The Blade – Review

Young Li Ding On (Wenzhuo) has worked all his life as a small-town blacksmith. His friend Tietou, or Iron Head (Moses Chan), also works at the same smithy, and the pair learn swordcraft and strong morals from the master of the shop (Wai), who was also friends with Ding On’s deceased father. Thankfully the shop owner’s daughter Siu Ling (Su) is there to support the young men, as dangerous events begin to stack up.

When Ding On and Iron Head witness a jacked monk standing up to villainous thugs and defeating them in town, they are inspired by the man’s good deeds. Unfortunately, this monk is soon brutally assassinated by a group of hoodlums and his torn body is left in the streets. Iron Head can’t stand for this and engages the gangsters, but this only pisses off the shop master as the thugs then knew about the sword maker shop and could target it. A rift between Ding On and Iron Head also forms.

As information is revealed about Ding On’s deceased father and the dangerous local hoodlums, a plot forms. Yet… there is another twist or two coming for the characters. It’s hard to go into many plot details without spoiling some of the large changes in the story, but this is definitely an interesting time for a few reasons.

Creative kung fu and actions scenes are just the beginning for The Blade. The drama and dark story presented give an interesting back drop for the characters to try and flourish, however it is an oppressive world and many things do not go as intended. Chaos of life often makes for drastic adjustments, and this plot is no different for its characters.

While some of the story elements are fairly classic for a sword and revenge tale like The Blade, there is a stark reality presented throughout as well which gives it all a fine edge. It dabbles into themes of love, ethics, friendship, overcoming adversity, survival and more, all while delivering some furious swirling and twirling swordplay and wild action.

There may not be a ton of humor or good times in The Blade, but it has an interesting historical backdrop, oppressive villains, realistic life views, plenty of thematic inclusion and lots of creative fights. The camera swoops through flying fists and blades, while also zooming above rooftops for unique perspectives.

Well-directed and packed with impressive stunts, The Blade packs some dark drama and realistic life plots into a tale of revenge and swordplay. The action has some fairly unique choreography which the film’s director has been mastering for decades.