Skip to main content

Insomniac Theatre: "14 Blades" (2010)


At one time or another, we have all been there- unable to sleep, flipping idly through the channels and creating our own story from the bits and fragments we catch between channel flips, until we come across a show or movie that makes us go, "Huh... this might be interesting."

Or in my case, flipping through my DVD/Blu-Ray collection.

Such is how I came across "14 Blades" at 2:00 am the other night.  I'd forgotten I'd bought it, and figured it might help pass the late night hours.

It is the Ming Dynasty, and a plot to overthrow to Emperor is afoot.  Raised, trained, and sworn to protect the Emperor as a Jinyiwei, Qinglong has been betrayed by an ambitious fellow Jinyiwei.  The traitors have stolen the Imperial Seal.  It is now up to Qinglong and some unexpected allies to keep the seal out of the hands of the traitors.

This Chinese martial arts film has a nice spaghetti western feel to it at times- especially in the way Donnie Yen portrays Qinglong.  He brings a very Man With No Name feel to the characters- which I actually quite enjoyed.  The pacing, and quite a few of the shots add to the feel of a western... though the ending shot might be seen as a bit much.

Unfortunately, his character (as enjoyable as I found it), and the others are pretty standard stock characters you'd find in marital art films and westerns.  Yen's performance was also the best of the lot- though I'd say that Kate Tsui as Tuo-Tuo was almost as good, in addition to her character being actually just as interesting as Qinglong.  The rest weren't bad- but not really noteworthy, with Zhao Wei seeming to be partly asleep while acting.

The story is also fairly standard "lone samurai" type of story- full of pretty predictable tropes and plot points.  To be honest, I think the story was mere justification for the fight sequences.

Which brings me to the fight scenes.  They were fast paced and visually creative, with some decent choreography.  Maybe too fast paced and visually creative, since you don't really get to see the fight clearly- especially in the main sequences involving Qinglong and Tuo-Tuo.  In those scenes, there's too much CGI, blurring, etc to give us a chance to appreciate the actual techniques of the characters involved.  The clearest, and enjoyable fight was between Qinglong and "The Judge of the Desert" (played by Wu Chun).

Also, for a film called "14 Blades", you never really get to see the different blades being used (aside from a quick intro bit about the blades)

Would I necessarily recommend someone go out of their way to watch it?  No, I wouldn't.  Would I recommend it in the event you're flipping through channels at 2:00 am?  Sure, why not- it's not a bad way to waste a bit of time.  Worth a watch under certain circumstances is how I'd describe this movie.  I'm going to put "14 Blades" in "The Bad".
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

#CocktailHour: Slushtail

  Summer approaches, inspiring thoughts of sunshine, backyard parties, and having a tip and sip with friends.  With that in mind, I bring you this week sunny beverage. To make a slushtail, mix a can of frozen orange juice, a can of frozen lemonade (or limeade), a can of pineapple juice, a couple cups of black tea (or English Breakfast), and two cups of bourbon- such as Southern Comfort, in a pitcher.  When it's all nicely mixed, put it in the freezer until it's a nice slushy consistency. Scoop the slush into a cocktail glass, and pour in some Sprite or 7-Up.  Add a little umbrella for some frivolous fun, and a straw. Voila!  Ready to enjoy. This is a very refreshing drink.  The fruit juices, Sprite, and bourbon- when chilled makes for a great punch-like drink.  The bourbon doesn't overwhelm juices.   In fact, they are all nicely balanced in terms of flavors.  The sourness of the citrus fruits contrasts well with the slightly sweeter Southern Comfort.  It was refreshing enou
Post a Comment
Read more

Unlock your fate with The Puzzle

When my dad wasn't working, building stuff or being my dad, he was making puzzles. It was a guaranteed way for him to unwind. So it was with great interest that I sat down to watch Italian filmmaker Davide Melini's award-winning short The Puzzle. You see, the mother in the five-minute film likes to relax with puzzles just like my dad. Unfortunately, her good-for-nothing son keeps harassing her for money. Losing herself in her favourite passtime, the mother soon discovers that completing this puzzle might unlock a nightmare. The Puzzle has been an official selection at more European film festivals than you can shake a stick at, and was voted Third Best Italian Film at the Rome International Film Festival in 2008. Having watched it, I'm not surprised. It's a tight little film that hits you hard in the final few seconds. You can tell Melini cut his teeth as an assistant director for legendary Italian filmmaker Dario Argento. But enough chit chat on my part. See if yo
Post a Comment
Read more

The Animated Addict: "The Adventures of Tintin" (2011)

If you're a 40 + white dude, like myself, you may remember a comic series called " The Adventures of Tintin ".  I know I remember them.  This series, dating back to 1929, got turned into a animated feature film by Steven Spielberg in 2011. After buying a model of ship called The Unicorn, teenaged journalist Tintin finds himself on adventure that will take him from the high seas, to the low deserts, and from the distant past to the present.  With his trusty dog, Snowy, by his side, Tintin uncovers a story connecting two men across the centuries.. . The story is really quite good.  It's well crafted, and high paced- with just enough slow moments to build and develop the world and the characters.  This is the sort of adventure story you'd find in the old serials of the 1930's and '40's.  In fact, it felt like it was the sort of tale that you'd find Indiana Jones undertaking.  I found myself swept up, and swept along as our hero swung from one e
Post a Comment
Read more