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The story of legendary Guan Yu crossing five passes & slaying six generals. He played a major role in the civil war that led to the collapse of Han Dynasty & the establishment of Shu Han of the 3 Kingdoms, making Liu Bei its first emperor.
“The Lost Bladesman” is a Hong Kong-Chinese martial arts epic, based loosely on the life story of Guan Yu, a general who served under the warlord Liu Bei in the late Eastern Han dynasty. History says that Guan slayed six generals while crossing five passes, all the while traveling with Qi Lan (Sun Li), Liu Bei’s wife, trying to reunite them together. Donnie Yen plays Guan Yu with the utmost restraint, he is a warrior who will not kill if it is not necessary but with so many enemies, each of them trying to convince him to work for them, it’s almost impossible to know who is for him, and who is against him.
And that is where the perplexing script comes into play. It’s fine to throw the audience off by giving them false leads, only later to realize that they were exactly that, but in order for us to relate to our protagonists, Guan Yu and Qi Lan, we are never truly given the opportunity to understand anything or anybody who comes into contact with them. Former acquaintances, prior blood brothers, past comrades in battle, they all make an appearance but before we know why, they are attacking Guan for no apparent reason, some stating that they are obeying orders from the emperor, others staying silent. What follows is a dizzying and breathtaking blow to the senses, as Donnie Yen executes some astonishing and eye-popping physical martial arts feats. Mr. Yen is the film’s saving grace, along with cinematographer Chi-Ying Chan (“The Man with the Iron Fists,” “Detective Dee: Mystery of the Phantom Flame”), who frames his shots beautifully, allowing Mr. Yen to show off his unbelievable style with grace and elegance.
One of the main issues with the film is that there are too many characters. With sprawling historical epics such as this, having a multitude of players is to be expected but in most instances, the majority of characters are kept to secondary or minor roles, while allowing the central performers to take center stage. Here, it seems like almost every single person who appears is given some sort of unnecessary backstory and exposition and with most of them only appearing once and briefly, it feels like wasted time. I am not very familiar with this particular story and the events that supposedly transpired but Donnie Yen utilizes his star power and sheer magnetism, to help elevate “The Lost Bladesman” above mediocrity.
Available now on DVD, Digital HD & On Demand
