Review of 14 Blades (2010) by Kevin R — 05 Jan 2011

Dignity is within oneself. No one can take it from you.

During the Ming Dynasty a prince to the emperor employs 14 assassins that are required to follow his bidding. A few of the assassins are assigned to escort a female who carries a valuable emblem on a journey. The group is attacked and they are forced to break some of their moral rules to accomplish their mission. Why are they under attack and was there a reason the bodyguards were selected for this mission?

"Don't you think it is a sin to have killed so many?".

Daniel Lee, director of Black Mask, Star Runner, and Dragon Squad, delivers 14 Blades. The storyline for this picture was worthwhile and reminded me a little of Musa. The action scenes were okay but relied a little too much on CGI and special effects for my preference. The acting was better than average for the genre and the cast includes Donnie Yen, Wei Zhao, and Sammo Hung.

"Greedy souls are what I'm after.".

I continue to be a huge Donnie Yen fan (he and Jacky Wu Jing are amongst my favorite martial arts movie stars). I obtained this picture in hopes of it being on par with Musa, Bodyguards and Assassins, or Dragon Inn; unfortunately, this is more like Seven Swords. Donnie Yen is generally better in films that rely on his martial arts over weapons to computer graphics. This film relied more on the weapons and graphics than Yen's greatness. While this is a better than average movie based on its marvelous conclusion and several solid action scenes, this is not as good as you may hope.

"Why invite yourself to hell?".

Grade: C+.