Wu Xia is the best film in Donnie Yen's filmography. It may not have the most fights or be the most rah-rah crowd pleasing, but it's easily the best directed & most complete movie he's ever made. Huge credit has to go to director Peter Chan. He gives the film a remarkable sense of style that reminded me of early 1990s Luc Besson (when Besson was one of the most stylish directors in the world). Gorgeous visuals, weird yet perfect music, and a quirky rhythm all come together with an interesting story to form a highly compelling film that feels like no other kung fu movie out there.Don't get me wrong: It's not empty style. Every scene successfully conveys the emotion/feeling it's supposed to convey. There's no moment that rings false or feels like it could've been done better. Frankly, director Chan tells the story so effectively that it makes most of Yen's other films feel amateurish in comparison. The incredible style applies to the fights as well. Frankly, the film's fights set a new standard: They manage to combine the intricate choreography of old school wushu kung fu scenes with the hard hitting MTV style of modern Hollywood action without losing what makes either of them good. You can see all of the choreography clearly, but you also get that awesome hard hitting, kinetic MTV sense of style, yet there is no shaky cam or seizure-inducing editing! There is a big chase & fight scene about half way through this film that would be entertaining for most people, but for a student of kung fu cinema, it should be recognized as game changing filmmaking. Bottomline: Donnie Yen's best made film and a new high watermark for the wushu genre.

It's 1917 Liu Village, China. Liu Jin-Xi (Donnie Yen) is a paper maker in the small town. One day, two violent criminals come to town and Liu Jin-Xi kills them. Everybody believes they were accidentally killed, but Detective Xu Bai-Jiu (Takeshi Kaneshiro) is convinced that Liu Jin-Xi is actually a kung fu master.The premise is reminiscent of 'A History of Violence', and gets its inspiration from Yu Wang's 'The One-Armed Swordsman' (1967). Yu Wang is also in this one. The story of the wife played by Wei Tang is amazingly compelling. The detective is also more than a simple policeman. He is a strict legalist. He doesn't bend. His convictions have a dark beginning, and a dark result. The character relationships are complicated.The action isn't the normal kung fu movie for the first half. For action fans, the second half has enough to satisfy. But it's not just a simple action thriller. This is a character study, and a Greek tragedy.

This is not a detailed review, and I am not going to speak to the cultural differences between American story-telling and the various differences which can be found in foreign films generally.This movie has some very Chinese cultural approaches which I appreciate for their differences from the standard American approach.There are many significant themes present in this film. The primary theme is that redemption from past transgressions is never free and can be very expensive.The overall plot and storyline of the movie brought to mind: "Les Miserables", Victor Hugo; and "Crime and Punishment", Fyodor Dostoyevsky.The cinematography reminded me of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon". Beautifully done.The martial fight scenes were excellently choreographed and very exciting to watch.The language is Chinese with subtitles, However, when I finished viewing the movie, I actually had to ask myself if there were subtitles because they were totally unobtrusive to the film or spoken dialogue.The story is taken from the point of view of a detective investigating the death of two criminals when they attempted a robbery and murder of the shop-keepers in a small town. The detective is the primary story-teller, and also, the narrator for transitions between scenes. The transition from scene to scene is almost totally seamless to the extent that there is no noticeable break.During his investigation of the two deaths, the detective suspects that the hero of the story is not a common laborer, but highly trained in the martial arts. The story centers on his relentless pursuit of the truth regardless of the consequences to the families and community.I classify this film in the same category of the best Chinese films released in recent years: "Hero", "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", and others I have watched.The only surprise for me was that I haven't found it nominated or receiving any awards in the foreign film category.Respectfully, MJR

An attack on a butcher's shop in a small rural area, unleashes all hell for those involved, the authorities and our screens.The story unfolds after an police investigator becomes perplexed as to how an ordinary shop worker fends off an orchestrated attack by two ruthless criminals. Being unprepared to simply accept that the quiet family man, simply got lucky he tries to dig deeper and reaches a point where the revelations is more than he could even handle.Beautifully made and nicely told, this a film with hidden might, where the audience goes from one surprise to another between scenes of true human warmth as well as spectacular fighting sequences. Yes, they go over the top but it is done in such a refined manner that you could forgive them.