Home / Arts and Entertainment / Wushu Legends Unite for 'Blades of the Guardians'
Wushu Legends Unite for 'Blades of the Guardians'
19 Feb
Summary
- Director Yuen Woo-ping emphasizes practical filmmaking with real stunts.
- Film features wushu champions like Jet Li and Wu Jing in action.
- Based on graphic novels, it follows a mercenary during the Sui Dynasty.
Director Yuen Woo-ping returned to practical filmmaking methods for his latest historical action film, 'Blades of the Guardians.' He insisted on using real horses, actual desert landscapes, and a cast of wushu champions, including Wu Jing and Jet Li, to perform Hong Kong-style wirework and martial arts without digital enhancement.
Yuen, renowned for his work on 'The Matrix' and 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,' explained that many Hong Kong filmmaking styles were born from necessity. For this project, shooting on location was crucial as visual effects couldn't replicate the authenticity of deserts or skilled stunt performers.
The film, based on Xu Xianzhe's graphic novels and released in North America by Well Go USA Entertainment, follows a mercenary named Biao Ren during the oppressive Sui Dynasty. The story involves a dangerous scheme encountered during an escort assignment.
Yuen's fight choreography emphasizes "clarity, weight and consequence," viewing combat as a dialogue between characters that must advance the plot. The film's road movie structure facilitates this, showcasing diverse encounters and locations across the desert.
Casting presented significant challenges, with Yuen seeking actors who could embody the spirit of the graphic novel characters and perform demanding stunts. He specifically cast Jet Li as Governor Chang to believably portray him as an adversary to Wu Jing's character, Dao Ma.
Despite numerous injuries among the lead actors, including Wu Jing, Jet Li, and Max Zhang, they delivered their best performances. Yuen noted that their shared wushu background allowed them to "speak the same language" in martial arts, bringing a perfect gracefulness to the period setting.
Veteran actor Tony Leung Ka-fai, though not a martial artist, brought emotional depth to his role as Chief Mo. Yuen believes in actors finding their unique voice within the genre, citing his own success mixing action with comedy.
Yuen views 'Blades of the Guardians' as a foundation for potential future installments, having established the world of the graphic novels. The film took four years to produce, and Yuen plans to rest before considering new projects.
