teflon looking) combat coat. She spins around making it hard work for her would be attackers. But before the final showdown with Qing Long, Tuo Tuo takes on the super slick 'Judge Of The Desert (Chun- Wu) from the Sky Eagle Clan. Judge first appears as a Robin Hood type of character, but keeps the riches for himself. However, he comes good in the end and tries his attacking hand against Tuo Tuo while coming to the rescue of damsel in distress, Qiao Hun. The Judge also pulls out a unique sword with slightly curved blades at both ends and grip handle in the middle. He throws this sword like a boomerang slicing up a storm, then catches it on its return. One of the many funny lines in the movie also involves, Judge. Before heading in battle, Judge would yell out with echo effect 'here come the Sky Eagles…' not unlike how Tarzan would rally-roar to signal the jungle animals. In the end, Qing Long always had his dignity but needed to complete his final mission. The special effects and kung fu displays are worth a look.

Sukhitha Jayathilake At first glance "14 blades" seem like one of those kung – fu movies that tell an ancient story of the Chinese dynasty, how a hero with awesome moves kick butt and all. But out of all the movies with the same kind of background story, this one seems kind of special coz this one is kind of new age-y. I bet everyone has seen cool hypnotic movies like Evil Cult starring Jet li and the once upon a time in china series. Compared to those legendary masterpieces, has the modernization been that good an effect. I have to say no.Watched IP man recently and was really impressed by it. (It's in my best movies list too ) And it gave me the feeling that the kung fu movie industry won't die after Jackie Chan or jet li. Coz there's a new guy in town, Dannie Yen. Doesn't seem like a hot shot action star but as far as moves go he is as good as any. Dannie yen stars in this one too and I gotta say I'm back where I was. Coz this movie certainly seems like a big budget movie than IP man but this one SUCKS A**. First of all the story is just a little bit effed up. Eventually you can figure out what the heck is happening and all, but initially, it's all just a big puddle of goo. You can't tell who's who and what's what. Like they expect us to know everything about the ancient Chinese history. Duh! Then again if I say that this is totally based on Chinese history I would give the wrong idea again. Because to me this seems like more of a fantasy flick. You know like something out of Final fantasy series. Coz the characters certainly doesn't seem like ancient Chinese to me with their more than modern clothes, funny mechanical contraptions and, get this, rocket launchers, for crying out loud!. When I say modern clothes you'll see how much the wardrobe of this resembles like something out of a manga. Overall this movie resembles a bollywood piece of crap than an actual Chinese masterpiece, (except from the little bit of kung fu it got of course) That's another thing that bummed me most, the lack of martial arts. I could see the potential of Dannie Yen in Ip man but here, they seem to have totally lost it. It's just a bunch of swords and stuff flying around. You can hardly pick out any actual thrilling kung fu. I thought people can do lot more these days when it comes to fight scenes but this Is disappointing. But please don't lose all your hopes. Compared to any other Hollywood action flick this is GOOD as far as the fighting goes. But in comparing with legendary kung fu movie like the Drunken Master this just . bites the dust.By now If you are really up to still try this movie out I say go for it because of Wai zhao. Her sweet and innocent face always is something to behold. And Don't forget to see the old Sammo Hung in action. You know, the fatso from martial law. But when i say action, basically all he does is stand up and just keep staring!!!XD

john_amend_all The film started rather promising, but it ended by being a fiasco. The characters and fights look like coming directly from a game like Final Fantasy - with fancy looks, supernatural powers and exotic weapons - but unfortunately out of time and place. While some fights are entertaining and Donnie Yen is good during the short display of kung fu, the most part of the fights consist in a display of CG scenes and wire fu. All that would have been a little entertaining movie to enjoy and forget at the end of the week, but it's culminating with another tragic ending in the purest Asian style (in the same vein of Tiger and Dragon, Hero, etc...)