Released on the iQIYI streaming service, the film Li Wei "Wild Blade of Strangers” (The Wild Blade of Strangers) was another in a series of higher-quality action films that have appeared on streaming recently. The action takes place during the Ming Dynasty. Prince Qi (Zhu Shimao) tries to claim the throne by executing the crown prince. The only thing standing in his way is a small child, the only living descendant of the prince.
The child is ferried to safety by Nie Ling'er (Xia Meng), but she can only keep the child safe until a certain point, as she is no match for the prince's guards who are hunting for her and the child. Luckily, she crosses paths with a coal salesman, Tian Anye (Max Zhang), who, albeit reluctantly, ultimately protects Nie and quickly dispatches her pursuers.
Tian's backstory is revealed as the film progresses, revealing that he is no ordinary charcoal salesman. Realizing that the child must be protected, in a mortal battle with the prince's men, Tian must defeat several opponents to keep him safe. He is aided on his journey by Qin Gu (Jiang Luxia), who has her own motives for trying to ensure the child's safety, while it is unclear where her true loyalties lie.
Max Zhang's (aka Zhang Jin) career is now in its third decade. He has amassed an impressive list of roles. Noteworthy are the supporting roles in films such as “Great master" (2013), SPL II (2015) and “Ip Man 3” (2015), and he also appeared in the Hollywood film “Escape Plan 3” (2019). As memorable as these roles were, they did not bring him the same level of fame as some of his contemporaries. And quality leading roles in films “Edge” (2017) and “Master Z: Ip Man's Legacy” (2018) should have brought more attention to him, which is what happened.
In his latest film “Wolf Pack” (2022) lead role failed to fully exploit Zhang's potential, the film severely limited his capabilities in terms of action. As a huge fan of Zhang, I was extremely disappointed that he wasn't given more opportunities to show off his fighting skills. Even dim “Invincible dragon” (2019) allowed Zhang to showcase his talents, with him participating in several action scenes.
The lack of action scenes in The Wolfpack is what initially inspired me to watch the latest film Zhang “The Wild Blade of Strangers.” The fact that it was being released straight to streaming was underwhelming, but after watching the first trailer for the film, my interest was piqued as it looked like a higher quality product than what the streaming service usually presents.
Having watched the film in its entirety, I was absolutely right in my assumption that it would be a better film than usual, and the director Li Wei will ensure that his budget is used to maximum benefit. Good acting, beautiful cinematography, authentic sets and costumes combined with well-made action set “Strangers' Wild Blade” apart from the many similar films currently available on the iQIYI streaming platform.
While this film may not introduce Zhang to a wider audience, it does a much better job of showcasing his talents than “Wolf Pack". While much of the action on display is of the fencing variety, Zhang is at least the center of attention and is featured in most of the film's major fight scenes. He doesn't push himself too hard here: his character is a typical stoic martial artist who doesn't want to get involved, but still ends up doing the right thing when necessary.
While Tian Anye's role may not reveal much of him as an actor, most martial arts fans will be more interested in his fight scenes, which Zhang doesn't disappoint with. He uses a variety of weapons throughout, fighting brutally against a variety of opponents. In one of the first skirmishes, Tien quickly destroys a group of royal guards, showing just how deadly he can be. The choreography is not traditionally graceful and theatrical, as is favored by many wuxia films, instead opting for a more grounded (albeit sophisticated) style.
As the story progresses, the film introduces more fantastical fighting techniques, as is to be expected for the genre. In turn, as with most films of this genre, you have to take some incredible situations on faith during the battle scenes, especially when your hero faces a small army alone. Despite this, the fights are at least believable within the confines of the film.
Zhang's partner in the film “The Wolf Pack” Jiang Luxia impresses again. Admittedly, her character may seem unlikable, but there are reasons behind it. The ambivalence of her character makes her more interesting than the film's only other female character, Ni, played by Xia Meng.
While Zhang was limited in terms of action in The Wolf Pack, Jiang suffers a similar fate in this film. While her character does participate in the fighting, she won't have the opportunity to show off her martial arts skills like she has done in the past. She's impressive in the battles she gets to take part in, but it's a shame there aren't more of them.
According to Li Wei's filmography, this is his first film as a director. If this is so, then he coped with the task commendably. While the film is not without its flaws, with some moments where the pace of the action slows down, it is still a beautiful piece of cinematography, especially considering the limited resources Lee likely had at his disposal. Visually, it is at least as good as any other Chinese-made movie.
I also appreciated that Wei didn't shy away from showing violence on screen: there was a fair amount of blood in the various fight scenes, and the only thing that let them down was the use of low-quality CGI for the gore. I understand that this is a more convenient and cheaper method, but I prefer the effects of older films that used real effects with simulated blood. Sure, it may have looked fake, but it's a hell of a lot better than what's used in modern cinema these days.
"Wild Blade of Strangers” is definitely worth a look. It's not a classic by any means, but it's still a good way to spend 100 minutes or so. Along with the film “Blind Sword 2” (2024), this is one of the best fencing action films I've seen in a while, and it's well worth the relatively cheap subscription to iQIYI. Obviously, some regions may not have access to the streaming platform, but I don't think it will be long before Stranger's Wild Blade is picked up by a Western distributor. For example Well Go USA.
As stated, this film will not catapult Max Zhang to stardom, but I am confident that if he continues to make films of this quality, he will continue to grow his already significant fan base. As I understand it, he was injured last year, presumably on the set of this very film. He appears to have recovered, so hopefully he'll be back on screen soon.
Plot: 3,5/5
Acting: 3,5/5
Action: 3,5/5
Overall: 3,5/5
Posted by Darren Murray (Martial Arts Action Cinema)
Max Zhang is a charismatic type. It's a shame there aren't many films with him.