Wuxia at its best!!!
This is one I had heard about years ago but somehow never got around to. So thrilled to have changed that. This is what a good, old fashioned Wuxia movie is all about in terms of honest to goodness kick ass action. None of that flying on roof top, slow motion improbable and technology assisted acrobatics that we are routinely served up with these days. Nothing but extremely well choreographed, intensive, nail bitingly lethal swordplay up close and personal. Wow - they really don't make it like this anymore.The plot isn't complicated - it is about how three highly skilled Imperial Assassins get caught up in a gripping yet relatively straightforward political conspiracy that puts them in mortal danger. They are a bit of a Chinese Three Musketeers with a dark side as they risk their lives for a pittance and are unable to fulfill their deepest personal desires. They are not your traditional virtuous wuxia heroes but they live by their own moral code. Shen Lian (Chang Chen) is the most deadly and most morally ambiguous of the three. Chang Chen pulls off this complex role exceptionally well, subtly conveying deep and varied emotions underneath an intense, brooding and taciturn demeanour. Zhou Yi Wei also brilliantly pulls off another grey character. In fact, many of the cast have delivered wonderful performances in key roles in many recent hit dramas. The only exception is Ethan Li's rather unmemorable performance as the more care free youngest brother Jin Yi Chuan. This actor has since regressed and gone on to weigh down a few otherwise very strong dramas for me. (Why does he still get work?). I also was under impressed by the romance element of the story - this role was not well written and not well acted. That made Shen Lian's infatuation with her not relate-able and one reason I haven't rated this more highly. That said, this is not really a romance and I thoroughly enjoyed this so definitely if like me you never got round to this, now is the time.
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This review may contain spoilers
It's not very often a martial arts movie comes out with strong fight scenes and even stronger acting. Brotherhood of the Blades boasted a quietly competent cast who elevated this movie above standard wuxia fare. Three Imperial Assassins and sworn brothers, though skilled with their swords had to face down death and deception from various factions. The always troublesome eunuch (this time after he was deposed) who shows up in numerous martial arts movies, once again instigated double-crossing schemes, this time imperiling the three loyal assassins.
Chang Chen led the three sworn brothers. His character, Shen Lian, though loyal to his brothers and emperor, was morally ambiguous. Willing to do whatever the situation called for, he set into motion a sword that would hang over all three of the assassins' heads.
The three hearty friends all harbored a need for money. Shen Lian wished to free a courtesan but lacked the power and money to do so. Wang Qian Yuan, as Lu Jian Xing, longed for promotion, only lacking the amount of money needed for bribing officials. Li Dong Xue as Jin Yi Chuan, the third assassin and the youngest, loved a doctor's daughter and had secrets of his own. The eunuch's waning power and wealth still proved perilous and tempting. The loyal allies had no safe quarter with the emperor and his officials. Blades aimed at them from nearly every quarter, even longtime allies proved treacherous.
The fight choreography was quite good, less reliant on wires and Olympic level gymnastics. The fights were fast, brutal, and bloody. They stretched reality in a few scenes, but so do most action movies. If I have one quibble, it's that the action scenes went on too long and were overused. As the story felt thin, perhaps it distracted from the lack of a more complex plot and character development.
The cinematography though dark and dreary fit the mood of the film. Often monochromatic, the shots worked perfectly for the bloody fight scenes. The costumes and sets were well done, befitting the time period. Brotherhood of Blades was stunning to watch without being overdone.
Chang Chen gave a mesmerizing performance, filling in gaps the script lacked. The supporting actors were all strong even though many of their characters were thinly drawn.
Brotherhood of the Blades battered away at the characters through intrigue and loss. Dark and intense, this film balanced its three main characters on the edge of a knife in the midst of hungry wolves. And set this viewer on the edge of her seat wondering who, if any, of the Brotherhood would survive.
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Great from start to finish with enough excellent fight scenes to satisfy a wuxia lover
I usually don't watch wuxia movies as they oftentimes let me down due to incompetent writing and crappy fight scenes. After watching so many wuxia dramas that take their sweet time in world-building and setup, it's hard to find a movie that can do all of that in less than 2 hours. I'm glad I found "Brotherhood of Blades" years after it premiered. There's a beginning, middle and end to a full plot, and I was captivated and entertained for the full hour and 50 minutes.The action scenes are awesome. There is no wired flying around, twirling and waiting around during a battle and slow motion fight scenes. We have men (yes, men not boys) who put in the effort to train hard and give us realistic and hardcore close-up fights. I love the different weapons used in this movie, and not just a sword or knife. No weak and mindless swinging of the sword but strong and determined slashes and slits of the throats.
A veteran cast (maybe not then but definitely now) delivered a beautiful performance. I've only seen Chang Chen in "Love and Destiny" and I love him in "Brotherhood of Blades" a lot more and he looks much more charismatic in his JinYiWei uniform. I've never seen Wang Qian Yuan (the oldest of the brothers) before and I am impressed. Li Dong Xue is the youngest might not have delivered as memorable a performance as the two brothers, but he's not bad. I like him a lot more in "Love and Destiny". The two female characters and love interests do not have many scenes but they're fine. It's lovely to see great actors such as Nie Yuan, Zhou Yi Wei and Chin Shih Chieh. You know they will be good. Looking back, there are many excellent actors in this movie!
If you are looking for romance, it's very minimal. It's enough to drive the plot but not enough to make a lasting memory. Liu Shi Shi is beautiful as the female lead (that doesn't have many scenes). She reminded me of her role in "Lost Love in Times". There was a scene towards the end that was very touching and gave us the backstory of her relationship with Chang Chen's character.
If I have to criticize, I would have loved the movie to be a tad longer and dive more into how the brothers met and a little bit more of their background. Most of them are explained in a sentence or two. I think another 15 mins would be enough to show us more.
I am quite surprised this movie has such a low rating on MDL (7.5 at the time of writing). I am rounding up my rating from 8.75 to 9.0 to give it a little bump. ? If you love good old-style fight scenes and a strong acting performance by everyone, I
recommend this movie. Only 924 watchers is not enough!
Completed: 12/18/2022
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