Summary
A low-key wuxia film that gracefully works at its own pace towards a bloody finale.
Li Yun-bo made his feature debut in 2016 with Something in Blue, but was already known to the film world as the co-founder of websites Moviegoer and Cinepedia – not to mention the online film show Let’s be Crazy about Films Together. So, this history of cinema is very present in WILD SWORDS, a film that consciously recalls the roots of the wuxia genre.
By way of background, famed assassins the Nameless Sect (which feels like, you know, a name) have ostensibly been wiped out during a conflict with the Tang-men Sect, including star assassin Chang Wei-ran. Ten years later, thief Guo (Zhang Xiaochen) is arrested and Wang Yidao (Jian Zhao) is hired to escort him to his destination. Cue the various attackers who are keen to work out the connections between Guo and the enigmatic Chang Wei-ran.
Filled with stylish close-ups and a series of initially understated deaths, this is one of the most low-key wuxia films we’ve encountered in a while. Unquestionably stylish and referencing an almost mythological method of storytelling, you could almost describe the first third of the film as ‘gentle’ were it not for the violent subject matter.
It’s a bit like the flowers that are referenced in the film (and pictured above). They only bloom for a brief window, but when they do it is something to behold. “When they blossom,” says one character, “it is high time to have a drink.” The same could be said of WILD SWORDS, a film that takes its time to bloom.
There’s always a risk that this kind of set-up can be repetitive, especially if you aren’t inclined towards a singular style of action. Backed by Piao Songri’s (The Crossing) slick cinematography, Li Yun-bo varies his fight styles throughout the film: sometimes its individual combat, at other times it’s a group against Guo. Sometimes, it’s time for a disembodied arm to go flying.
We have to question the organisational structure of an assassin group that only lets in new members every few years, and makes people fighting to the death for leadership: the WHS paperwork alone would be a nightmare. Yet as it works its way towards a self-aware and bloody finale, Li Yun-bo may just have a cult following in the making.
2019 |China| DIRECTOR: Li Yun-bo | WRITER: Li Yun-bo | CAST: Xiaochen Zhang, Yongliang Sui, Shang-bai | DISTRIBUTOR: Adelaide Film Festival (AUS)| RUNNING TIME: 92 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 14 – 28 October 2020 (AFF)
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