| A review of 14 Blades |
|
|
|
| Culture | |
| Tuesday, 03 August 2010 | |
|
Despite the recent surge of epic martial art films in China, 14 Blades has pleasantly surprised many viewers as unique, intriguing and thought-provoking. This is due to its ability to add dimension and liveliness to a piece of history and even more to the unconventional love story in its subplot.
During the late Ming Dynasty, the Chinese imperial court has trained a highly skilled and disciplined secret police service called the jinyiwei (literally: Brocade-clad Guards). But at the same time, the incompetent emperor allowed a eunuch to usurp power and an exiled prince to plan a revolt. Qinglong (Donnie Yen), the head of the Jinyiwei was given a false order to steal a box. Unknown to him, the box contained the Imperial Seal, a symbol of the emperor’s authority, which eunuch Jia (Law Kar-ying) wants to use to legitimize Prince Qing (Sammo Hung)’s rebellion.
Qinglong is betrayed by one of his own men and merely escaped during the incident, losing his two loyal followers and his dignity. He became a fugitive when an order for his arrest was issued and an escort agency group helped him to escape.
Romantic sparks were stroke between him and the group leader’s daughter Qiao Hua (Vicky Zhao), who was forced to accept her fate of marrying into a family that will treat her poorly. She often fanaticises about a world which has a hero who would champion justice, but gradually realised that this hero is right in front of her.
Qinglong initially used Qiao Hua as a captive, so that her father would mislead the search away from him. During the time they travelled alone, her child-like trust and cheerful attitude deeply influenced him, and made him realise that life beyond the confining codes of jinyiwei is worth living. His heart, long hardened by the fact that he had to pass the jinyiwei test of killing his own brother as a child, became humane.
This romantic subplot is welcomed by many viewers because in the previous film Painted Face, the Donnie and Vicky’s characters had a romantic confrontation which was much underdeveloped. The character of Qiao Hua allowed Vicky Zhao to put on a look very much like the carefree Xiao Yanzi in Huan Zhu Ge Ge, which first made her famous 10 years ago. But Qiao Hua also exhibits another dimension of personality that is mature, calm and intelligent.
Fate ultimately overrides human emotions. Qinglong’s past killings constantly haunted him and his current mission occupied his entire mind. He called jinyiwei “a road that has entrance but no exit” and repeatedly reaffirmed his belief that this road will soon end for him. In fact, his fate is foreshadowed by the wooden box that he carries as the head of the jinyiwei. The big box contained 14 blades - eight for torture, five for killing and one for suicide if fallen into the hands of enemies. The 13 powerful blades facilitated his success but they are inseparable from the most deadly weapon which will determine his ultimate downfall.
In the town where the Imperial Seal is kept, Qinglong encounters a local gang of bandits led by the Judge of the Desert (Chun Wu). The Judge and Qinglong engaged in a heated fight, but at the crucial moment when Judge threatens to cut off Qinglong’s head, Qinglong surprised him by not defending himself. He told the Judge that there will be treasure transported to the city and wishes to join force in the robbery. When the Judge asked how the profit will be split, Qinglong answered that all he wants is dignity.
On the night before what Qinglong believed is the ultimate battle, he asked Qiao Hua to go to her betrothed. The two sat at a table facing each other unable to communicate the love that was deeply buried in their hearts. Qiao Hua broke the silence asking “have you finished using me”, and forcing Qinglong to make a statement untrue to his heart. A close shot of Qiao Hua’s face allowed the audience to see her forcing back the silent tears that were almost invisible. Juxtaposed against the tranquillity of the night, the scene is one of the most memorable and moving.
Qinglong was subsequently caught up in a challenging fight with Prince Qing’s goddaughter Tuo Tuo (Kate Tsui), who is truly Qinglong’s equal in martial art skills. Tuo Tuo had captured Qiao Hua and demanded that Qing Long swap the Imperial Seal for her. Knowing Qinglong’s military discipline, Qiao Hua told Tuo Tuo that such trick will not work, but she was wrong. Played by a former Miss Hong Kong, Tuo Tuo came across as a very sexy character – both for the beauty of her movements and her dangerous nature – but to many viewers’ disappointment, is largely underdeveloped.
During Qinglong’s last fight with Tuo Tuo, the two were both gravely wounded but displayed tremendous courage and perseverance. The length of the fighting scene was certainly above average, but it allowed audience sufficient time to contemplate the sad fate of two people on different sides of the battle who were governed by different missions. Despite the gruesomeness of their injuries, many close-up shots of their faces were highly moving, showing their shared pain and hatred – for Tuo Tuo, it is because of her inability to achieve her godfather’s dream, and for Qinlong, the fact that his life that is about to end when he finds something worth living for.
The police service Jinyiwei actually existed historically, set up by the emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, originally to monitor the corruption within the imperial court, but eventually became corrupt itself. But intricate details in the film such as the recruitment process targeting at orphans are clever details used to dramatise history – and Qinglong’s box of 14 blades even more so.
Nominated for and winner of several prestigious awards, the film has generated a boxing office revenue equivalent of 21 million US dollar to date, making it the country’s eight most successful film in the first half of 2010. 14 Blades is an action packed, thought provoking and moving tale of heroism, intrigue and romance.
Cecily Liu
  14 Blades (2010)
Directed by: Daniel Lee Action director: Guk Hin-chiu Produced by: Susanna Tsang, Wang Tianyun, Xiang Dong, Zhang Heyun, Cui Xiaowen. Zhang Hong, Sun Yi'an, Zhao Ping, Xu Ping'an, Wang Qishun, Si Jianjun Executive producer: Grace Tang Written by: Daniel Lee, Abe Kwong, Mak Tin-sue, Lau Ho-leung, Chan Siu-cheung Starring: Donnie Yen, Zhao Wei, Wu Chun, Kate Tsui, Qi Yuwu Music by: Henry Lai Cinematography: Tony Cheung, Sunny Tsang Editing by: Cheung Ka-fai, Tang Man-to Released in UK: August 16, 2010 (DVD) Language: Mandarin Subtitle: English |
|
