‘Blades Of The Guardians’ Review – Yuen Woo-Ping’s 60-Year Convergence Of Martial Arts Film History
Yuen Woo-Ping has had a chokehold on audiences since his first film credit. He started his career on Ng See-Yuen’s The Bloody Fists blocking fight choreography in 1972. Woo-Ping’s work stood out against an otherwise ordinary period martial arts from the 2nd unit director of The Chinese Boxer , See-Yuen himself marking his debut on Fists. But Woo-Ping’s career catapulted from there. His style of staging fights on camera evolved over time, incorporating more balletic movements and wire work to combine with what some call “shapes” in fight choreography, particularly the use of animal styles and some exaggerated movements designed for the screen. Working closely with the physical portion of martial arts in filmmaking has put Woo-Ping in a critical position to direct them. His name has become synonymous with the genre for this reason. With his first feature since 2018’s Master Z: Ip Man Legacy , Woo-Ping has brought back his signature fluid style in a new ...