Stevecorp Don't listen to the negative reviews

Contentar Best movie of this year hands down!

Bumpy Chip It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Deanna There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

MartinHafer Whether you enjoy "14 Blades" will most likely depend on what you think of the extensive use of so-called 'wire fu' throughout the film. This term was coined some time ago to describe the martial arts you see in some Chinese films where the stunts can only be achieved using hidden wires and harnesses to make characters magically fly as they fight. This was popularized in the film "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" but was actually used well before this in some of the Shaw Brothers films of the 1970s (such as "Sister Street Fighter"). I don't mind these crazy techniques if they are used very sparingly. When it doesn't dominate the film and when the actors aren't doing things so insanely impossible that I have trouble enjoying the movie, it can be effective. Instead, I prefer martial arts films where the action is both plausible AND insanely realistic--such as in films like "Ip Man", "In the Blood" and the old Sonny Chiba Street Fighter films. To me, wire fu can become a gimmick-- especially when used too often. And, in "14 Blades" it simply is overused and as a result, the story itself is rather weak.When the film begins, you learn that in the Ming Dynasty, the Emperors created the Jinyiwei. The Jinyiwei was initially a small group of men who were like a combination of spies and assassins. They were independent of the rest of the government and had the authority to overrule judges and dispatch supposed enemies of the Emperor with their bladed weapons. While this sounds far-fetched, I did some research and found that this really was a secret organization which was created in 14th century China! So, I applaud the film for basing the plot, in part, on real historical facts and characters.One of these Jinyiwei, General Qinlong (Donnie Yen) is the hero, of sorts, in this film. He is betrayed by disloyal folks within the Emperor's court and spends the entire film being pursued by an outlaw Prince and his band of baddies. Throughout the film, it's one battle after another after another, as the Prince's troops try to kill Qinlong and steal the royal seal. And, the baddest of these baddies is Tuo Tuo, the Prince's adopted daughter. She has all sorts of magical fighting powers, can punch through trees, tosses enormous statues about as if they were made of styrofoam and can appear and disappear, fly and do practically anything. How could Qinlong possibly defeat this magical killing machine?!To me, if Tuo Tuo had been eliminated from the film completely, "14 Blades" would have been a much better film. She simply was too impossible to believe and her stunts were insanely impossible--yet many of the fight scenes without her were exciting and high-energy. The wizards in The Lord of the Rings films had less powers than she did and to me this was just a distraction. This combining of real historical events (the Jinyimei) with ridiculous over-the-top characters didn't work for me and I wish the director, Daniel Lee, had focused less on these stunts and more on the story and realistic fighting. Not a bad film, it lacks the depth and believable characters I look for in a great martial arts movie.

KineticSeoul This is another martial arts flick with weapons and it's a pretty good one at that, just isn't great. Mainly it's because the story is sort of flat although all over the place at times. But I liked the comic book style of this movie and since it works sometimes. The title of this movie is the weapons that Donnie Yen's character carries around with him in a wooden box, but they mostly all look generic. Although each weapon has it's purpose, but you can't tell which weapon is which while watching for the most part. Also the 14 blades isn't even used in a special manner, it just seemed like regular swords for the most part. It would have been cool if it showed each weapon with a distinctive different look and style of fighting to it. But that just doesn't apply to this movie for the most part. What starts out as a bit over the place plot while being somewhat interesting quickly becomes a romance movie between Donnie Yen and Zhao Wei's characters. However the fight choreography is done really well in this and doesn't come off as being super lame to watch or anything like that. It seems like Donnie Yen's talent is increasing with every martial arts movie he is in. The set pieces are well crafted as well and if the plot carried it's own weight as well, this would have been a great martial arts movie.5.8/10

mmushrm Donnie Yen have been in some stinkers recently so I wasn't expecting much but I found 14 Blades rather enjoyable.Its a set period piece where Donnie Yen plays Qing-Long (Green dragon) the leader of the imperial bodyguard/secret police/death squad. He gets tricked by the palace eunuch to help steal the imperial stamp. The movie is about his exploits in getting it back.As in most movies there is a love story as well but its more to add depth to Donnie's character rather then some sappy mushy mess. This movies is a Martial Arts Western with bits Prince of Persia thrown in. For some reason Donnie also look like he has dreadlocks and look like a pirate. Fight scenes are good and very fast.The revelation to me was Kate Tsui as Tuo Tuo. She should actually get 3rd billing for this movie. She hardly says anything but her presence as the "bad guy" and her fight scenes are very good. when watching I kept thinking ..."perhaps the next Bridgette Lin for martial Art movies"If you are not looking for a deep story with great acting but an action adventure, 14 Blades fit the bill.

john_amend_all The film started rather promising, but it ended by being a fiasco. The characters and fights look like coming directly from a game like Final Fantasy - with fancy looks, supernatural powers and exotic weapons - but unfortunately out of time and place. While some fights are entertaining and Donnie Yen is good during the short display of kung fu, the most part of the fights consist in a display of CG scenes and wire fu. All that would have been a little entertaining movie to enjoy and forget at the end of the week, but it's culminating with another tragic ending in the purest Asian style (in the same vein of Tiger and Dragon, Hero, etc...)