Blades of the Guardians (2026)

Yuen Woo-ping hits a grand slam home run with a cinematic adaption ofXianzhe Xu's comic which has previously adapted into an animated series.

The plot has the second most wanted man in China, who makes a living asa bounty hunter, being asked to transport the most wanted man in China to a distant city. This results in poltical intrigue and an escalating series of battles.

To be honest the plot is thread bare, but its just enough to keep us watching. It's also one of the few films of this type in the last few years where it actually hangs together. Several recent films seem to have been missing 20 minutes. Thats not the case here. Yes it's kind of cliche, but the cast and their characters sell the mayhem and we are locked in from the opening minutes straight through the final credits.

What makes this film work are the characters. They are all of a type, but they are so well drawn by the actors you don't care. You will believe their actions because we have people we like. The friendships are forged in battle and honor. Woo-pin also gives us just enough back story that we accept the connections.

The film is full of killer fights-. Blood and limbs fly. People die horribly. This is martial arts injected with real world consequences. All of the fights are great. Jet Li returns to the big screen for the first time in a while for a brief turn, and epic fight as the head of a town. You would think that the film couldn't top that fight but every set piece tops evrything that went before in scale and intensity. None are really knock offs and each fight has an outcome that changes the direction of the narrative. They are so good I was talking to the screen.

There is also a strong moral sense to the film about, honor, fanily, friends the danger of just following orders. Say what you will- this is not a mindless romp.

I loved this film.  This is one of my new favorite films. It's also one of the best films of 2026.

Highly recommended this is one to see on a big screen.